Years ago. as some of you may remember, I sent out a rather large Christmas letter that kept growing in length until it became more of a Christmas epistle. I then started publishing twice a year and it became a newsletter of sorts but mostly a forum for me to ramble on about anything that pleased me, and to get creative.

It being the Christmas season, here is a poem I assembled in my head back in 1992 about how commercial Christmas has become over the years and how the real meaning has become overshadowed with the emphasis on sales figures and the economy. It's more true today than ever.

Christmas Couplets - Just for You

When we think of holidays we all think of fun
And the favorite of most? Just ask anyone
One holiday stands out above all the rest
The biggest, most festive, the absolute best

The grandest of grand holidays of them all
Celebrated at home, at the church and the mall
And which holiday am I talking about?
Aw, yes, it is Christmas, of that there's no doubt

It's the season for giving and showing good cheer
For lavishing gifts on the ones we hold dear
For eating great meals and for drinking good wine
For having a joyous and wonderful time

A great time to gather with family and friends
For renewing old friendships and making amends
For laughing and loving and dancing and singing
For moonlit night sleigh rides and jingle bells ringing

Christmas, well known for its colorful glitter
Its bright shining lights and its gay festive litter
That adorns all our walls, all our ceilings and floors
And hangs from our rooftops and clutters the stores

The spirit of Christmas is found everywhere
The songs of the season adrift on the air
Glad tidings of joy and peace towards men
The music rings out in an amplified din

And nothing compares with a trip to the mall
For acquiring a relative feel for it all
So there I was - one of the last shopping nights
Caught up in the crowds, all the sounds and the sights

There were pictures of Santa and his sprightly elves
Rudolphs and Teddy Bears spilled from the shelves
Little dolls that can potty, can walk, talk and cry
Remote action race cars and space toys that fly

Every conceivable toy and confection
Was proudly displayed for the shoppers selection
But amidst all this cheerful and noisy commotion
My thoughts were distracted by a nagging emotion

Something was missing from this whole affair
And the spirit I should have felt just wasn't there
What's the true meaning of Christmas I thought
It was not in this big bag of things that I'd bought

It was not in the Santa who laughed Ho, Ho, Ho
Or the Frosty constructed of Styrofoam snow
Or in Rudolph for whom all the small children pray
To safely guide Santa and his Christmas sleigh

And it was not in the Christmas displays we set out
Or the trees with the ornaments dangling about
It was not in the large crowds of half-frenzied shoppers
Buying up gift sets and magic food choppers

It had nothing to do with our Yuletide obsessions
For showering each other with hopeless possessions
The symbols we cherish and traditions we follow
Are so disconnected and spiritually hollow

In fact the percentage is really quite small
Of any connection with Christmas at all
Where was the real reason we celebrate?
I hadn't seen one thing that I could relate

With this on my mind I went searching the store
For the point of the season we all but ignore
And back in a corner almost hidden from view
Sat this little nativity scene all askew

The Christ child was missing as was one of the sheep
And a red tag announced you can buy this one cheap
The one lonely thing among all this array
That bore the true reason for this holiday

And it wasn't all there - so what good was it now?
I stood there and thought about this for awhile
Then the message came to me amazingly clear
Why the spirit of Christmas wanes year after year

The child that was missing from that little shrine
Is now missing from Christmas for most of the time

Copyright 1992 by Gary Cobb