"Christmas Memories" -- another lovely Christmas poem

Yes, I'm still looking through those back December issues of Country Woman magazine.  I came across this truly lovely poem written by Shirley Harvey, and just had to share.  It spoke to my own Christmas memories.  Here it is:

Christmas Memories

At Christmas I remember

Popcorn on a string, 

Cookies made of gingerbread

And carols that we'd sing;

Icicles upon a tree,

A gold star shining bright;

Candy canes and  oranges 

And sleigh bells in the night.

At Christmas I remember

Red stockings in a row;

Families coming home again

In spite of ice and snow ...

And all these special memories 

Draw me close each year --

To other times and places

And those that I hold dear.

-- Shirley Adwena Harvey, Barre, Vermont

Isn't that lovely?  It brought back so many memories for me -- stringing popcorn and cranberries, for example, and the icicles that my mother always insisted be draped just so as the magical finishing touch to our Christmas tree.  And there were always oranges in the toe of each red stocking -- ours were heavy red wool felt trimmed with white chenille at the top with felt details, and our names on little felt banners.  Our extended family would gather at the farm often "in spite of ice and snow".  Our Christmases were a very, very special part of my childhood, and this poem brought it all back.  I hope you enjoy it, too.