A lot of my poems are inspired by things that happen in my own life. I wrote this one while my wife was watching a football game with her sister and brother-in-law, and I was in the other room working on a poem. As they cheered at the TV, it made me think about how different people in the same family often want to watch completely different things.

That reminded me that many families wait until Christmas to make big purchases—like a brand-new TV—and that sometimes, instead of bringing everyone together, it can create a whole new set of arguments. Football? Parades? Christmas cartoons? A holiday movie? Everyone has a favorite.

I started wondering what might happen if nobody could agree on what to watch on their shiny new television. That little idea was enough to spark this poem.

Our Brand-New TV

For Christmas, our gift was a brand-new TV.

My sister said, “We should all watch the parade.”

My brother said, “Let’s watch a Christmas cartoon!”

We squabbled and fought over what we should see

And meanwhile, our dog, who did not get a vote,

The TV’s now stuck from the way that he chewed.

And, strangely, we all liked his channel much better.

— Kenn Nesbitt