Only a few days left

Hi! Here I am, trying to squeeze in my monthly post before the month runs out. There has been knitting (two felted bags about to go in the wash as soon as they have handles) and there has been music (playing in the volunteer orchestra for a Messiah sing), not to mention endless to-ing and fro-ing (three concerts among my children - knitting time!) and of course, shopping! And trying to make at least the living room presentable for relatives (people visiting for Christmas do expect a tree!). And now it is December 26th, almost time to go back to ordinary winter life. Even though I have to work the rest of the week (being in retail and all), the kids and the spouse have the rest of the week off, so there will still be general relaxation around here. Maybe I can get them to tidy up a bit more (oh sure).

I wanted to be sure and post my favorite holiday poem for you all. I first read this in a magazine at school when I was in about 5th grade. It spoke to me then and have I saved it all these years. A few years ago I trotted it out and a friend helped me find the author's name. Frank Horne is one of the poets of the Harlem Renaissance; not perhaps the most famous, but remembered just the same. So here it is:

Kid Stuff

The wise guys
tell me
that Christmas
is Kid Stuff...
Maybe they've got
something there --

Two thousand years ago
three wise guys
chased a star
across a continent
to bring
frankincense and myrrh
to a Kid
born in a manger
with an idea in his head...

And as the bombs
crash
all over the world
today
the real wise guys
know
that we've all
got to go chasing stars
again
in the hop
(in the hope)
that we can get back
some of that
Kid Stuff
born two thousand years ago --


Frank Horne
December, 1942


Wishing you all a wonderful winter holiday time (celebrate them all!) and a felicitous and knitterly New Year!

p.s. I will catch up with some photos and other promised details - hopefully later in this leisurely week.