TWAS THE DAY …
Twas the day after Thanksgiving and out in the garage
Were the Christmas boxes stuffed behind my old Dodge
I began to unpack them yet again with dread
There were no sugar plums dancing around in my head
I knew the massive fake tree would test my patience
Along with my poor patched up back’s endurance
Each box has gotta weigh at least a hundred pounds
No holiday cheer here, just my straining and grunting sounds
It takes half a day to get the tree up and in place
And there’s always a short in the lights to trace
That’s when I make my first trip to the hardware store
I’ve learned the hard way that there will be more
With the heavy part over, now comes the dangerous part
By that time I have the same attitude and the Grinch’s heart
With the tall extension ladder leaned against the wall
It’s carefully and ever so slowly up the rungs I crawl
I wince and am quickly reminded that I have bad knees
Till a thorn sinks deep into me from the bougainvillea trees
The neighbors stop by, I keep working till they feel ill at ease
When I’m putting up lights I’m never in the mood to shoot the breeze
The lights were working just fine when I put them away last year
How a lot of them don’t work from year to year is never clear
So it’s down the ladder and back in my truck
They’ll still have my color if I have any luck
With the lights finally done it’s on to the yard
It’s a lot lighter but still way too hard
The trees are fairly easy, but not so with the deer
Takes a genius to put them together, or darn near
As it is with the lights so it is with the extension cord
How they always go missing drives me outta my gourd
So it’s back yet again to the hardware store
They know me by name, smile and hold the door
sometimes the gift is the gratification from the work
And forget even these gifts are heaven sent
We gaze at the lights as the sun goes down
And my weak flesh lets go of the frown
It’s a gift to have a task at hand
A wise person begins to understand
This is a blessed and glorious season
And the gift of God and His Son is the reason
Sunday, November 26, 2017 @ 9:41 am
Awesome!!!!! I feel your pain as I too am close to completing my own. Looks absolutely beautiful. A job well done. As always
Sunday, November 26, 2017 @ 1:43 pm
A perfect reason why I love Christmas but not a fan of decorating outside. Back. Knees. Electrocution. Grizwold I’m not. But I love seeing others. I applaud their hard work. So I’ll just give you a high five for your hard work.
Sunday, November 26, 2017 @ 4:51 pm
Looks good Floyd….
Thanks for your blog I have very similar feelings on getting motivated to put up decorations!!
Sunday, November 26, 2017 @ 6:11 pm
Kudos to you, Floyd! It’s enough for Danny to get the artificial tree up (lights already attached – LEDs) and the lighted garland on the mantle where the stockings are hung with care. I don’t know that we would do any of it, except the manger scene, if it weren’t for the three grand-girls. Yes, the Grinch bears down on us hard at this time of year, but we can always trust in the Light.
Blessings to you and yours, and keep those lights of hope burning!
Sunday, November 26, 2017 @ 7:20 pm
Very well done I can completely relate!
Monday, November 27, 2017 @ 4:45 am
Love the parody on “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”, Floyd! Can’t believe you got all that decorating done AND wrote a poem! Well done, my friend! š
Monday, November 27, 2017 @ 5:53 am
Oh my, love your poem! The results of your labor is incredibly beautiful. That’s a prize-winning display if I’ve ever seen one, Floyd! I don’t normally decorate, since there is only me, and I spend Christmas day/night with Chris and family. But, this year, I actually ordered some little white lights for inside. It’s getting COLD, so I’m sure they will cheer me up.
Monday, November 27, 2017 @ 6:39 am
Wow, this is such beautiful, poetic writing…I just love it! And, the results of your work are just amazing! You have a beautiful home, and God has blessed you with so many talents and gifts, brother. So thankful you choose to share them with us here. I can so relate to all you said in the poem…seems like it gets harder and harder each year, doesn’t it? We have scaled way down to the tree, stockings, and a few, little other decorations. Seeing our sweet boy’s eyes light up makes it all worthwhile. So thankful to still be able to do what we can and looking forward to another blessed Christmas and praying the same for you and your family, Floyd!
Monday, November 27, 2017 @ 7:53 am
Love it, love it, love it. I’m sharing on FB so my friends can enjoy! Wish I could see a picture.
Monday, November 27, 2017 @ 7:54 am
Oh, I just saw the pic. Beautiful!
Monday, November 27, 2017 @ 10:04 am
Great, Floyd! It must have been fun to put the poem together–and easier on your back and your knees! So your lights, which worked perfectly 11 months ago when you put them away and have done nothing except sit perfectly still in a box during that time, don’t work now?
Mine, too. What IS it about those lights?
Monday, November 27, 2017 @ 10:46 am
Ha. I love this poem, Floyd! Jeff would agree with you about the lights on the Christmas tree. They’re his nemesis every year. But last year we bought a tree with lights built-in. Will they still work this year? We’ll find out soon! š
Monday, November 27, 2017 @ 11:42 am
I didn’t realize you were such a poet. My questions in such situations is, “where the heck is that easy button”? It seems no matter what project I’m working on I always end up taking several trips to some store. š
Tuesday, November 28, 2017 @ 10:38 am
Worth it all. Even with aches and pains you did a wonderful job. I know the neighbors will enjoy your lights. Robert left a wreath on our tool shed that once was a pump house for a well – – and it faces the front. I will plug it in and may string some lights across our front fence. Robert did our decorating for Christmas and now it is up to me. I enjoyed your poem and know you had a good feeling once your hard work was all accomplished.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017 @ 12:30 pm
I think the only decoration we ever did was one year we put some lights on the outside of our living room window. It was never a big thing for us but we loved taking the kids driving around to see all the hard work others did so others could enjoy all the lights. Best part of Christmas is seeing the faces of those children light up big, a foretaste of presents under the tree and I think heaven. Looking forward to the lights of heaven that need no electricity to plug into. You are a man of many talents brother..
Friday, December 1, 2017 @ 2:10 pm
LOVE the poem, Floyd, and also LOOOOOOVE the lights! They look beautiful! And so does your home! Thanks for including a pic of the finished product. It was fun to see! We’ve made ours so simple now that we don’t even need to climb a ladder! I can still remember the days the kids were home though with all of the kids climbing the roof to hang up the lights. They were never that straight but they were always creative. š
Saturday, December 2, 2017 @ 7:45 pm
The house turned out awesome! Nice work! God is the reason for the season, we often get lost in the commercialism if it all. I dont think God would of minded that the lights werent put up. When you remeber him in your prayers and take notice of the beautiful gifts he gives on a daily basis, in my opinion, he would of been proud of that in itself. Iām sure your family appreciates the beuaty and work that it took to put up such a display, it truly is beautiful to behold.