Count Down Really On

 

 

Now the countdown is on

Though Christmas is next week,

And though it will fall on a Sunday

I’m looking forward to its treat.

 

You see I’m a Christmas baby

No, not born on Christmas Day,

But like back when I was a little child,

I am extremely happy and gay.

 

Yes, I used the word gay

And I dared to use it deliberately

Because it describes my festive feeling

Most precisely.

 

Throughout the English language

One word may have several meanings

And using the word gay in this context

Must not be seen as demeaning.

 

O yes, the countdown is really on

And there is the Christmas list

Of the many things we need to procure

That we really don’t want to miss.

 

 

There are the ham and turkey

Just to mention two of the meats

And of course, not only for the children,

But for adults, their assorted sweets.

 

The diabetics will go on a splurge

And then storm the doctors’ office

Just after New Year’s Day,

And their medical services enlist.

 

Then of course there is the replacing

Of Christmas lights that shone so bright,

That were working when taken down

But now they give no light.

 

It was only one string last year

But this year two strings must replace it

As we eagerly seek to build up the stock

As is our traditional habit.

 

But while the countdown is on

It is not last-minute shopping yet,

That will come on Christmas Eve;

This is just the getting set”.

 

The countdown is really on,

You can tell by the crowded malls

And by the side of the busy highways

There is many a grocer’s stall.

 

Now, I’m not a crowd participant

But I like watching them from afar

And still get an idea of what they are feeling

From just sitting in my car.

 

 

 

 

No Christmas without the crowds,

Or without the Christmas rush,

All making for great excitement

As towards Christmas we push.

 

The excitement is building up

For the young as well as the old

And, as for the old especially,

These nights are getting cold.

 

These are all signs that tell us

Christmas Day is extremely near

And as countdown to Christmas continues

We are excited to be here.

 

Many have gone to their grave

During the passage of this year,

Quite a few of them because of COVID-19

And we wish they were still here.

 

No countdown for them

And it is with sadness that we reflect

But to be seriously honest this Christmas,

We don’t want to join them yet.

 

The countdown is really on

But be warned my excited friend,

There are some out there among us

Wishing all this would end.

 

They are not excited about Christmas

Like you and I are,

They neither care about the shepherds

Nor the wise men from afar.

 

 

 

They see it as a pagan festival

And as an intolerable waste of time

So that while you and I will be enjoying it,

Something else will occupy their mind.

 

Spare a thought for them

As you are immersed in this countdown

As well as all those that COVID took out

That are no longer around.

 

Stewart Russell © December 19, 2022