Passing the ides of December, the advent calendar has
Already discharged many treats, while the menorah
Gathers more layers of colorful wax in testament to
Ancestors and angels, the candles flickering in the mixed
Energies of faith and despair as the violence remains

Nominally, it is the tenth month, but quirks of history
Pushed it to the terminus of each year, a vortex of
Reflections and commerce and socializing and family
Discord and memories of kin long gone, their spirits
Living in the recipes that grace the sparkling table

Tensions ratchet shoulders up to earlobes as the pressure
Of perfection courses menacingly in veins, running
Counter to the peace that is posited as the reason for the
Season, brother/sister/person-hood and goodwill to all
Seemingly lost in the kerfluffle of accumulation and decadence

Living in a postcard that aspires to snowglobe status, we
Are accustomed to being roughly handled, but a globe
Without snow is just a fragile piece of glass that requires
Care and respect and attention and please be mindful of
Such as you arrive laden with baggage Vuitton and psychic

The year has left many bedraggled, limping rather than strolling
Into its conclusion, haunted not by Dickensian ghosts but
Spectres in corporeal form, overburdened by financial and
Existential worries or even fearing for safety as the unfeeling
Autonomous apparatus consumes with reckless, lawless abandon

Judeo-Christian traditions exist in concert with the karmic principles that
Undergird them, arise from the pagan rituals that preceded the storied overlay,
Wrapping paper that attempts to cover Solstice traditions celebrated
Since the dawn of civilizations, another set of beautiful tales that
Should coexist but religions in their worst guise tend to the imperialistic

Optimism suggests that next year will be an improvement, since
Hope springs eternal, but we are still in the winter of malcontent,
A snowless blizzard with biting wind and no accumulation and yet
Each morning is a chance for a different view, a glimpse of sunshine,
A flake of gratitude for even having the chance to tread this land

Gingerbread and panettone and latkes and hot cocoa and toddies
Nourish and delight, but we need to supplement our diet with a heavy
Dose of patience and compassion and grace and service, our different
Traditions a marker of the gorgeous diversity of our beliefs and not a
Means to separate and vilify and oppress and destroy

Presents are a means of showing appreciation, not status, so a jar of
Jelly each month could be appropriate for the right gourmand, but not
A replacement for a pool or a thank you or a hug or simply being nice
To friends and strangers alike, lest you trigger a kidnapping or a frown
From the people who have supported and kept you all these long months

Gifts need not be tangible to be transformative and there is no shame in
Giving yourself the bonus that nobody else thought to award, perhaps
Letting go of the vitriol directed at yourself and then inevitably at
Others, a shedding of old patterns, a glorious reset as the clock ticks
Down to midnight, an arbitrary time but still opportune for rebirth

Merry Hannukah and Happy Christmas and Joyeux New Year
And any other blessings and greetings that will arm and warm you
As you swish and swoop and drink and munch and laugh and cry
And enjoy the free time and the mayhem and the mystery and the
Sheer overwhelming love that is the only reason for this month or any