Christmas In My Home Town

I peer back through the mists of time to muse and ponder, Christmases when a lad, giving my mind free rein to wander. 'Twas a simpler time when life moved at a slower pace. Wonderful memories flood my soul that I cannot erase. A canopy of lights arched over Main Street from curb to curb. Holly wreaths were hung from light poles looking so superb! Merchants festooned storefronts with delightful decorations. Children's faces were all aglow with eager anticipations! Kids pressed noses to windows as they went from store to store, Oohing and aahing at the trains, dolls and games galore! Later, they'd visit Santa at Woolworths Five and Dime; They'd have their hopeful list in mind to save Santa's time! There'd be a Yule Tree lighting and carols sung on the village square. Santa arrived on Fire Engine Number One to end the evening's affair! Mother Nature usually provided a couple of inches of snow. Ah, the simple beauty of my hometown with the lights aglow! The cops blocked High Street for kids to sled down its hill. Flopping on their Flexible Flyers provided the village kids a thrill! Nowadays, though lights and glitzy decorations adorn the mall, They don't elicit that old time hometown feeling in me at all! Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired © All Rights Reserved