Before the first Christmas
there was Christ.

Before the sleigh
Before the conifers
Before candles
and the paper decor,
there was Christ
before he became the suffix
to all that's festive,
before he became less Christ
and more Chris.

Before we suppressed his divinity,
took away his dignity
and replaced him
with a capital merry Me.

Before Christmas became
more about gifts
and the turkey
Christ gifted himself
and took the part that was key
to making a path back
(by way of a starker tree)
to the eternal city
where Christ is rightfully King
and the real party can begin.