This and other fine poems available at Amazon.com A boy watched his mother

Tie one red ribbon on the green tree

He could not think of any reason

“Why a ribbon?” he asked her softly.

She replied, “It’s my final gift of the season

The most important one from me.”

“It’s just a piece of ribbon,

Whose gift could it possibly be?”

And he hoped deep inside

His name wouldn’t be

On the lone piece of ribbon

Hanging from the Christmas tree.

His dear mother,

Smiled at her son

Happy for the lesson

Which time had come.

She cut an extra piece

And sat on the brown chair

She held her arms open wide

“I have something to share.”

He climbed onto her lap

She opened the well worn book

Its cover was black

She asked, “What was the first gift of Christmas?”

As she flipped through the pages

She knew where to look

And opened the book

To Chapter 2 in the account of St. Matthew

“In verse 10 we read

“The wise men brought

Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.

Most valuable gifts indeed.”

He listened intently to her.

“But those weren’t the first.”