By Abe Villarreal
It was the night before Christmas,
and all through the town,
everybody was worried, they were all looking down.
They scrolled and they scrolled, faces of anxiety and worry,
squinting at their phones as they frantically hurried.
Shopping is what they were busily doing,
Picking and choosing, their minds were a’ brewing.
To find the perfect gift, a symbol of love and of caring,
it was too late, the clock was staring,
with the face of time that had left them.

The perfect gift could not be purchased that night, 

with an arrival in time for a loved one’s delight.
You see, what happened was, we were too focused,
on what we see in front of us in the moment.
Each day, each minute, our worry is now,
so much that the people we love, we let down.
The diagnosis is self, the cure is others,
but it’s a hard pill to swallow, the side effect bothers.
Addicted to pleasure that makes us smile,
right here, right now, we can’t switch the dial.
To some it may be a job, a career.
To others, it’s an addiction or fear,
that they cannot get over,
or seek help from others.
Our pride is so big, our arrogance huge,
to bring ourselves down to Earth and to say,
that what we do from night and through day,
is to work and to solve the problems that matter,
only to those that profit and dabble,
in the things that don’t bring you a lifetime of treasure,
for the feeling inside of warmth and real pleasure.

And it all started on that night before Christmas,
when suddenly a light turned on in our heads,
yes, there were others that we love and want fed,
with our acts of kindness and true feelings of joy,
the smiles and hugs that we don’t often employ.
We tend to remember these moments we cherish,
when we gather as families and as good friends,
it is then that we wonder why it only happens on ends,
ends of calendars and months, ends of work, ends of years,
we wait and we wait to bring on the cheer,
the cheer that should be shown all through our lives,
to those that we love deep, deep inside.

On that night before Christmas,
what we should be is sharing,
the special moments of giving and acts of caring
we created together, all through the year,
not just on nights here and there,
when the calendar gives us a dare.

On that night before Christmas,
all through your place,
I hope there are no worries or sighs, only faces of grace,
of love, of mercy, of peace, and compassion,
filled with God’s blessings and a good spirit that’s lasting.