Two Christmases by Robyn Youl

Leave a comment

Grandma D has

A real pine Christmas Tree.

At the very top

A Silver Star of the Nativity.

On her mantelpiece

A Stable where Jesus was born.

Santa sacks hang waiting

For Christmas Morn.

 

Great Gran’s in a Home

They call it Aged Care

She’s wrinkly and bent,

It’s hard not to stare.

She’s Grandma D’s Mum.

She didn’t stay.

Pa just picked her up

To spend Christmas Day.

 

It was not the right day.

It was not Christmas Morn.

Wise Men still travelling.

Baby Jesus not born

Father Christmas still

At the Pole with his sleigh.

He leaves Christmas Eve,

To arrive Christmas Day

 

 

Great Gran’s 93

That’s awfully old

She really believes

Everything she is told.

She mutters and mumbles

Doesn’t call us by name.

But she buys great presents

… just the same.

 

With too much to drink

Grandparents talk funny

Making jokes about “Mum”

And spending her money.

If her old brain

Is so addled and queer

How come she could buy

All that food wine and beer?

 

Great Grandma’s mind

May have gone far away

But she’ll wake up alone

On the real Christmas Day.

Robyn Youl

 

Her First Christmas / Christmas Trees by Virginia Lowe

Leave a comment

HER FIRST CHRISTMAS

 

The pillow case

packed with

carefully chosen gifts

all wrapped

 

Adoring parents

on the end of the bed

 

The toddler

still in bed

unwraps each one

enjoying the paper

the ribbons and bows

 

Mother sits on

impatient hands

Each item

so carefully chosen

carefully wrapped

is carefully unwrapped

carefully explored

before going on

to the next

Mother cannot bear it.

 

-0-

 

CHRISTMAS TREES

 

So many different trees

over the years

all decorated with the same ornaments

Kitsch jewellery from op shops

small wooden toys

peg angels from kinder

crocheted balls from Prague

red and silver tinsel

 

The traditional pine branch

shoved in a bucket,

held up by soil and bricks

the bucket covered in layers

of red and white crepe paper

 

Then the traditional

little growing tree

faithfully planted out

but never seeming to thrive

afterwards

 

One year it was a huge green

flower-shaped succulent

others it has been branches

broken from the leafy elm

 

As a child one year

we had a huge eucalyptus branch

touching the ceiling

Big enough to carry balloons

and a present for each person

present at my party

It had been Dad’s family tradition

but Mother disapproved

of the twigs and needles

dropped on her lounge-room carpet.

and of his family

So never again!

 

Virginia Lowe
(sent 18 December; 6 December 2017)

 

 

Christmas Day by Glenys Eskdale

Leave a comment

For some it’s the turkey, the pudding, the cake,

Some travel for days for family’s sake,

Kids lie awake, waiting for Santa,

Adults like parties with dancing and banter,

Some get their jollies from massed sparkling lights,

Festooned from houses –  such Christmassy sights,

For me there is nothing that makes me feel merrier,

Than spending the day with my Santa Claus terrier.

Glenys Eskdale

Christmas on Mulligans’ Farm by Louise McCarthy

Leave a comment

At a quarter to seven on Christmas morning,

The farmyard choir commenced performing.

The hens lead-in – Bok bok begin.

Then bar by bar the sheep joined in.

A donkey brayed, some horses neighed,

The cows crooned moo, an egg was laid!

Then Tom the cat and Mrs. Mittens,

Meowed and purred with their three kittens.

 

Ensuing this; a quiet rest,

A morning banquet; the very best!

A cup of tea; a fruit mince pie,

Good hay and grain to feed the choir.

 

The singers resumed; fine-tuning their voices;

For Handel’s Messiah; what fine Christmas choices!

The lead dog howled Bach, and the others joined in;

A Christmas Oratorio fit for a king!

The audience cheered, the dog took a bow,

So too the others, and finally the cow.

 

Then onto the stage- the pièce de résistance;

The turkey arrived; a special appearance.

She sang with such joy; her small repertoire;

Each Christmas her singing gets better by far.

 

And so – this is Christmas on Mulligans’ farm.

And the gift is quite simple and has so much charm.

This story’s a gift and the wish is for you;

For peace and for hope the whole year through.

 

By Louise McCarthy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Stray, Christmas Morning by JR Poulter

Leave a comment

Teacher Notes:

English writing skills

Write a short description of what you would feel if you woke Christmas morning to not one present. Compare this to finding your Christmas wish granted had been granted.

 

Drawing and emotional intelligence

Draw a four frame comic showing the changes a thoughtful gift can make to a sad person’s facial expression.

 

Team work:

List ways the class could work together to make a difference in the lives of less fortunate folk this Christmas. With your teacher’s guidance, implement one of your class’s projects.

Sequencing:

Make a photo diary of how you all worked to achieve your outcome as a class.

 

Pic and poem and teacher notes by J.R.Poulter

Opening presents by Jenny Erlanger

Leave a comment

We place our gift in Grandpa’s hands,

he’s having so much fun.

He reads his card and then he stands

and hugs us, one by one.

 

He says he’s feeling very proud,

he says we’re all so dear.

and then he reads his card out loud

so everyone can hear.

 

The ribbon’s lovingly untied

then folded in his lap.

The sticky tape is slowly pried

from every paper flap.

 

And now it’s time for us to start.

We can’t wait any more.

We rip our wrappings wide apart

and drop them to the floor.

 

Our fumbling fingers tug at strings

to get to what we need.

We open up our pile of things

at record-breaking speed.

 

The day slips by, it isn’t fair!

Why must it go so fast?

I wish I had my Grandpa’s flair

for making moments last!

Jenny Erlanger

 

Someone’s Living in My Christmas Tree! by James Aitchison

Leave a comment

A monster lives in my Christmas tree;

he shakes the branches at half-past three.

The tinsel swings from side to side,

the decorations slip and slide,

Jingle-dingle!  Jingle-dingle!

Tinkly dingles intermingle.

 

Even if I stand up on a chair,

I can’t see him — but I know he’s there!

Then I gave him a monstrous cake,

and now he’s got a tummy ache.

There’s no more monster in my tree

so Santa Claus can come to me!

 

James Aitchison

Chocolate Box Planet by Celia Berrell

Leave a comment

Let’s hope this won’t come as a shock

but Earth’s not made of solid rock.

Instead it’s like those fancy chocs

you sometimes get inside a box.

 

The centre’s dense and very hot.

And hard just like a hazelnut.

It’s mostly made from iron ore.

We label it the Inner Core.

 

The Outer Core’s a liquid goo

like runny toffee soft to chew.

The iron’s melted here as well

but wouldn’t taste of caramel.

 

The Mantle is a bit bizarre.

A kind of squishy-tough nougat.

It’s sometimes liquid sometimes not.

We call it semi-solid rock.

 

And finally the chocolate coating.

Thin and crisp and kind of floating.

Made from rocky plates that thrust

some bumps upon our choccy’s Crust.

 

Although our World’s too big to eat

and wouldn’t taste much like a sweet

a nutty chocolate compares

with eating through Earth’s many layers.