December 25th

There are mornings
When I find myself lost
staring At the list of gifts they wish
To see under the tree,
While I wish
For more shifts;
Wish that we remembered
The true meaning
Of December 25th,
It isn’t supposed to be
About all of this,
But I guess it is what it is.
The thought of disappointing them, lives,
Forever on my mind,
And these kids of mine,
don’t care about the costs
Of groceries and bills,
They live for the thrill of the day,
Presents under the tree
Bearing their names,
New gadgets to play with,
Things we buy on credit,
Only to have Santa take credit
For our sacrifices,
Back in the North Pole,
When it’s time to pay debt,
And calls start coming in to collect,
Stress carrying over to a new year
Like credit balances,
As we try to balance
Our finances and their desires,
Trying not to feel like
Less of a man,
Less of a dad,
If I just don’t have it.
Hoping that they’ll understand,
But Knowing that nothing I say
Will change the way
That they’ll judge me
By what they see under the tree
On Christmas Day.
So I suck it up
And keep my stress to myself,
Work every shift that I can,
Hoping that it will help,
To at least cross a few things
Off of their lists,
While I wish that love was enough
On December 25th