A Bookseller's Week Before Christmas

It’s the week of Christmas

and they run through the store

Searching for baubles

and just-one-gift-more.

They’re sure we are hiding

-way out in the back-

that perfect gift item,

the one that they lack

to make the day perfect

-make everything right-

if they could just find it

and wrap it up tight.

~

Their smiles get more strained

their tones grow more cold

why don’t we just help them?

and do what we’re told?

They want it in paper-

heck, they want it for free!

they want the dream item

for under their tree.

~

The staff has grown tired

their nerves have grown frayed.

The store’s just a wreck

and everyone’s stayed

late to recover

to put everything back

We’ve made it all alpha

Got the place back on track.

~

This won’t last forever

’cause everyone knows

the flurry will die down

except, right before close

on Christmas Eve they’ll panic

and with a last crush

they’ll buy what’s left

then depart in a rush.

~

It’s fast and it’s crazy-

retail Christmas- right here!

And then the returns come

and start out the year.

~

But-somewhere between

a shelf with the Elves

we catch Christmas joy

in spite of ourselves.

We spy them find

just the perfect tome

and know it will brighten

someone at their home.

We turn and then catch

a child, lost in a book.

We get to see

their first magical look

at the world that we love

that we crave and we need,

since the very first day

we all started to read.

~

A bookstore at Christmas,

Chain, indie, or mall,

A bookstore at Christmas,

is the best place of all.

(Written by Judey Kalchik, for my Facebook page Things I Know About Bookselling. It may be shared with proper attribution)

~

As hectic as it can be, [please DO shop this week at your local book and comic stores. The employees rely on the heavy traffic these last few weeks of the year.

If you can't shop in person, or prefer buying online, please consider not sailing down the AmZn, and instead shop at Bookshop.org. They have good prices, provide shipping, and a portion of the sale goes directly to support indie bookstores.