Hilton Head Island barkeep shares his annual Lowcountry Christmas poem
Once again, Hilton Head Islander Chris Wagner has outdone himself with his yearly Christmas poem.
While some poets may be daunted at trying to offer positivity in a year full of loss and sorrow due to wildfires, unemployment and the coronavirus pandemic, Wagner reminds us all to be the best citizens, friends and family members we can.
The Island Packet printed his “best fishes” Christmas poems for many years. Last year heput them together in a book, “Island and Sea, Christmas and Me: A Collection of Hilton Head Poems,” with artwork and design by Mary Trostle Design.
It all started when the longtime bartender at the Crazy Crab restaurant in Harbour Town decided to send his friends something more personal than a Christmas card.
“For the first few years I merely wrote new lyrics to the traditional songs for Christmas for my fishing buddies,” he wrote last year. “Later the works focused on other issues that I thought important or entertaining.
“Many of the words and ideas I have written have come from books I have read, greeting cards I have browsed through or jokes I have heard in my 30-plus years of bartending,” he said.
Following is Wagner’s 2020 Christmas poem:
A Christmas Wish
Two Thousand Twenty
Was a very tough year
With not too much joy
And not too much cheer.
Pandemics, infernos
Race riots and floods
Loss of our loved ones,
And loss of much blood.
. . .
It’s time to reflect on
What needs to be solved.
So the problems around us
Don’t further evolve.
So here is an outline
To live each day
To help change our world
In powerful ways.
. . .
Try to be good
Be honest, be kind.
Try to improve
Your body and mind.
Always be polite
And show that you’re grateful.
Show pity and share
Be loving, not hateful.
. . .
Do your best to work hard
Forgive and forget
Be kind to all people
To animals and pets.
Conserve and recycle
Protect our world
Remember our children,
Let them live reassured.
. . .
Be happy and laugh
Be fair and show grace
Say a prayer for all mankind
Regardless of race.
Aid the sick and needy
And help heal their pain.
Let’s make our America
Grateful again.
. . .
So here is my wish
For the holiday season.
Do some good every day
Whatever your reason.
Make a small difference
To the whole human race
And make our country
A much better place.
