Mile after Mile
By Kenneth L. Pierpont
Mile after dark mile
The head-lights cut a path through the night
All around a million multi-colored stand-in stars light the way.
Mile after frigid mile
Cold presses against the cabin of the family car.
Big flakes gather on the windshield the way they should at Christmas time.
Mile after anxious mile
Past a thousand other home- none of them will do
We’re looking for a little house on that’s welcomed us so many times before.
The green house on Auten Road that smells of fresh brewed coffee and love.
Mile after weary mile crawling across parts of two or three states
Until, turning the last corner into the drive, light spills out from within
And dear, familiar faces and warm hugs all around
Remind you why you made the trip,
Mile after dark, fridgid, anxious, weary mile–
–to Grandma’s house for Christmas.
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This Is Our Christmas Prayer for You
By Kenneth L. Pierpont
As the fire on the hearth glows in the night
So may the love of Christ warm your home and bring you light
As the bells in the chapel tower ring
So my the joy of Christ fill your heart and make you sing.
As the snow gently falls to the ground
So may the peace of Christ enfold you all around
This is a Christmas prayer from our home to yours
This is our Christmas prayer for you.
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Snowfall
By Kenneth L. Pierpont
Silently falling through the air the snow
Blankets the bareness of the earth below.
Branches of trees once black are white
With crystals pure and glistening with light.
The hardy venture boldly out into the street
Exchanging cheerful greetings with everyone they meet.
From wherever winters weary wanderers roam
Muffled footsteps make their way toward home.
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Hope Is Alive
By Kenneth L. Pierpont
Hope is alive in the world tonight
It’s Christmas time again,
The bell tower rings
the organ sings
and hope takes wings,
It’s Christmas time again.
Hope is alive in the world tonight
It’s Christmas time again,
The home-fires glow
joys overflow
and hope can grow,
It’s Christmas time again.
Hope is alive in the world tonight
It’s Christmas time again,
Though much is wrong
We have a song
and hope is strong,
It’s Christmas time again.
Hope is alive in the world tonight
It’s Christmas time again,
When there’s no cure
you can be sure
hope will endure,
It’s Christmas time again.
Hope is alive in the world tonight
It’s Christmas time again,
When heartaches wane,
the King will reign
hope will remain,
It’s Christmas time again.
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A Christmas Gift From Heaven
By Kenneth L. Pierpont
Our snow-enshrouded home was nestled
neath God’s providential care
Anticipating the arrival
of a special package there.
Then as if dispatched from heaven
borne on angel-wings
A parcel came to rest among
our festive fashionings
What a priceless little bundle
of life and dreams and love
Came into our home last Christmas
like a present from above.
Yuletide night my eyes were misty
if I must tell the truth
For the Christmas gift from heaven
of our precious Hannah Ruth.
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Christmas At the Farm
By Kenneth L. Pierpont
The trip was long to Grandpa’s farm
But it had a certain nostalgic charm.
On the farmhouse side of the old spring-run
Stood a weathered pine but a lovely one,
And at Christmas time its colored lights
would trigger Certain sibling fights
“I saw it first.” “You did not.”
parents would become distraught
But not for long: these were special times,
When cakes and cookies and Christmas chimes
Drove any trace of gloom away
In anticipation of the sacred day,
Upon which our families would gather in,
It was sure to make my grandma grin.
And the men would imbibe in a football game,
What a family tradition this became,
While the women would gather in the kitchen where,
Holiday delights they would prepare.
The kids gobbled down so many sweets
They ‘d be sick near death of the Christmas treats.
The dinner table took every leaf
And heavy-laden, moaned in grief,
‘Til with appetites insatiable,
We were the ones who were over-full.
After dinner to the Christmas tree
We would gather to with shouts of glee.
The men would open after-shave
(That’s what my grandma always gave).
Annually I would forbear
To open my pack of underwear
But after the handkerchiefs and socks
would always come some trucks or blocks
Or other treasures that let us know,
That we were loved and cherished so,
And that throughout the entire year
This day would remain a memory dear.
