Clarabelle Two

Two families merge at a wedding I see,
That makes traditions which add up to three;
The one that is hers, and the one that is his,
Then there's the mix which emerges from this.

That gives an outlet for pressure on kids
Caught when tradition a roadblock now is;
Two other roads now a detour make way
Letting them get on with life – saves the day.

Take handling gifts from the tree Christmas Day –
One home, the father is honoured this way;
Other says no, let the youngest have part;
All goes on well till no youngsters there are.

Youngest's now saddled with label as ‘kid’
Wants to reject task, thus label be rid;
Can't get around this so swallows his pride
Forced by tradition his feelings to hide.

Or, if it's father who's honoured with task,
How is it done when he passes at last –
Awkward the moments, tradition blocks way –
Surfacing loss on a happiness day.

Switching around clears this block in the way
That part’s quite easy to see, saves the day;
Let me put forth one more aspect I see –
One that was helpful at marriage for me.

Gift passing honour as a fatherly task
Was my tradition, he Christmas-gifts passed.
Not so from her side, ‘a kid's task’, said she
How to address this was what puzzled me.

“Honour that's given to adult or kid
Is then a gift we can box up and give;
Rather than wait, have it wrenched from our grasp,
Look up ahead, pass it on, before asked.”

Those are the words which my dad said to me,
Not in this context, but what he taught me;
When I got married, this honour I gave
Out to the kids in my family this way.

If there's a problem as adult or kid
Holding an honour you wish you'd be rid,
Stand back and look far ahead to that day
Quietly pre-give that honour away.

If honour turns into Jo-job some day,
That is the time to step into the fray –
Pick up lost treasure, say, ‘here, if you please’
Polish it up, lost tradition now seize.

So by next Christmas, if sharp is your eye,
You'll see me passing the gifts with no sigh;
For in my heart a tradition I know
Father was honoured as ‘gift-giving-Joe’.

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