Christmas signs.
Whilst holiday shopping, I spy a long line leading from the center of the mall.
Little children, lists in hand, stand tall.
Some are playing—
they’re all awaiting their turn on ol’ Santa’s knee.
Most are in masks, for the COVID pandemic does not take a “well-earned” holiday season
vacay.
Yet their excitement, it cannot be completely stifled by the hordes of scowling-angry adults.
Christmas carols, they blare out of glittered speaker boxes, in between mall announcements and
the like.
Delights are presented in kiosks and behind glass cases: some of the most prized presents of all.
Many wish they could get their hands on these: the top toys and assorted entertainment
electronics of the year.
Only a few, though, will get the chance to unwrap these gifts brand new.
You may plead with the man in the beard, Little Jimmy and Janey— but with the current
microchip shortage, ‘tis no use.
You must find another way to thwart the winter blues.
And tho’ humanity’s luck has since seemingly taken a turn (or two)—
I can muster enough spirit to write a few sentimental poems and
bid a warm-hearted “Merry Christmas” to all of you.
From my mall to yours—
no matter where in this wide weird world you might happen to be:
don’t forget the wonderment you once felt ‘pon that old, drunken department store Santa’s knee.
PS5, iPhone or not, please enjoy your holidays happily.

All I Want for Christmas

By Alexander Mazoni

All I Want for Christmas
All I want for Christmas
is a little normalcy.
A humble family.
A hint of sanity.
Too much to ask? Perhaps.
Nothing has ever been normal around here.
My idea of normal is another person’s ludicrousness.
And I’d be OK with that if it wasn’t so aggressive.
The rage and disquiet in my heart comes out to play ‘round holidays.
The uncomfortable dinners, the mind games, the drunken fits, all of this (and more) compound to
deliver an experience unlike any other.

I stopped drinking, thinking that it was I alone who was the problem.
Instead, I was able to clearly see what was to be.
And I was flabbergasted to realize it went beyond such simplicity.
These issues, they would not be fixed by myself alone.
Still, I must atone.
All I want for Christmas is a little normalcy.
A humble family.
The tiniest hint of sanity.
And nothing else.

Our Little Holiday House

By Alexander Mazoni

Our Little Holiday House
has never been quite this decorated.
Sophia’s late grandmother had a treasure trove of ornaments, lights, and an entire ceramic light-
up CostCo village.
Our game room, now, is a bustling hamlet.
Tiny children frolic and offer up newspapers, saying, “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!”
Where every stocking is hung o’er the mantle (with loving care) and no one gets too drunk and
starts running their minuscule mouths.
Oh, I wish I could join the tiny town in their festivities.
But alas, I am too big, in stature, to fit through their doorways.

Published on December 7th, 2022