Christmas happened

When I was young Christmas came every year

but I didn't know what it was

coming back to school after the break the other kids would ask:

"What toys did you get for Christmas?"

I would look down at my new shoes without holes and wonder:

what did they mean?

Christmas, I knew, was the time of year where there was a little extra food in the house

the time of year where the lady next door watched me while mom worked extra hard

it was when the church ladies came over and hemmed the clothes that were too big so they would fit all year

I got extra blankets

shoes that aren't two sizes too small

why would I get toys?

from a very young age I realized that for me, Christmas always happened

but it wasn't the same as everyone else