I am unworthy of the Lamb.

I do not appreciate the gifts which are given to me.

I am not Wonderful, able to spin plates or planets. I cannot knit irises of any kind.

I am not a Counselor, able to illuminate and comfort, to see what ails and provide a sweet balm.

I am not Mighty. I am unable to bring back the dead, stop the blizzard, command a screach out of an eagle.

I am not Everlasting. I ache and rot.

I am not Peace embodied. I flare with anger, I am contentious, I lash and buck.

I am not the fruition or the promise. Prophets never saw me with aged eyes, or spoke of me until their tongues cracked.

But I act like they did, sailing through the days with my gaze fixed at the mirror as if, as if, as if.

Christmas Eve is a throttler. We put the presents under the tree, make sure they are arranged nicely, step back. There is something missing…I think. Something seems off and wrong. Who did we forget? Who hasn’t forgotten me?

The answer to both questions is the same.

And I am sorry.

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer (reindeer)
Had a very shiny nose! (like a lightbulb)
And if you ever saw it (saw it)
You would even say it glowed (like a lightbulb)

All of the other reindeer (reindeer)
Used to laugh and call him names (like Pinocchio)
They never let poor Rudolph (Rudolph)
Join in any reindeer games. (like Monopoly)

Then one foggy Christmas Eve,
Santa came to say (ho, ho, ho)
Rudolph with your nose so bright,
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?

Then all the reindeer loved him (loved him)
As they shouted out with glee (yippee!)
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer (reindeer)
You’ll go down in history! (like George Washington).

That was the way we sang “Rudolph” during my elementary school days. Mrs. Johnson would halt her hands on the piano to warn we better not sing the silly echo—or else we’d be kicked out of the Christmas program. It happened every year.

She should have never tried to fight a force bigger than herself. The tradition rages on.

My kids sing that reindeer games are Candyland and that Rudolph will go down in history like John Elway. A local touch.

Did you sing the same echoing part? Did your music teacher flip out? My boys are in their school’s Christmas program tonight and have reported they’ve been warned not to “ha ha ha” during Jingle Bells either.