Here’s to the soldiers, whose Christmas ain’t white.
To the man and the woman who watch through the night.
Your family won’t see you or feel your embrace;
Your dog won’t wake you with licks in the face.
While we wrap and share presents, you put on the line
Your life, your limbs, your safety for mine.
Your task now is fearful, now it bores you to tears.
The losses you witness? More than most count all their years.
Not cookies and milk. No. Not ham or casseroles.
Your dinner is mass-produced. Your feasting; controlled.
You face sand and desert, while we travel with glee.
You lift up the fallen, while we decorate trees.
We remember you today, dear soldier abroad.
Your sacrifice makes us stand and applaud.
We truly won’t know what your duty has cost
But we thank you for your service and for those you have lost.
Merry Christmas, today I celebrate the birth
Of another who gave of himself for our mirth.
Jesus was born and he lived, died and rose.
He came as a baby; but gave his life up for those
Who not only scorned him, but hated his kind;
He loved them and freed them from sin’s deadly bind.
We remember you today; we’re grateful for you.
You give up your freedom for others’ too.
I hope you get time, too, to think and to pray
Cuz Christmas isn’t all about reindeer or sleighs.
It’s about Jesus; and even if we do,
He’s still giving love for Christmas and he won’t forget you.
DH