New Poetry-Page 49 (Merry Christmas)

Christmas Love And Peace As we celebrate our dear Saviour's birth, May we lift our thoughts above, May we pray for peace on earth, And may we all kneel in prayer and love; May Christmas love and peace abound, May hope and joy reside in every heart, May peace on earth be found, And may each of us do our part; May the spirit of Christmas live, In our hearts the whole year through, And may we continue gifts to give, And our love share, and kind deeds do. ----------------------------------------------------- The Star In The East * I have seen the star in the east, bright and shining, and lighting my way. It has not always been so, and even now sometimes I stray from the light. Two thousand years ago Jesus was born, and light came into the world. Shepherds saw the star while tending their flock, and the wise men also beheld the glorious light. The world at the time of the birth of Jesus was in appearance much different than the modern day world, but people's hearts were not any different. Come, let us follow the star, and let the heavenly light of love and peace bathe our soul and make us whole.

O Little Town Of Bethlehem Phillips Brooks - 1835 - 1893 On Christmas Eve of 1865 an Episcopal Bishop, Phillips Brooks, attended services in the ancient basilica in Bethlehem. The beauty of the simple service made a permanent impression on his heart. Three years later during the Christmas season he was asked to write a new Christmas song for the children of the Holy Trinity Church School of Philadelphia. The thought of the little town of Bethlehem and his trip there inspired Brooks to write the complete song in one evening. The next day Phillips Brooks gave the poem to Lewis Redner, the Church Organist and church school superintendent. Lewis waited for inspiration but none came. On the night before Christmas he woke up suddenly, in the middle of the night, the melody of the song was ringing in his ears like happy bells. He graped the nearest piece of paper and wrote down the now famous melody. On the following day, Christmas, the little children of Holy Trinity Church sang for the first time one of the most loved Christmas songs. [Tune: St. Louis, 2nd Tune, L.H. Redner, 1868] O Little Town of Bethlehem  O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by; Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee to-night.  For Christ is born of Mary, And gathered all above, While mortals sleep, the angels keep Their watch of wondering love. O morning stars, together Proclaim the holy birth! And praises sing to God the King, And peace to men on earth.  How silently, how silently, The wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming, But in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive him, still The dear Christ enters in.  Where children pure and happy Pray to the blessed Child, Where misery cries out to thee, Son of the mother mild; Where charity stands watching And faith holds wide the door, The dark night wakes, the glory breaks, And Christmas comes once more.   O holy Child of Bethlehem! Descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in, Be born in us to-day. We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel!  [Phillips Brooks, 1867

Christmas Morning Christmas morning is like no other, There is such love for one another, Good will and happiness is all around, And no hint of malice is to be found. Children unwrap their gifts around the tree, Their eyes are filled with happiness and glee, The wonder and beauty of the sight, Makes our hearts sing with delight. Such wondrous sights, sounds, and smells, That every eye misty with a tear wells, And fond Christmas memories recall, For Christmas morning is a joy for all.

My First Sled I remember I got my first sled when I was about 5 years old for Christmas. I was very excited and couldn't wait to try it out. I took the sled out for a ride right after I got it on Christmas morning. There was a little hill just outside our kitchen door that I took the sled to ride down for the first time. The sled turned over about half way down the hill, and I fell into the snow getting snow all over my clothes and face. I got up from the snow, and ran into the kitchen crying where my parents where sitting around the wood stove. My father said, "Why are you crying Walter? Didn't you enjoy your sleigh ride"? I said, "No I didn't, I got that old sleigh ride all over my face". My parents started laughing, and my father often told the story to others for years afterward about my first sled ride and what I said.

The Christmas Tree When I was a little boy growing up on the farm my parents would usually find and cut a little evergreen tree growing on our farm for our Christmas tree. One year when I was about 5 or 6 I remember my mother went to find a tree for our Christmas that year. My mother was unable to find a small evergreen tree nearby, but there was a large cedar tree up on top of the big hill above our farmhouse, and so my mother climbed a little way up the big cedar tree and cut a small limb off the tree. After cutting off the limb, as my mother was climbing down the tree, she fell and hurt her leg. My dear mother limped down the big hill carrying the little cedar tree limb, and set it up in the living room for me. Then we decorated it with some Christmas ornaments that were stored in an old trunk upstairs. That was the most beautiful Christmas tree we ever had. Many years later when I spent Christmas day with my mother, then residing in a nursing home, for our last Christmas together before my mother's death a few months later, I thought back to all my mother's love, and what she did so that I could have a Christmas tree when I was a little boy.

Christmas All Year Long If we could only keep, Christmas all year long, How wonderful that would be, How filled with love and song. A kinder world would exist, If Christmas were every day, Happiness would prevail, And joy never go away. Good will and love for all, And nothing would be wrong, But peace on the earth, If Christmas were all year long.

RAOK 2004 Winter Hunt Award (Received 12-14-04)

Thank you very much Candi of The RAOK Group for this beautiful award-Please visit The RAOK Group at http://theraokgroup.com