My Heart Goes Home for Christmas

Oh, my.  I have found a new favorite poet via the older Christmas book I acquired, The Blessings of Christmas.  It contains several poems by Mildred L. Jarrell.  They are lovely and evocative and just touch a nostalgic chord in me.  Here's a real favorite of mine:

My Heart Goes Home for Christmas

My heart goes home for Christmas, 

For there I long to be,

Together with my loved ones

Sitting 'round the Christmas tree.

The little farmhouse nestled

Near a snow-clad country lane,

And dear familiar voices

Raised in carols once again.

I can see the fireplace gleaming

With its cheery flickering glow,

And candlelight a-beaming

Through the windows on the snow.

The road that leads me homeward

Is filled with memory

And I recall each blessing

Of those days that used to be.

My heart goes home for Christmas

And though we're miles apart,

My thoughts go winding onward

And I'll be there in my heart.

~ Mildred L. Jarrell

Isn't that pretty?  I love the line about the candlelight beaming through the windows on the snow.  It reminds me of the colorful electric "candoliers" my grandmother always put on her window sills at Christmas time.