‘Twas three months before Christmas and something was weird,
A time meant for pumpkins, not the man with the beard.
But low and behold on that first day of fall
Stood a large Christmas tree, about 10 feet tall.

What the hell I thought, is it not still September?
What is so hard about this to remember?
Everything is rushed and just feels so wrong!
It seems we have Christmas carols all the year long.

Back-to-school ads and sweaters start in the summer,
Fall holidays competing with Santa, is a bummer.
On New Year’s we buy valentines, it’s all much too fast!
There’s no time to enjoy, to make each moment last.

On talk shows, in books, in magazines, we’re learning
To be in the moment, not focus on yearning
For things and for times in the past or the future,
Be thankful, show love, and for thyself nurture.

Mixed messages come in all shapes and all sizes,
Shop Thanksgiving night or you’ll miss all the prizes.
Grab precious time with the fam, now cut shorter
As stores open early to welcome the hoarders.

What has happened, I ask, to our old-fashioned meals?
Relaxing and waxing, with no care about deals.
Telling stories, and laughing til our tummies are full,
This shopping Black Friday, now Thursday, is bull!

With all of this rushing, time goes by in a flash,
Please make room for loved ones in place of panache.
Cherish the best gift we can ever receive:
Sharing joy, love and hugs, I do believe!

On that note my friends, I wish to say this:

Thank you for reading and sharing your time,
For reading my blogs and this holiday rhyme.
Take the time to look, taste, feel, and hear,
All that you’re blessed with, and those you hold dear!

With warmth and gratitude,
Nancy Lang