A nostalgic Christmas poem: "The Buying of Gifts"

 

 I've found over time that I tend to really enjoy poems by Grace Noll Crowell.  This is one that I found in the 1957 Christmas Ideals magazine.  

THE BUYING OF GIFTS

When I was a child on my father's farm,
And Christmastime drew near,
I would trudge thru the snow to the little town ....
Oh, the memory is quite clear
Of the little girl with a quarter to spend
For parents, for brother, and sister, and friend.

My scarlet mittens and scarlet hood
Were white with glistening snow,
My eyes were shining with eagerness,
My frost-bright cheeks aglow,
As I went gladly, hurrying down
To the novelty store in the little town.

And oh, the rapture, the sheer delight!
The shop's small windows shone
With beautiful things .... and there was I
With a quarter all my own!
I searched --- and would wonders never cease?
I found five gifts for a nickel apiece.

Such beautiful gifts!  And trudging home
Thru the winter dusk, I knew
A joy and a glowing happiness
That has lasted the long years thru.
For something of that far Christmastime
Stayed in my heart and it still is mine.

-- Grace Noll Crowell

Such a sweet poem!  It reminds me a bit of when our own kids were very young -- that is, not earning money on their own yet.  We would give them, if I remember right, $5 and take them to a discount store where they could find inexpensive gifts for everyone on their list.  How carefully they used that money to find just the right gift for each family member!