T’was ten days afore Christmas and all o’er the Earth
human kinds were scrambling to find Christmassy mirth.
We looked under our beds and up to the North Pole,
looked in our attics and in our cookie dough bowls.

We looked to see if we could order the spirit online
or find it at the supermarket or in a Christmassy pine.
We looked in the fridge and under our car seats,
looked for it in old movies and in peppermint treats.

And then we stopped and settled our searching thoughts,
and it occurred to us that Christmas couldn’t be bought,
and that it wasn’t hiding from us here or there –
Christmas was in this moment, in our hearts, and everywhere!

And the Christmas joy spilled out of us, joining the joy of the Cosmos,
reaching out with love to the darkest, farthest outpost.
And hope filled our hearts, and love broke down the walls.
And we heard the Cosmos proclaim: “On earth peace, good will to all!”

-Karen Molenaar Terrell