"Christmas"
by
Leisha Arnts
Lights, carols, crowded stores,
It's my favorite time of year,
Despite the cold.
I listen to a little girl,
Whining at her mother.
Two boys get in a fight
Over who deserves more presents.
As I sit and watch all this,
I can't help but wonder,
Where is the true meaning of Christmas?
Has everyone forgotten
Why we're celebrating?
Images of a little baby
Sleeping, in a barn,
Flood my mind.
A young man,
In the prime of his life,
Hanging on a cross,
So _I_ can go to heaven.
But in their hurry
To get shopping done
And all the decorations up;
Everyone seem to have forgotten.
They have forgotten the pain
A man went through,
Hundreds of years ago.
In all their greed and materialism,
People have taken the "Christ"
Out of Christmas
And the "Holy"
Out of holiday.
If people would just slow down
And stop a moment to think,
Maybe they would realize
That Jesus truly is
The reason for the season.
Posted November 4, 1999
Written by Leisha Arnts at age 17 while sitting in a mall.