Bah! Humbug or Maybe the Dickens with It
by
Betty Ann Fisher
Though Santa’s on the rooftop
with his reindeer hitched to sleigh,
I’m convinced his trip is non-stop
and he’ll head the other way.
The stores are filled with bustle
and shoppers in a rush,
theirs is a test of muscle
and their manners make me blush.
This year’s cards all leave me cold,
show naught of Season’s meaning.
Angels in modern dress are bold,
some at a lamp post, leaning.
I long for cherubs garbed in white,
with faces which are meek,
and Wise Men of that Holy Night,
not thugs with tongue in cheek.
Where’s the heartfelt spirit told?
The joy of love and giving?
What of the shepherd tending fold?
How come these times we’re living?
It surely will be Christmas, though,
wherever stars come out
to light the way across the snow,
of that there is no doubt.
This poem is from my mom’s book, Please Delay Departure.
Today I cooked dinner for my mom, brother and aunt. Boy, am I tired! How my mother and mothers everywhere do this year after year is amazing. It is so much work. I feel guilty for all the times I just sat around and let my mother do everything. Not only that, I never really appreciated what an art form it really was. What I find so difficult is trying to get everything out at the same time! I really needed an extra 4 burners or 3 more microwaves. Not to mention I was exhausted from the day before… preparing stuffing, baking pies, and cutting vegetables. And after you get all this done, and everyone sits down to eat, it is over in about 30 minutes! Days of preparation, shopping, organizing, all for a 30 minute meal. It really is a little surreal. What happens next is even worse! Piles of pans, grease drippings on the floor, utensils strewn all over the counter, thermometers and food stuck all over your good china lie in wait for you to clean. There is so much stuff it all won’t fit in the dishwasher and you are forced to wash some stuff by hand. All the while you are bursting at the seams from the recent stuffing you gave yourself and either want to lie down or throw up! Just when you have cleaned up, made space in the fridge for leftovers that seem not to fit and are ready to press the button on the dishwasher you remember that you will mess the place up all over again when you bring out the leftovers and everyone makes turkey sandwiches! I tell you it is insanity! Go out next year!
