Friday, July 12, 2019

Time for a fun Christmas poem!


I found this one in the 1957 Christmas issue of Ideals magazine.  The poem's author shares how she knew what season it was just by what was happening in her mother's kitchen.  It's a fun and nostalgic remembrance in verse!

No Calendar Needed 

For many years a calendar
hung on our kitchen wall
And Mother checked the busy days 
and seasons as they'd fall, 
But no calendar was needed 
To know the time of year:
By the fragrance of her kitchen
I knew the season near!

The aroma of hot chile
When the wintry air was cold:
The rhubarb custards cooling
when spring's magic would unfold;
Bubbling jellies in the kettle
when the summer heat was high;
And in frosty, tangy autumn, 
whiffs of spicy pumpkin pie!

True, no calendar was needed
for an eager child to know
That Christmas time was coming!
Mother hurried to and fro
Making special sugar cookies
and our maple sugar candy.
While she whistled Christmas carols,
We knew everything was dandy!

Gingerbread in the pantry
and the fruitcake in the jar
Teased your nostrils every minute --
Oh, the day could not be far!
We cracked nutmeats on the flatiron,
and strung popcorn for the tree,
And every hour was heaven
In the kitchen, seems to me!

Mother in her big white apron
with some flour on her cheek
Is the dearest recollection
of my cherished Christmas week;
A calendar was useless, 
but the essence was bewitchin'
And you always knew 'twas Christmas
by the fragrance in the kitchen!

-- Lolita Pinney

This light verse really resonated with me because I grew up in a home with a kitchen just like this one, and enjoyed many of the same activities described here.  At the time, I didn't really understand how blessed I was.  Now I do!

10 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. It is, isn't it? Love the memories it brings back.

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  2. I love the poem!

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    Replies
    1. It really tells a story, doesn't it? I am so incredibly blessed to have memories like these.

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  3. LOVE this sweet poem!! It would be lovely to see it framed and hung in the Kitchen, wouldn't it?
    Hugs,
    Deb

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    Replies
    1. Oh, that is a really great idea, Deb, to frame this poem and hang it in the kitchen. One could type it up and add a Christmas graphic to it to make a really pretty printable to frame.

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  4. Lovely poem - love the oven on the card.

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    Replies
    1. It is a beautiful old wood cookstove, isn't it?

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  5. I can just smell all the winter delights coming from this kitchen.

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    Replies
    1. Mmmm, yes! I can imagine the scent wafting out onto the cold air when the door was opened!

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