christmas eve

before i'd met my wife
somewhere between childhood
and twenty something
i'd lost christmas
something that used to be magical
wonderful
a beautiful day of peace
from this big bad ugly world
had been replaced by
bah-humbugs
and endless rants about
the over-commercial blah blah blah of it all
the spirit was gone from me
it was a drag
christmas had lost whatever meaning it once held
for me
before jayme
i'd never met any adult
who didn't have kids
that was so caught up in the spirit of this holiday
she loved it
the music
the lights
the giving
the fantasy of it all
i'll never forget our first christmas together
it was like discovering it all over again
we drove for hours listening to mellow music
and taking in the lights
and that year i had the biggest surprise for her
she wanted to be a pro photographer
but didn't have the lights she needed
i bought the whole kit she'd pointed out to me
one day when we were looking at photo gear
it was a pretty big box
i'd wrapped it at my folks house
and stored it there
until christmas eve
when i stashed it in my apartment
which was on the opposite side of the apartment complex
we both lived in (we'd met there too - about 4 months earlier)
anyway
that night i waited in bed until J was fast asleep
then edged myself slowly out of bed
i crept downstairs ever so slowly
i think it must have taken me half an hour to get
30 feet
then i ran all the way to my apartment in my pajamas
and coat in the freezing cold
lugged this gigantic box
up two flights of stairs
and into her apartment
i can't believe i never woke her up
the next morning the best christmas surprise
i'd ever pulled off
was waiting for her
she was floored
it was fun seeing someone i loved so happy
i think i'd finally got part of the point to it all
she ended up using those lights for 5 years
achieved her dream with them
so many photos taken with them
and this christmas i got her some
that are even better
i can't wait to see the photos she takes with them

it's christmas eve 2006
and all is quiet in my house
it's a cold rainy night
i'm having some warm tea
my son is in bed
hopefully
dreaming of all the robots santa is going to bring him
i watched him fall asleep earlier
in a state of blissful anticipation
tomorrow is going to be so much fun
not only for him
but for all of us

we have plenty of daily reminders
of why this world we live in
is sometimes a drag
no matter what your religious beliefs are
there is something to be had from
what this day does for children
for at least a little while
i'm going to lose myself in the spirit of it all

i hope you all have a wonderful christmas

love

salim