by Brian Russell

Created on: January 15, 2007   Last Updated: May 14, 2007

Christmas In These United States

In Cohasset, Minnesota, the young man and his
wife ride in an old-fashioned sleigh, by the banks of
Pokegama Lake. Their laughter and the
sound of the bells on their horses' tails
pierce the night. It is December the twenty-fourth.

Billy and his brother Jud are out for a swim
in Polacca Wash, near Sunrise.
They had returned to their boyhood home together

for the first time in twenty-three years.
"Christmas in Arizona is how Christmas should be,"
says Billy, whereupon he dunks Jud
and the two brothers engage in a tremendous
water fight that lasts for fifteen minutes.

In Billings, Montana, Janice takes her grandson Paul
to Yellowstone River on Christmas morning.
In the river, they place a wreath
in memory of Janice's son; Paul's father;
lost to them in Vietnam.
They stand in the cold and watch the wreath
as the current sweeps it away.

The ice on Penobscot Bay near Searsport, Maine,
is two feet thick this time of year.
Jack and his son Jeffrey drill through,
and drop their lines into the cold, dark water.
They sit and watch each other's breath,
listening to the silence on the reach.
They pass a thermos of hot chocolate.

Norman is lying on Pier 53, Manhattan, on the Hudson.
He reaches to the woman a couple feet away.
They are strangers.
She slips into his arms as he wraps the torn blanket
and newspapers around them and holds her tight.
"Merry Christmas," he says
as she shivers in his arms.
Norman's voice fills the night, as he continues,
"Father, thank you for your gifts. Thank you for this time.
And keep us ever mindful of the needs of others."

And keep us ever mindful.

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