What Are Your Christmas Lights?

Saying “Merry Christmas” 100 times per year

For 60 years yields nearly 6000 smiles of cheer.

Must we? And, do you have to have it white,

In order for Christmas to feel right?

Nor do we have to have three wise men standing

In awe beside a manger, each one handing

Over costly gifts: frankincense, myrrh, and gold.

Angels are nice, especially when they sing seven-fold

Amens and Halleluiahs, announcing the birth

Of the Child, the Messiah, a King on Earth.

But we’ve had Christmases before sans seraph,

And no one reported the loss to the sheriff.

From Kyoto to Berlin, Oslo or Cape Cod,

Whether Mele Kalikimaka or Feliz Navidad,

 In upscale penthouses or nomadic tents

People observe Kwanzaa, Yule & Holy Innocents.

How do Christmas traditions become

Organized? By the rules of thumb

In families and communities?

By using theological amenities?

Per contra, some must have the vision

Of a halo of love for each precision-

Made person. When you celebrate the Christ-

Child’s birth, what are your Christmas lights?