The Greatest Gift of all

Awake in my bed

Counting the sheep

Closer he comes with

Each tick of the clock

My mind fills with joy

Refusing to sleep

Thinking of treasures

I’ll find in my sock

***

New snow falling

Upon the rooftop

Lighting the way

With the help of moonlight

Provides a soft landing

For his sleigh to stop

When he arrives with his sack

Midway thru night

***

For weeks I’ve been counting

The long days away

Each day seemed longer

As if it were three

I’d rush to the calendar

And mark off each day

After mom said he’d received

The letter from me

***

I’ve been a good boy

Doing all that I can

Helping my dad

For a week in the shed

Shaping and polishing

The wood with my hands

“We must finish by Christmas,”

Is what my dad said

***

“We don’t have much time,”

He said with a sigh

“But I think I can do it

With the help of my son.”

Today he hugged me,

“I’m proud of you, boy.”

As I polished the last piece

And he said we were done

***

The smell of the cookies

That I’d helped mom bake

Creeps up the stairs

And into my bed

I left them for Santa

And the reindeer to take

Wishing and hoping

He’d leave me a sled

***

Soft laughter is coming

From the kitchen below

As mother and father

Prepare for the feast

The tree is all trimmed

And ready for the show

With presents for grandma

Hidden beneath

***

Their laughter of love

Soothes me to sleep

Where the red rocket sled

Enters my dreams

I fly down the hill

On snow that’s so deep

The joy in my soul

Bursting my seams

***

I awake with a start

Morning has come

The sounds of Christmas

Arrive from below

I rush down the stairs

To join in the fun

To see the whole world

Is covered in snow

***

Everybody’s there

Except for my dad

He’s outside waiting

For his customer to come

I look to the tree

And my heart feels sad

There’s present’s for me

But the sled is not one

***

I open my presents

With shock and surprise

Finding boxes with tools

That fit my little hands

They were the real thing

These were not toys

I guess helping my father

Gave Santa a plan

***

“Go help your father;

He’s out in the shed.”

My mother says,

With my hat in her hand

I gather my tools

And cover my head

With pride in my heart

I feel like a man

***

I see a new bench

Beside his old bench

He says,

“This one’s for you.”

He’s made a place

For every wrench

For all of my tools

And everything is new

***

There’s so much joy

I start to cry

As he pulls me

Close and tight

I feel his love

Come thru his arms

And I know

My world is right

***

Pulling back

With tears he says,

“There’s one more thing to see.”

Beside his bench

To my surprise

There’s one more gift

For me.

***

He pulls it out

And uncovers it

I can’t believe what I see

There it sits

My special gift

With runners

Made by me

***

With hand shaped

And polished wood

It was the best

A sled could be

No other sled ever could

Compare To the one

My father made

With me.

*********

This poem has been reworked from something I wrote two years ago and is a Christmas gift to myself.