Page 2, December 2025, THE PULSE, FINAL ISSUE
The Reason for the Season
By Ann Brubaker Greenleaf Wirtz
Treasured Keepsakes (From Our Lives in Verse, Everyday Poetry)
Christmas and nostalgia are ever entwined, for
as the decorations for tree and table are unpacked,
memories tumble out with the
who, where, when, and how each item came to be,
those treasured keepsakes we long each year to see.
Caressing the Santa face
my mother handmade,
still sequined with sparkle,
o’er a half-century old,
her love for me is the story that’s told.
And placed about are
the candles and plates,
the ribbon and holly,
the wreath upon the door;
it’s Christmas galore!
Treasured books are unpacked
and handled with care,
their stories old and reaching back
to a time we contemplate with awe,
their simple message a timeless draw.
The nativity set completes most décor,
Mary and Joseph with
Baby Jesus, so tender,
lovingly arranged in a lowly stall,
they tell the reason for it all.
This is my fifteenth successive year and story for The Pulse. This wonderful newspaper with the devoted staff has blessed my life with their kindness in printing my nostalgic Christmas story year after year. Thank you! I’ll never forget you!
In honor of America’s 250th Anniversary, my latest book, Letters: Our American Story has just been released, and what a writing adventure it has been. Included are memories about life in Webster Groves in the 1950s and 1960s, the high school years, and the well-known television program "Sixteen in Webster Groves."
May Christmas 2025 be a joy-filled and blessed celebration, and may 2026 draw you closer to “The Reason for the Season,” our Eternal Hope.
Editor’s Note: Ann - thank you so much for sharing your Christmas stories with us year after year. I know our readers will miss seeing them and I will miss you, my friend. Joyce
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