Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-12-25
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| From the Baltimore Weekly Sun.
CHRISTMAS MEMORIES.
HY ". l.. AEEIL.


There i no day in all the by-gone years
More glad in smiles, or dinmed with fcwe
tears;
Aud none 10 which the memory fondly flies
( With keencr joys and laughing pleasantrie5-
That drags the selfish froc, his worshipre
. self
/ The coming miser from bis boarded pc}f,
! Than that bright day on whose proptious morl
/ The angels heralded loving Saviour born.
! Back through the years Oh oft repeated trips
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 and figures fair
Are met of those we hold most truly dear,
Some, it is true, who hold most truly dear,
Some, it is true, who proudly ;hen
Had upright figures of much younger men,
Now staggcr meath the heavy load Of life
About retiring from all mortal strife;
Others, whose toddling limbs refused to bear
Their infant bodies but from chair to chair,
Now in full vigor battle with the world.
Once raised aiOlt, again are downward hurled.
Others again--blcss, bless their faces kind
Are seen aloue now by the journeyiDg mind.
That hastcns back their days in life to find.
We see again the large, old fashioned fire,
Blazing and cracking, and with joy or ire
Tossing its sparks uY--up the wide-mouthed
nuc,
That our then young maginatiOns knew
As fairy spriics let loose from out the spell
OF wooden shackics-kow, we could not tell
And low upon that eve of Xmas night
We begged that these warm flames and cheerful
light
Might be allowed this once to die away,
So when Kris-Kingle, in his crystal sleigh,
Reached our housetop ;hc chimney might be
clear
OF all obstruction, heat and smoky air
And when twas out--we slept without fear.
And how, with peculiar childish care.
We close those stockings, free from wear and
Our largest, too-aud then along the string
That hcmmed the mantc let them lazy swing.
OF how We watched away the early night
Till s,eep. with fingers trained to action light,
Spriutled his sands, and closed our eyeids tight.
Awaiting with the buzzng of the town,
We rose to take the unknown treasures down,
And found, with JOY. our stockings fairly
stuffed
Those calves before were never so well pulled
Even with flesh. Aud then. with blast of horn
Announced TO al 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
Oar Merry Christmas then on every side
Embraced our parents, and in their warm en-
brace
Felt ali the .ove that sparkled ia the face
And in the whri Of our present joys
Our Christmas tree, orr rich and simpler toys--
saw, TOO, perhaps, a family quivering tear
That told the story III one missing there,
one WHO fUyCu, ana that love, too, returnvd
With al the iervor that within her burneG--
Now loving in new life richly earned.
Amid our joys, too, have We not 4 thought
A proud one, too-that has 50 kindly brought
To mind the figure OF some little one,
shivorin5 'si;h colo upon THAI old door-s,anr,
That framed the entrance to our home OF joy
Taken it in, clothed, fed, and with q toy
Sent forth again with grateful face and hear;
Into the 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 path aside
To aid the poor, the weak or sorely tried,
Then has been douhv blessed our Christmas
tide.