A Change in Christmas Plans

We were supposed to be going

to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for Christmas
like every year.
But we’re getting a whole lot of snow

and some ice on top of it
and the roads won’t be safe for days.

We always have our family celebration
on the winter solstice
when we open our presents to each other
and have our feast
and then a few days later
we head to Grandma & Grandpa’s house
for Christmas Eve and Christmas.

We’ve already had our family celebration.
The feast is over.
The presents are opened.
We’ll have to wait to open the presents
waiting for us there
and skip the traditional
Christmas morning breakfast
of cookies and Czechoslovakian fruit soup.

Santa will bring one present to leave under the tree
for each child, just like always
(he usually comes when we’re away
and it’s very exciting to come home
to find that last, special present).
I think we will find some old fashioned goodies
to put in the stockings–
an orange each, some handmade toys…
and we’ll play games and we’ll figure out a new feast.

The world will be white.
The house will be warm.
We’ll be together.
It sounds perfect.