Re-Living Christmas: Cherished moments and memories #5

The Christmas Season

Was synonymous with

Thorough cleaning.

It was the time

We turned everything over!

It would normally start in late November,

After the farms were weeded

And the coffee picked.

From there, every waking moment

Revolved around the homestead –

Cleaning

And cleaning

And more cleaning.

By the eve of Christmas Day

Our home would be spanking new —

The roof and walls painted,

The trees around the house pruned,

The fences trimmed,

The windows spotlessly clean,

The floors polished,

The curtains and linen washed, and

The grass and flowers immaculately cut.

Honestly, words fail me miserably here

To accurately describe

The transformation

That our home went through,

In those few weeks,

Leading up to Christmas Day.

It was back breaking work…

But it was also the best time to be home

And clean.

It was like we had moved

Into a totally new Home!

In those early days

I thought all this cleaning

Was about the birth of

Baby Jesus –

And i suppose some of it is –

After all, the story goes

That there are many

Who came to prepare

For His coming.

But i think I now see a bigger picture…

Christmas is really a season for RE-BIRTH —

Literally and figuratively.

I think all this cleaning that we did,

And still do,

Had (and has) more to do

With THROWING OUT the old,

WELCOMING in the new

And STARTING A FRESH.

*Follow us in the next two months, in this “Re-living Christmas’ series, to catch a glimpse of cherished moments and memories of our time.