Morning again
A little after five A.M.
This is Christmas Eve day
There is no chimney here
To hang stockings by with care
So hanging them on the wall instead
And filling then with nothing
I simply make peppermint coffee
Having neither the ability or requirement of sleep
In my mind I have vague and dim recollections of Christmases past
Struggling to cope with the past
And even the present
I let go the good memories as well
And all memories are hazy
And afraid I have Alzheimer’s or MS
I long to recall my pleasant childhood memories
Blurry snippets of clothes and Christmas themed socks
And angel ornaments, every year an angel
And the big expensive gifts my little brother
THE MESSIAH got  
But now I write and remember the laughter
And the family stories
Mom read to us
Mom Sarah and Jamie
“The Night Before Christmas”
And “Santa Berry and The Snard”
And at the bottom of all stockings
At all Christmas’s Past
An orange and some Hershey Kisses
And I barely like Hershey Kisses
But I still ate them
Just like I ate black lickerish Jelly Beans on Easter
And those yucky, old people, candies in the brown and orange wrappers
On Halloween
I remember my aunts and uncles sending gifts
And my grandparents sent checks
Children cannot cash checks…sigh
And Hearing my father’s beautiful sermon
At Midnight Mass
And waiting for so long for him to come home from church
On Christmas morning
And hearing my mother shuffle around trying to get everything just right
James and I dying to come down stairs
“You can’t come downstairs just yet Santa is doing his finishing touches”
My Mother would yell up the stairs
Expecting us still to believe
When James and I begged repeatedly
I guess it doesn’t matter that I don’t have a chimney
Or anything to fill my stockings with
And Making an genuine effort to stop the Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come
Because I have now regained
My fondest Christmas memories
And that will bring me comfort and joy
Hallelujah!