Christmas Comes In

A Lifetime of Christmas Poetry

My mom, Raynette Forister Eitel, passed away in September of 2022, age 85, drifting away into dementia. It was tragic to watch this woman who loved words, who was a poet and teacher, fade away into wordlessness after a lifetime of crafting poetry.

Mom had a tradition of writing a new Christmas poem each year and sending it to friends and relatives. The mailing list grew each year, and people always told us they looked forward to mom’s Christmas poems. She published some in a couple little books. There are too many to post just once a day during the month of December, but I’ll choose some of the best.

Christmas Comes In
by Raynette Eitel

Christmas comes in before
Ribbons tangle across the floor,
Before children pounce upon
Packages with primeval intensity.

Christmas skips in on
Happy memories of tinseled trees,
Feathers of snowflakes
Fluttering like birds from night skies,
Cherubs sitting on Santa’s lap
With trust in their eyes,
Sticky fingers and red lips
From a half-eaten candy cane.

Christmas wafts in
On waves of cinnamon
Straight from a hot oven,
Glitters of colored sugar,
Gingerbread men with raisin eyes,
Platters of dark chocolate fudge
Waiting for the tasting.

Christmas dances in on songs of old,
Chords for heartstrings,
Simple stories retold as emotions unfold,
Joy in every language known to man,
Set in a little town called Bethlehem.

Christmas tiptoes in with quiet peace,
The bright light of a single star
Shining on a simple stable,
A sleepy hillside,
A flock of sheep,
While far away, kings bring gifts
To a child they have not known.

Christmas whispers in on prayers for peace,
Piles of cards sent friend to friend to friend,
Messages of love and caring
Shared once again
Like gold and frankincense and myrrh.