The sound of heaven’s holiday tinkles.
Cedar wafts on cloud cushions.
Snow plays at twelves.
Apple-cheeked fiddlers saw while
curly-haired dolls wearing holiday finery
dance with elves and bunnies.
Reindeer prance and fuss, harnessed to
burnished wood sleighs. Chased by angels,
they leap along crystal-bordered ponds —
geometric shapes and figure eights to eternity.

The great hearth in the lodge is ablaze
with seasoned oak.
A cast iron cauldron steams mulled
cider, dipped and sipped while
chilled bodies nestle and wreathe warmth.
Whetted appetites delight in plum pudding
while beaus tie gold-striped ribbons on
the wrists of coquettish virgins.
Cherished celebrations to honor a baby’s birth.
Affirmation that life carries on with hope.

Jade Li is a writer, reader, observer, thinker, feeler, poet who lives in the Big Mitten of Michigan in the United States. Does poetry as self-therapy and to connect with others. She blogs at: https://tao-talk.com/