The Christmas Quilt

By Kelly Calthorpe

When I was a little girl
My mama would sit and sew
A beautiful quilt
With colours that glowed.

On Christmas Eve
The last stitch was sewn
And mama touched the blanket softly
And said, “Let’s go to town.”

We drove in the dark
Following the same star
That the wise men followed
But instead of a camel, in our car

The quilt lay between us
On the front seat
We did not listen to music
And mama didn’t turn on the heat

We drove around
And the streets were clear
Most people were home
Sharing Christmas cheer.

I was getting impatient
“Mama”, I asked, “where are we going to go?”
And softly she answered
“I will tell you when I know”.

She sighed and pulled the car over
“This is the place to be.”
And she walked up the path to a house
That was cold and dark, and wasn’t much to see.

She hugged the quilt tightly
And laid it at the door
Then she rang the doorbell
And ran around the corner.

A candle flickered in the dark
And an elderly man came to the door
He hollered out, “Who’s here?”
But when he looked down he said no more.

He picked up the quilt
And wrapped it around himself tight
And carried it into the small house
Without any lights.

Mama came to the car
And sat for a short while
She whispered, “Merry Christmas.”
And drove away with a smile.

I saw the smile on her lips
And the happiness in her eyes
I wanted to do something too
Something, that would be just as nice.

“Mama”, I said, “I wish I could cut and sew.
I wish I had a quilt to share.”
And Mama told me about all the things
I could do all year to show how much I care.

Mama said, “You could share a kind a word
You could hold open a door.
When you see garbage lying around
You could pick it up off the floor

You could share a snack
You could share some mitts
You could share the clothes
That no longer fit.

The blocks that you cut
Need not fabric be
They can be pieces of kindness
And acts of good deeds.

And while it’s valiant to start
With a large and just cause
Remember that Heaven came to earth
As a wee little child.”