CHRISTMAS LIST
(Poem written by Helen Steiner Rice) (1949)



I have a list of folks I know all written in a book;
And every year at Christmas time I go and take a look.
And that is when I realize that these names are of a part;
Not of the book in which they’re written, but of my very heart.

For each name stands for someone who has crossed my path sometime,
And in that meeting,  they’ve become the Rhythm of the Rhyme.  
And while it sounds fantastic of me to make this claim,
I really feel I am composed of each remembered name.

And while you may not be aware of any special link,
Just meeting you has shaped my life more than you can think.
For once you’ve met somebody, those years they can’t erase,
The memories of a pleasant word or of a friendly face.

So never think my Christmas greeting is just a mere routine,
Of names upon a Christmas list forgotten in between,
For when I send a Christmas greeting that is addressed to you,
It’s because you’re on that list of folks I am indebted to.
For I am but a total of the many one’s I’ve met,
And you happen to be one of those I prefer not to forget.

And whether I have known you for many years or few,
In some way, you had a part in shaping things I do.
So every year when Christmas comes, I realize anew,
The biggest gift, life can give is meeting someone like you.

And may the spirit of Christmas that forever and ever endures,
Leave it’s richest blessings, in the heart of you and yours.



(Contributed by Cooks - December 2003)