When I was 9 years old (December 1963), our class was asked to write a Christmas poem. I remember this poem well, as my parents printed inserts that were included in Christmas cards for years to come.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
The time of the year has come upon us,
When all little children, good and honest,
Will find Christmas cheer in their stockings hung,
And parents will smile with cares all flung!
Christmas shopping is so exciting,
With tinsel, packages, and colored lighting,
Frost and cold and snow we hope,
And sledding down a glittering slope.
Mothers are baking cookies and pudding,
Fathers are decorating – watch your footing!
Trees and wreaths and roping all rustle,
Oh, our house is in such a bustle!
Wherever you turn you can see a smile,
And all things arranged to please a child,
I like this season best of all, don’t you?
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Chanukah, too!
Written by Kathleen E. Shenton, December 1963
