Dear Christmas: The One From The Heart

 

 

We were never tied together by tradition’s claim,  
Yet you showed up every year anyway.  
You settled into my life all the same 
a quiet guest who somehow chose to stay.  

 

 

I didn’t grow up with snow, but warmth instead  
paper stars glowing on balconies each night.  
Plum cake wrapped in foil, words softly said,  
choirs drifting through traffic, holding the light.  

Mom’s hot chocolate is cooling near my hand,  
reminding me joy doesn’t crowd to be found.  
Back then, my heart was discovering where it could stand 
That quiet celebrations speak just as loud, just as sound.  

 

 There were nights I sat watching fairy lights glow  
their tiny warmth settling softly into me.  
Something tender rose with their gentle, steady show 
a whisper that the world still holds space to be easy.  

 

 
College made everything brighter in its own way  
Secret Santa notes tucked quietly into bags.  
Little confessions wrapped in paper made my day,  
Fleeting moments that linger long after laughter lags.  

 
 

 
Work added its own kind of charm and cheer  
small gifts appearing on tables in gentle delight.  
Each unwrapped moment drew me quietly near  
not grand, just sincere in its soft, tender light.  

 

 

And then there were nights I made gifts by hand,  
scissors and ribbons scattered everywhere I sat.  
Every fold held more of me than I’d planned—  
love tucked into cardboard, simple and exact.  
 

 

Maybe I never learned your rituals old  
Yet I offered excitement, time, and hope.  
You shaped them into memories, bright and bold  
threads of warmth woven into the winters, I cope.