The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-12-25
Christmas Memories,

a. W. hAxbOu, ADD6V1lIe.
Christmas Memories.
There is no day in all the by.gone years
More glad in smiles, or dimmed with fewer
And none to which the memory fondly flies
With keener joys and laughing pleasan-
That t.ds;;ge dsags the selfish from his worshipped
The coming miser from his boarded pelf-
Than that bright day on whose prOpltious
The angels heralded loving Saviour born.
Back through the years Oh oft-repeated
OF pleasure, too, the memory softly slips,
Taking Us with it to that happy day
Where many bright and golden hours may
Be spent in JOY that knows of no allay.
Where brightest faces, forms aud figures
fair
Are met Of those we hold most truly dear.
Some. it is true, who proudly then
Had upright figures OF much younger men,
Now stagger meath the heavy load OF life,
About retiring from all mortal strife;
Others, whose tsddling limbs refused to
Their infant bodies but from chair to chair,
Now In full vigor battle with the world,
Once raised aloft, again are downward
hurled.
Others again-bless. bless their faces
Are seen alone now by the journeying
mind,
That hastens back their days in life to find.
We see again. the large, old-fashioned fire.
Blazing and cracking, and with JOY or ire
iosslng its sparks up-up the wide
That our then young imaginations knew
As fairy sprites let luose from out the spell
OF wooden shacklcs-how, we could not tell.
And how upon that eve Of Xmas night
We begged that these warm danes and
cheerful light
Might be allowed this once to die away,
30 when Kris Kringle, in his crystal sleigh,
Reached our house-top, the chimney migLt
be clear
or all obstruction, heat and smoky ali,
And when twas out, We slopt without Il
fear.
And how, with peculiar childish care.
We chose those stockings free from wear
Our largest. too-and then along tile
string
That hemmed the mantel. let them lazy
OF how We watched away the early night
iii sleep, with fingers trained to action
light,
sprinkled his sands, and closed our eye-Iids
tight.
Awakening with the buzzing of tho town,
We rose to take the unknown treasures
down,
And found, with JOY, our stockings fairly
stuffed
Those calves before were never 30 we'll
puffed,
Even with flesh. And then, with blast of
horn
Announced to all below, we rose to Xmas
morn.
Our hurried dressing and more hurried
flight
Down the wide stairway; and with faces
bright
Flushed with excitement-we scattered
wide
oas ~ aSss17 Christmas" then on every
Embraced our parents. and in their warm
embrace
Felt all the love that sparkled in the face
And in the whirl OF all our present joys
OuI Christmas tree, our rich and simpler
toys
Saw. too, perhaps, a family quivering tear
That told the story OF ono missing there,
One who was loved, and that love, too, re-
turned
Now loving in new life richly earned.
Amid our joys, too. have we not a thought
A proud one, too-that has 30 kindly
brought
To mind the figure Of some little one,
ShIVsring with cold upon that old door
stone,
That framed tho entrance to our home Of
Taken ii in, clothed, fed, and with toy
Sent forth again with grateful face and
heart
Into tho worlds, alas, too selfish mart.
Can we but find memory such as this,
Where mid the rush Of earthly joys and
bliss,
We've turned from pleasures Turing pal Ii
aside
To aid the poor, the woak or sorely trio4,
Ihen has been doubly blessed our Christ
mas tide.