My White Christmas Poem by Eddie Henderson

“I’m dreaming of a White Christmas. Just like the ones I used to know”
Funny how quickly dreams can turn into reality
It was hard for me to fathom a Christmas away from home but, that time had come

Last Christmas I was in L.A interning for the Fresh Prince
A little down because my 9 to 5 forced me to miss Christmas with the fam
All week I was teased of stories about ham, greens, yams, chicken, turkey
You name it, they made it
Yes, I'm from the south

Still trying to get the taste of out of my mouth
I got a call from my friend from work
“Hey man didn’t know if you had plans, but I got the van this weekend. We’re road tripping up the mountain to spend Christmas with my girlfriend and her family. We would love if you came with me”

Tentatively I agreed, and he was happy to say the least
“Dude this is going to be So Rad! You’re going to love it up there, especially her dad, Gotta be careful on the road because we’re expecting some snow”
The day came and I admit I was excited
The idea of a White Christmas “slight pun intended”
Was too much to miss

The ride up, was scenic and stunning, Cali really does have it all
We finally made it up the mountain and I wasn’t surprised at what I saw
No other black person could be seen for miles
Coming from an HBCU it hadn’t been like that for me in a while
The big moment was here, time to meet the family
It was something out of a movie, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner perhaps

The door swings open letting out a stampede
First, the retriever attacks me with wagging tail, paws and licks,
Cousins, Uncles, Aunts, Grandma and Grandpa all laugh and give me hugs
The activities begin immediately as we take the hill for sledding with the kids

Look at him go! They yelled as I’m flying uncontrollably down the hill on video
We get back inside, dry off then see more of the town
The quaint and tight knit community really slowed my big city pace down
I saw some more of his family then it was time to eat
This was the part that had me on the edge of my seat
I pondered Do we really do it that differently?

I took a few bites, and as I sat at the table and looked around
To be real with y’all poetry Those White People Threw Down!
I had three plates, they must have thought I was one of those kids of the feed a nation commercials
They even gave me food to go

Dinner was great, the people were nice, but that wasn’t the highlight
Christmas day when I awoke, a stocking bearing my name had been hung up overnight
It just goes to show how special the spirit is
As long as love is there, you can always find a home for Christmas