The bicentennial of the world’s most beloved carol

In 1818 Joseph Mohr
a rural parish priest
wrote lyrics for his church on Christmas Eve.
His simple words recalled a night
when Jesus Christ was born,
But sadly Pastor Mohr had cause to grieve.

The organ in his church broke down.
His words would have no tune.
This holy night would lack a joyful sound.
But then Franz Gruber had a thought
that brought Mohr’s words to life.
A Christmas Eve solution had been found.

Two hundred years ago this day
Mohr’s organist came through
by strumming chords upon his old guitar.
That’s how this carol (we love more
than others) came to be.
And Silent Night is still the best by far.

Prayer for a Blue Christmas

I hear Bing’s dreams of Christmas White.
But on this dreaded longest night,
my world lacks joy. At best, it’s bleak.
This Christmas I am blue.

The colors of this holiday
aren’t bright and bold. They’re brownish gray.
Depression robs my anguished soul
of sights most people see.

And no one seems to understand.
Emotionless, I’m feeling damned
to spend this Christmas feeling lost
but hoping to be found.

O God, although this night is long
remind me of that ancient song
in which You’re called Emmanuel.
Please come and ransom me.

• This poem is dedicated to those who are struggling with clinical depression as they attempt to endure this holiday season.

New lyrics to a familiar Christmas carol tune

I herd the shoppers with this rhyme
in hopes they still may find the time
to focus on a precious gift
not found in stores but Heaven sent.

I herd the shoppers at the mall
corralling them so they’ll recall
the meaning of this holy time
is more than standing in a line.

I herd the shoppers one by one
who run t’ward bargains almost gone.
My aim is to prevent regret
that’s found by adding to one’s debt.

I herd the shoppers on their way
t’ward undermining Christmas Day.
Like cattlemen out on the range
my efforts may seem harsh and strange.

I herd the shoppers with the goal
of helping lift the weary soul
who spends and spends without regard
for shopping with a credit card.

tune: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Confessions of a grief-stricken grinch

It’s a season of joy
that my sorrow has found
as these silent nights trigger my grief.
A loved one has left us
since Christmas last year.
And my laughter is seldom and brief.

It’s the month of December
with carols and cards,
but my heart is too broken to care.
I’m lonely and anxious.
It feels like I’m lost.
A heaviness hangs in the air.

Traditions that moved me
for much of my life
(and music of Christmases past)
are trying my patience
and testing my faith.
How I wish that this month would go fast.

O God, all I want
for Christ’s birthday this year
is the gift of Your Presence and peace.
Please grant me the means
to embrace what I feel
’til the nightmares of sorrow will cease.

*This week’s poem is dedicated to my friends who have lost mates and parents this year and now face their first Christmas without them.