A Christmas Sleigh Ride

David B. SteinmanRomantic

When love was young and hearts were gay, Who minded wintry weather? All snugly bundled in the sleigh We sallied forth together.

When cheeks were flushed and lips were warm, Who minded snowflakes clinging? Our joy rang out above the storm In tune with sleigh bells ringing.

Through sunset glow and first star-bright, What brought the tender yearning? We glided home toward candlelight And warmth of Yule logs burning.

David B. Steinman

SourceLicence:Public domain (US, unrenewed)

Mood:: Romantic
Topics:: love, winter, snow, christmas, sleigh

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Summary

Steinman looks back on a winter evening from the time "when love was young," and the whole poem is built from questions that answer themselves. Who minded the cold? Who minded the snowflakes? Nobody, of course. The couple was too happy to notice. Bundled up in the sleigh, with flushed cheeks and warm lips, they let their joy ring out louder than the storm, matching the sound of the sleigh bells.

The speaker's feeling is a gentle, glowing nostalgia. The past tense ("we sallied forth," "we glided home") suggests this is a memory, and the tone is affectionate rather than sad. The final stanza shifts from the open, snowy outdoors to the promise of home: sunset, the first star, candlelight, burning Yule logs. The mood becomes quieter and more intimate, and the "tender yearning" it mentions could be either the couple's closeness then or the speaker's longing now. The result is a cozy, sentimental picture of love keeping out the cold.

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