B.J. Vancheyson

Even though she wants to remind us she’s going to be “roasted,” the Thanksgiving turkey has this offering for the Hallowthanksmas competition.

Why Thanksgiving is Blessed*

You’re grateful for me? Ha! That’s rich!
You’ll bake and serve me on a dish!
Yet in the meantime, I suppose
I’ll talk about you ’til I roast.

This holiday’s for thankfulness.
Do you have food and homes?
If not, it’s harder, I would think,
for grateful seeds to sow.

So I can say that if you have
a roof over your head,
take not for granted shelter,
and a warm and cozy bed.

For nights are cold, and wind and rain
will smother you at best.
And most, they force all you to heed
the value of good rest.

If you have food, you’re luckier
than hundreds gone without.
Life’s cold and hard, and in a moment,
things can turn about.

Speaking of food, my time is near.
Is that the kitchen door I hear?
But did you know hens reappear
as hawks or owls some later year?

So I’ll take heart, as you should, too,
that even if there’s present gloom,
we surely will have better times,
to flutter in the bright sunshine.

—The Turkey

*even though I’m going to be eaten

To be continued with Santa Claus….

{Rest of “The Hallowthanksmas Chronicles”}

Verses: This holiday's for thankfulness / Do you have food and hoes? ? If not, it's harder, I would think / for grateful seeds to sow

Halloween, Holiday Story, Main Genre: Poetry, Poetry, posts, The Hallowthanksmas Chronicles

“The Hallowthanksmas Chronicles, Part Two: Why Halloween is a Scream”

October 26, 2021October 30, 2021 B.J. Vancheyson

In a sweet effort to explain why Halloween is the best in the Hallowthanksmas competition, Ghost gently haunts us with his verses:

Why Halloween is a Scream

We can be spooky, yes, it’s true…
depends on what this means to you,
this time that we call Halloween
for candy corn or games or screams.

The little ones dress up like me!
They know the ghost nobody sees:
the one that’s fun and wears a sheet
just to be seen, so we can meet.

But later, you are scared of me—
My holiday’s for sights unseen!
Before, you liked the candy bars,
but later, spooky sights leave scars.

Why would you change me? I am still
the ghost under the sheet,
begging for candy and for friends
to meet down your own street.

—The Ghost

To be continued with The Turkey….

{Rest of “The Hallowthanksmas Chronicles”}

Verses: The little ones dress up like me! / They know the ghost nobody sees: / the one that's fun and wears a sheet / just to be seen, so we can meet

Christmas Story, Halloween, Holiday Story, Main Genre: Poetry, posts, The Hallowthanksmas Chronicles, Truth, Wisdom

“The Hallowthanksmas Chronicles, Part Four: Why Christmas is the Greatest Gift” and Wrap-Up

December 7, 2021October 30, 2021 B.J. Vancheyson

To wrap up, we’ll finish up the last verses—the ending set getting into some of the interesting concerns some have over the holidays (mainly Halloween).

Why Christmas is the Greatest Gift

Ho, ho! It’s Santa! Surely, you’d know
that I’d show up with my own poem
to speak of Christmas near and far
as the one day on its own par.

For Christmas, yes, it has two sides,
mostly of His and some of mine.
For though I come with gifts each year,
there’s one we must always revere.

And on that midnight clear, we see
the past and future presently,
remembering the years gone by
and looking toward the days still nigh.

We have those dear—and reindeer, too!
Ho, ho, ho! That joke’s brand new!
For I am jovial all nights,
not just when my sleigh runs its plight.

It flies all evening in the dark
to bring to kids a joyous spark,
a spark that will forever glow
within their hearts and minds to know.

And Christmas is for those grown, too,
though their hearts may forget too soon
the joy of Christmas we all sow
when young, which always tries to grow.

Remember, nothing can compare
with Christmas lights and beauty paired,
with all the joy on Christmas beared,
between each person that it’s shared.

—Santa Claus (aka Kris Kringle, Saint Nick)

Hallowthanksmas Competition: The Declaration

So who am I, perhaps you ask,
the one who oversees the task
of asking all this holiday
which holds importance more…which day?

And then, which is the best to me?
Which brings the people the most glee?
I cannot say, I just cannot,
because there’s something long forgot.

A holiday’s just that: a day
where you can choose to play or nay—
you can choose which way to go,
participate, or think or know.

For Halloween, some say it’s bad…
demonic even! This is sad!
Remember what we heard from Ghost,
that friends are what he misses most?

And then, to some Thanksgiving is
all food, like pie and drizzled hens.
To others, it’s a time to think
of blessings, not of food and drink.

Then Christmas, well, I’ll only say
this is perhaps one holiday
that needs less of a clear defense.
Just enjoy your own heart’s good sense.

So once again then, who am I,
and which is best in my own eyes?
The Thankful Soul of Christmas Past,
I cannot choose, for none come last.

So then, I simply cannot say
which is the best (or worst) per se.
I cannot choose…I choose them all,
those favorite times brought in each fall.

—The Thankful Soul of Christmas Past

{Rest of “The Hallowthanksmas Chronicles”}

Verses: And on that midnight clear, we see / the past and future, presently / remembering the years gone by / and looking toward the days still nigh.

Quote: Enjoy your own heart's good sense.