I
wish you’d come home for Christmas. Couldn’t you have arranged it?
Ina to Vance, 1934
(You might want to grab a hanky or a tissue before you read this very sentimental poem.)
On Coming Home for Christmas
By Edgar A. Guest
He little knew the sorrow that was
in his vacant chair;
He never guessed they’d miss him, or
he’d surely have been there;
He couldn’t see his mother or the
lump that filled her throat;
Or the tears that started falling as
she read his hasty note;
And he couldn’t see his father,
sitting sorrowful and dumb,
Or he never would have written that
he thought he couldn’t come.
He little knew the gladness that his
presence would have made,
And the joy it would have given, or
he never would have stayed.
He didn’t know how hungry had the
little mother grown
Once more to see her baby and to
claim him for her own.
He didn’t guess the meaning of his
visit Christmas Day,
Or he never would have written that
he couldn’t get away.
He couldn’t see the fading of the
cheeks that once were pink,
And the silver in the tresses; and
he didn’t stop to think
How the years are passing swiftly,
and next Christmas it might be,
There would be no home to visit and
no mother dear to see.
He didn’t think about it – I’ll not
say he didn’t care.
He was heedless and forgetful or
he’d surely have been there.
Are you going home for Christmas?
Have you written you’ll be there?
Going home to kiss the mother and to
show her that you care?
Going home to greet the father in a
way to make him glad?
If you’re not, I hope there’ll never
come a time you’ll wish you had.
Just sit down and write a letter –
it will make their heartstrings hum
With a tune of perfect gladness – if
you’ll tell them that you’ll come.
[It’s quite clear that spending a
Christmas at home on the farm was not something that Vance (my dad) wanted to
do. Apparently he wasn't the only son failing to come home for Christmas since Mr. Guest wrote a whole poem about
it.
I don’t know for certain why my dad
didn’t want to come home for Christmas but I can guess. Holiday time is party
time, and as a pianist, he had entrée to homes and clubs where he provided entertainment.
He quite naturally sat down at the piano and filled the air with booming chords. And when that happens, everyone is inspired to sing.
I'm sure he enjoyed his holiday activities and possibly earned
additional money. Also, it was a long trip from the southern Washington coast to
Orofino, Idaho, in winter – and arriving in town, he would still have to find a
ride to the farm. And then there was the return trip at a time when the weather is uncertain.] KW
6 comments:
I think that when you're young, you think there's always next year, forgetting that everyone is not young. You were fortunate to have many years with your family and I still am. Living close made (makes) that possible.
Did Grandpa also sing while he played?
Not as an entertainer. I think he played with a combo. But he did sing well and would sing when the whole group was singing.
Hi Chris! Yes, living close is the key to successful Christmas family gatherings. I'm convinced having daughters helps, too. But--our adult children often don't find the good jobs at near home, it seems. And--as special as Christmas is to me, winter travel is difficult.
Yes, living close made a big difference when I lived close to my parents and was raising my kids. The world has changed our way of life so much now that families are forced to move far away from each other in order to obtain employment. Also, once the grandchildren get to be teenagers or young adults, they don't really want to travel great distances in uncertain weather just to be with grandparents thereby missing all the fun activities and their friends. Our friends now fill the void left by absent sons, daughters, and grandchildren. We do the traveling now to see them when possible.
Thanks for sharing your observations,Joanne. Sometimes I wonder if the need to move for employment hasn't been going on for years. Even Ina's children moved away as they grew up. We're lucky (or blessed) if family lives close enough to share time together.
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