Xmas with Jimmy Stewart

No snow to be seen,
Not for the last 150 years.
We do have pines
And a main street called Orange Avenue.

For the holiday season
Parking meters are covered.
Your money is not accepted.
“It’s a Wonderful Life”
Plays endlessly in our library.

A picture postcard medial stripe
Runs the 2-mile length of Orange.
Today with the sweet smell of cut grass fills the street,
Seasonal hedges, planted for their brilliant reds
In December, Pine trees
And menageries of fantastic animals,
Carved with care and humor.

The Pines,
Bejeweled with small blue and green lights
Enveloping each tree,
Inviting the gently curved branches to dance.

An 80-foot Norfolk,
Stands where the road bends,
Clothed, incongruously, in vertical light strips,
That suggests an unhappy relationship.

Store decorations
Tired of the annual effort,
Make a nominal attempt
At charm and gaiety.

At the edge of downtown, built in the 1880’s
Stands the Del Coronado hotel,
Recently expanded to provide more rooms
And an elegant pedestrian walk
That parallels the ocean.

Just short of the walk,
Lies one the worlds most beautiful beaches,
A short-lived Ice rink holds sway,
Children permitted.

The “Del”, as the hotel is known
Houses one of the most deliciously decorated
Christmas trees in the county,
Informing guests of magic and majesty.

From the bridge, leading to Coronado,
You can see the brightly lit outline
Of the Del’s cupolas.

On the island, over the holidays,
You’ll likely be greeted with warm wishes and smiles,
That, if not wholly sincere,
Are far from fatuous.

Walking feels safe at any hour,
And the new, expanded, library
Is open until 9.

A 1950’s style park facing the library,
Complete with bandstand, that gets used
Throughout the year, but most especially at Christmas.

It is probably a little warmer
Than Jimmy would have it.
Still, I think he’d want to finish the movie here.