‘Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the house,
Not a surface was tidy—not even the couch.
The stockings hung lopsided by the chimney with care,
While the Nativity set was still missing a spare.

The children were wired, bouncing off every wall,
Fueled by candy canes and that trip to the mall.
And Mama with her checklist, and I in my cap,
Had just given up on a pre-Christmas nap.

When out on the lawn, there arose such a clatter,
I tripped on the toy box to see what was the matter.
Away to the window, I hobbled in pain,
Peeking out through a frost-covered pane.

The moon on the chaos of our yard below
Lit up a crooked manger, half buried in snow.
When what to my wandering eyes should appear,
But a reminder of peace—so simple, so clear.

The rush and the noise seemed to quiet a bit,
As I stared at that manger where Baby Jesus once fit.
For nestled in hay on that very first night,
Was love come to earth, wrapped in holy light.

But before I could ponder too deeply or long,
The door burst open with a chorus of wrong.
Packages spilled from a stressed-out delivery guy,
As glitter-filled snowflakes swirled up to the sky.

“Here’s one for your kids, and one for your pup,
And this odd-shaped box says ‘To clean this all up!’”
He dashed to his van and drove off in a huff,
While I muttered, “It’s Christmas. Is this… enough?”

Then back to the couch, through a room in disarray,
With half-broken ornaments on full display.
But nestled there, by the glow of the tree,
Was the Bible, unopened, and calling to me.

I dusted it off and read Luke with a grin,
“The Savior is born—peace on earth begins.”
The noise all around turned quiet and sweet,
As I felt heaven’s love from my head to my feet.

So I called to the kids, and I called to my wife,
“Come sit for a moment—let’s pause from the strife.
Christmas isn’t perfection, or ribbons, or bows,
It’s God’s love in the mess, and that’s all we need to know.”

And I heard them exclaim, as we knelt there in prayer,
“Merry Christmas to all—His love’s everywhere!”