Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Monday, November 30, 2020

Festive

 


My Papa liked to give us gifts,

He liked to make our spirits lift,

And with those gifts, he tried real hard

To pair with them a fitting card!

I’m not quite sure how it began

I don’t think that he had a plan,

Perhaps he just mistook the year,

And as no store was very near,

The card he’d bought would have to do,

He’d merely change the ‘One’ to ‘Two’!

A stroke of pen and he was done,

A birthday card for little one,

And those around, they snickered loud.

That made him really (really) proud

Of his new wise resourcefulness,

That offered him unique egress.

But after that, whenever he

Was giv’n the opportunity,

To buy a card for something fun,

Like ‘Birthday’, ‘Christmas’, ‘Miss you, Son’,

Deliberately incorrect,

With felt pen, he would interject,

And scrawl across, in letters, fine,

The correct info, line-by-line,

The rest of us when we would see,

Would praise his ingenuity.

 

The special days can come and go,

But what'd really make hearts glow,

Those precious cards, (by Dad) so new,

I just wish I had saved a few…

 


Cause Mondays do get knocked a lot,

With POETRY, we all besought,

To try to make the week begin

With pleasant thoughts…

Perhaps a grin?

So Jenny, Charlotte, Mimi, Me

Have crafted poems for you to see.

And now you’ve read what we have wrought…

Did we help?

Or did we not?


Next week from Spikes's Best Mate, we'll try

To knock a topic in the eye.

So join us here and you will see,

Festive Traditions, it will be!

23 comments:

  1. Awwww this is so sweet and what a fun tradition! Sorry it took me so long to get over here----the Thanksgiving holiday lasted much longer than I had anticipated!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The longer you can make it last, the better! And thank you!!

      Delete
  2. There is nothing like a physical card. I hope we never leave this tradition behind!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Another lovely poem, Diane. I bet each card was eagerly awaited to see what the next corrected card would reveal.

    Here's my effort - a little off-target, but loosely related to cards:

    It is that time of the year again
    For the writing of Christmas lists
    There are “Things to Do” and “Things to Buy”
    But the one that I cannot resist
    Is the “Christmas Cards” list and all it entails
    ‘Cos for me it’s an annual delight
    As it takes me on journeys down Memory Lane
    With every card that I write.

    I keep a “Christmas Cards” notebook
    And record it every year
    A list of intended recipients -
    All the names of those I hold dear.
    Looking back at the lists of previous years
    There are ‘stayers’, and those long gone
    But held in those precious pages
    Are fond memories that linger on.

    So as I settle down with my cards and pen
    It’s with heartfelt thanks and pleasure
    That I repay all those on this year’s list
    For memories I’ll always treasure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, that's a fine poem. Heartwarming and true.

      Delete
    2. Not off the mark at all, SBM! What a wonderful tradition! And a beautiful poem!

      Delete
  4. Your poem, and that of SpikesBestMate, melt my heart.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melting hearts is totally my prized goal, EC! Thank you!

      Delete
  5. Love this. Will share a memory on Facebook.

    ReplyDelete
  6. i love your dad. He sounded like so much fun. And that card is so precious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Laurie! He was so much fun! Remembering his antics keeps him close!

      Delete
  7. Heartwarming, smile bringing, and poignant.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Brilliant. My husband made me LOL one year, when he crossed out Birthday, and put Merry Christmas on one of my cards. With cards being so expensive, and especially now, when it's difficult to go to a store to choose the perfect one, this is an idea for the "Covid" times. Lovely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I like your husband! ;)
      Brilliant idea! The COVID card!

      Delete
  9. Your father was a very spoecial man. I come to like him more with each thing you tell, and regret that I'll never meet him, or probably you either, in person.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe in the next life, Charlotte! What a treat that will be!

      Delete
  10. Your Dad and the cards -some might call it eccentric. But it reminded me of one of my first cousins, who does goofy things with greeting cards. For example, on my 60th birthday he gave me a card for a 6 year old, and wrote in a zero next to it. I think it's neat not eccentric!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perfect! I hereby adopt your cousin into our goofy clan!

      Delete
  11. Awww! Your dad was quite the clever and ingenious person.

    ReplyDelete

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