How do I know <br />Christmas is near <br />Signs around our house <br />Make it very clear <br /> <br />Advent paper windows <br />Get opened each day <br />Twenty-five to count <br />Teaching grandkids to pray <br /> <br />They're more excited by <br />The piece of candy they find <br />Such a small prize makes big eyes <br />It's a joy of a special kind <br /> <br />Each window has a little prayer <br />To remind why we count each day <br />There's other things that tell me <br />Santa too is on his way <br /> <br />When the tree goes up <br />Home-made decorations are best <br />Ornaments bought for special days <br />Make up the rest <br /> <br />Special lights for the Manger <br />Ceramics fired by great-great-great aunt Vie <br />Ornaments made in pre-school <br />Thirty years gone by <br /> <br />Then what they've all waited for <br />A cloth Snowman my wife made <br />His bulging belly's a pouch <br />Filled with candy starts a parade <br /> <br />He hangs by Grandma's chair <br />Right there on the wall <br />As soon as they can reach <br />They want to be this tall <br /> <br />One by one day by day <br />A piece here a piece there <br />Some too short figutre out <br />To stand on Grandma's chair <br /> <br />Pretty soon the Snowman's belly <br />Starts to go flat <br />No one knows for sure but <br />Someone always takes care of that <br /> <br />Finally a noise that I hear <br />A sort of occasional clink <br />Someone secretly checking for <br />Christmas cookies in the jar by the sink<br /><br />Tom J. Mariani<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/sights-and-sounds-of-christmas/
