Book Snack: Home for Christmas

For as many years back as I can remember, Dad gave me a box of books he’d carefully curated for my reading tastes at Christmas. Sometimes I read them, liked them, and kept them, but at the first sign of silverfish or whiff of mold, I disposed of them. Over time, even the once treasured collection took over my reading room that sits just off my bedroom – because there were simply too many to manage – and I had to start donating them to other causes. I’ve winnowed the collection down to a manageable lot – one where I know what is here and one that allows me to pull a book or two and snack on its delightful pages.

Christmas is the most enjoyable time of the year for me to thumb through books and hang on lines. Home for Christmas by Lloyd C. Douglas is one I chose for today, and I’ve included photos of the front and back covers of the book along with the inscription. This was a gift to Helen Ann Footit from Mark E. Merrifield for Christmas in 1938 after its first printing in 1935. It’s a gift to hold a piece of living history and wonder about the person who first opened it, and whose eyes have swept the pages, whose fingers have graced the words, and where they laughed. I wonder about the nature of the gift and the relationship of the giver and recipient. Was this an uncle and niece? a man courting a young woman? What is meant by “The Erdmans?”

From this book, I collected the words and phrases that make me think of Christmases past, in the old days, long before I was born, around the time my grandparents were young. I arranged them into a found poem. These lines bring images that cheer my heart and warm my spirit. I hope they do yours, too.

Home For Christmas: A Found Poem