At the grocery store
Just a few people wander
Amidst leftover Santas sitting on the shelves
With packages of candy red and green, outdated
Like the wrapping paper of the same colors,
The sparkling wines and the rows
Of failed Christmas trees that slowly die
In the cold mist, outside.
Gifts never given are replaced
With bright red Valentines.

A soft, tranquil music fills the air,
So different
From the festive carols,
The frantic atmosphere
Of a few days past:
Easy, slow walking. No crowds,
No lines. Just a peaceful feeling
Of breathing free: I welcome the return
Of everyday life.

Back home, I undo the Christmas tree
Returning to their boxes, one by one,
My favorite ornaments,
With the same care, and almost
The same pleasure
I took weeks ago,
When I brought them out to light.

Humble, hand-made ornaments, each one
has a story, a memory, a voice.

Faraway friends, family
Apart, but no forgotten.
Aunt Mary, who never really left,
Comes back every Christmas
When her ornaments shine on the tree.

The golden Christmas spider
With its sweet little story,
Was from Aunt Thelma, a thoughtful
Last gift.

Lovingly framed pictures
Of the children’s first Christmas,
From their grandmother, who makes
New ornaments each year,
One per grandchild.

My Grandma's features in my baby girl's face,
My father's traits in my little boy,
Their eyes like mine,
Their happy, mischievous
Funny smiles,
Their father's kindness, quietly
Shaping their ways,

All come together, vividly
In a painted glass ball, a shiny
Golden spider, a cut-out paper shape,
Crocheted little angels
With white cotton hair,
A needlepoint box, a hand-painted
Ceramic rocking horse,
Just as each fragrant batch
Of the Sardinian bread I bake
Brings back my grandma's touch.

The lives of many others
Are intertwined with mine
In a textured, colorful landscape
Where time stands still, just enough
For me to find my place,
And I no longer question
The meaning of my life.

I know for sure I had
A very Merry Christmas,
When I put it all away,
Looking forward to a whole New Year
Of ordinary days.