Amber called her uncle, said
"Where up here for the holiday,
Jane and I were having Solstice,
now we need a place to stay."
And her Christ-loving uncle
watched his wife hang Mary on a tree,
He watched his son hang candy-canes
all made with red dye number three.
He told his niece, "It's Christmas Eve,
I know our life is not your style,"
She said, "Christmas is like Solstice,
and we miss you and it's been awhile."
So the Christians and the Pagans
sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground
the best that they were able,
And just before the meal was served,
hands were held and prayers were said,
Sending hope for peace on earth
to all their gods and goddesses.
The food was great, the tree plugged in,
the meal had gone without a hitch,
Till Timmy turned to Amber and said,
"Is is true that you're a witch?"
His mom jumped up and said, "The pies are burning"
and she hit the kitchen,
And it was Jane who spoke, she said,
"It's true, you're cousin's not a Christian,"
"But we love trees, we love the snow,
the friends we have, the world we share,
And you find magic from your God,
and we find magic everywhere."
So the Christians and the Pagans
sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground
the best that they were able,
And where does magic come from?
I think magic's in the learning,
'Cause now when Christians sit with Pagans,
only pumkin pies are burning.
When Amber tried to do the dishes,
her aunt said, "Really, no, don't bother."
Amber's uncle saw how Amber
looked like him and like her father.
He thought about his brother,
how they hadn't spoken in a year,
He thought he'd call them up and say,
"It's Christmas time and your daughter's here."
He thought of fathers, sons and brothers,
saw his own son tug his sleeve, saying,
"Can I be a Pagan?" Dad said,
"We'll discuss it when they leave."
So the Christians and the Pagans
sat together at the table,
Finding fath and common ground
the best that they were able,
Lighting trees in darkness,
learning new ways from the old, and
Making sense of history,
drawing warmth out of the cold.