Bated breath and freezing air,
From Ballyhack to Dunlady Heights,
Homes and hearts turn on the lights
Expectation everywhere.
For Christmas Time is coming
Tick, tock,tick, tock, tick tock, tick…
Children wait with saucer-eyes
Trying to contain their smiles
Parents hope they’ve done enough
Or do the kids need yet more ‘stuff’
For Christmas Time is coming
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick…
And behind next door’s curtain
The Joneses aren’t that certain
About the point of all this –
There must be more to Christmas
But there’s so much still to do
Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick…
It’s the secret no-one speaks,
No-where seen on Wiki-Leaks!
But everyone can sense it,
We all yearn to confess it.
We’re waiting for something more-
For someone behind the door.
For Hope to keep us going,
For Love to keep us growing,
And Christmas time is coming
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick…
There has to be more than this
We need to see through the mist
Is God really, trully there?
Does ‘He’ or ‘It’ really care?
And Christmas time is coming
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick…
The answer lies in a box
Found beside the ass and ox
Eternity within time
The Reason, Rhythm and Rhyme
Of Life, of Hope, of Meaning
Within a manger screaming
For Christmas time is coming
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick
So watch the watch and listen
The clock is tick, tick, ticking
Hold your breath and remember
The 25th of December…
The world still needs a Saviour
And God could not be clearer
He came once to Bethlehem
But rest assured, He’ll come again.
For Christmas time is coming,
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick…
Pause
Crack open the champagne
For Christ our Saviour came
And we can never be the same!
Let’s celebrate, let’s dance, let’s sing
And worship Christ our Saviour King!
Turn on the lights, turn up the sound
For God in mercy has come down!
We’ll enter in, hold nothing back
Let’s tell Jane and Steve and Jack
That God came down in Israel
And in that moment darkness fell
And Light arose and Hope was born
And Joy was given and sadness shorn
For Christ has come to walk with us
On footpath, railway, car and bus
For Christmas time has come
And Light and Love have won
And adore the Son
Who rises now for us
So enter in, rejoice and sing
For Christ has come – Our God Our King!
(c) Malcolm Duncan Christmas, 2010. Amended 2019
