top of page

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve Zach climbed the stairs up to bed

All sorts of thoughts fluttering round in his head.

The tree was still bare, the house in a muddle

And Mum wasn’t around to give him a cuddle.

Dad had seemed grumpy with no time to play

What was going to happen on Christmas Day?

                

He’d put milk in a glass, a Christmas pie at the door

And left out a sock, with a note, on the floor.

He sat on his bed gazing out at the moon,

Joined dots with the stars and hoped he’d sleep soon.

Zach snuggled under the covers, but could hear quite a din

Things ringing and jangling, doors opening and banging

His eyes were wide open instead of being closed

But he stayed in his bed until at some point he dozed.

 

The world was all quiet when Zach saw it was light

And frost had made patterns on the window that night

A robin looked in from his perch on the tiles

And Zach thought that he gave him a robiny smile

The bird’s eyes seemed to dance with a secretive wink

But he flew off before Zach could work out what to think

 

 Zach hopped out of bed and crept down the stair

Avoiding the squeaky step with well-practiced care

He slipped into the lounge and was amazed at the sight

The tree was all sparkly with twinkling light

But an even bigger surprise was asleep on the chair

He couldn’t work out how Grandpa Nick had got there!

 

Grandpa Nick sprang to life and started to sing

His own mixed up version of a Christmassy thing

For breakfast they beat scrambled eggs for their toast

And the pair competed to see who could pile on the most.

Grandpa Nick checked his beard in the mirror for crumbs

And Zach picked up a present and found it was Mum’s.

 

He suddenly realised they hadn’t come down

But just as he thought this and started to frown

The front door was opening and Zach went out to the hall

Mum and Dad had been out and not in bed at all.

 

Zach stared in surprise at where Mum and Dad stood

Until Grandpa Nick asked them to shut the door if they could

Dad knelt on the floor to give something to Zach

One of those gifts that could never go back

Not covered in paper, no ribbons, no fuss

But wrapped in a blanket Zach could see a pink face

‘This is Josh’ said his Mum and Zach grinned with delight

 He’d become a big brother that Christmas Eve night.

And a couple of Seasonal Feather Stories

(But not strictly sticking to 160 characters)

STABILITY Illegitimate. Born under foreign ruler. Refugee. That’s the story of the nativity. God coming to earth to identify with humanity. Your choice.

 

MIDNIGHT Uncle D was in his attic workroom patiently mending clocks, long after bedtime. His nieces, curled in sleeping bags, counted 27 different chimes, wondering if it was Christmas yet.

bottom of page