There's a coat still hanging by the door
Blue with yellow stitching at the sleeves
Too small now for anyone to wear
But I can't bring myself to take it down

The table stretches longer every year
More wood showing where the plates used to be

This is what December does
Brings back everyone who isn't here
The house remembers better than I want it to
Every Christmas makes the quiet worse

Your mother's recipe box sits unopened
I bought a ham instead of turkey this year
The neighbors brought a casserole last week
They don't say much, just leave it on the porch

This is what December does
Brings back everyone who isn't here
The house remembers better than I want it to
Every Christmas makes the quiet worse

I thought about taking down the tree this year
Leaving the boxes in the basement
But routine is all I've got to stand on
So I hung the lights like nothing changed

This is what December does
Counts the empty chairs like inventory
The coat stays on the hook beside the door
Every Christmas, I just lock the door a little earlier

The snow still falls the same
I watch it from the window
That blue coat in the corner of my eye