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Christmas Poems
Christmas is both a holiday and a holy day, and from the start it has been associated with poetry, from the song of the seraphim above the manger to the cherished carols around the punch bowl. This garland of Christmas poems contains not only the ones you would insist on finding here ("A Visit from St. Nicholas," "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming," and "The Twelve Days of Christmas" among them) but such equally enchanting though lesser-known Yuletide treasures as Emily Dickinson's "The Savior must have been a docile Gentleman," Anthony Hecht's "Christmas Is Coming," Rudyard Kipling's "Christmas in India," Langston Hughes's "Shepherd's Song at Christmas," Robert Graves's "The Christmas Robin," and happy surprises like Phyllis McGinley's "Office Party," Dorothy Parker's "The Maid-Servant at the Inn," and Philip Larkin's "New Year Poem."
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 26, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
December 6, 2017
Not all for me, but an enjoyable read.
December 15, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
3.5
A few real treasures in here 🥰
This will be something I happily flick through each year at Christmastime to feel festive and cozy.
3.5
A few real treasures in here 🥰
This will be something I happily flick through each year at Christmastime to feel festive and cozy.
January 26, 2023
I had so much fun reading these poems aloud by the fire--- to the cat! There's such a great mixture of old and new, serious and funny, religious and secular. I found a new-to-me poet to love: John Heath-Stubbs. This was the verse that resonated:
Shepherds, I sing you this winter’s night
Our Hope new-planted, the womb’d, the buried Seed:
For a strange Star has fallen, to blossom from a tomb,
And infinite Godhead circumscribed hangs helpless at the breast.
There are pages and pages of delightful verse, best taken in small doses to savor and enjoy throughout the Christmas season. I love the Everyman's Pocket Poetry books; they are so well designed and inviting. I bought one for myself and tucked another in my daughter-in-law's stocking. I hope she will enjoy it as much as I did.
Shepherds, I sing you this winter’s night
Our Hope new-planted, the womb’d, the buried Seed:
For a strange Star has fallen, to blossom from a tomb,
And infinite Godhead circumscribed hangs helpless at the breast.
There are pages and pages of delightful verse, best taken in small doses to savor and enjoy throughout the Christmas season. I love the Everyman's Pocket Poetry books; they are so well designed and inviting. I bought one for myself and tucked another in my daughter-in-law's stocking. I hope she will enjoy it as much as I did.
December 12, 2015
Quite a lot of poems to get you in the festive mood! Not all my cup of tea, but overall, pretty good.
December 21, 2018
This volume contains "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity," which may be the greatest devotional lyric written in English, and it also contains a bit of rhythmic idiocy by Edward Guest. Breadth of scope is, I suppose, a virtue. (Americans in general do not show up well in this volume. We've got Eliot, who expatriated, Guest, an idiot, and William Carlos Williams, to whom the Christmas Spirit is an acquired taste which he chose not to acquire.)
There are all the poems you'd expect, and quite a few unexpected ones, some of which are fun and some of which are moving. The selection of hymns-- with their unfamiliar verses thrown in-- and anonymous carols is nice.
It also has that great virtue of the good anthology: the introduction of poets you might not have experienced before. The new-guys-to-look for for me in here are De la Mare (whose "The Listeners" is everywhere, and whose "Christmas Eve" makes him two-for-two in my experience) and WS Merwin. Observe:
All gifts are nothing:
What is frankincese
Where all sweetness is?
We that were followers
In the night's confusion
Kneel and forget our feet
Who the cold way came.
There are all the poems you'd expect, and quite a few unexpected ones, some of which are fun and some of which are moving. The selection of hymns-- with their unfamiliar verses thrown in-- and anonymous carols is nice.
It also has that great virtue of the good anthology: the introduction of poets you might not have experienced before. The new-guys-to-look for for me in here are De la Mare (whose "The Listeners" is everywhere, and whose "Christmas Eve" makes him two-for-two in my experience) and WS Merwin. Observe:
All gifts are nothing:
What is frankincese
Where all sweetness is?
We that were followers
In the night's confusion
Kneel and forget our feet
Who the cold way came.
January 3, 2025
Ця книга ділиться на тематичні блоки:
📣 Annunciation and Advent
🌌 Christmas Eve
🤱 The Nativity
🎅 Christmastide
🎄 Meditations on Christmas
🧨 Chrisgtmas Crackers
💬 Christmas Ironies
🎵 Christmas Songs and Carols
🎁 After Christmas
Cпочатку мені було захопливо. Завдяки книзі Дарʼї Анцибор, я почала впізнавати різні різдвяні символи, про які раніше не задумувалася, до прикладу - змію. Але десь на розділі The Nativity стало трохи нуднувато, бо там були досить одноманітні перекази біблійних сюжетів. Але згодом знову стало веселіше, наприклад - зʼявилися досить сучасні вірші про офісні корпоративи 🥂 А розділ з піснями і колядками взагалі був дуже кайфовий, багато з чого впізнавалося.
В цій книзі є і вірш про Миколая (саме не про Санта Клауса, а про нашого Миколая!!), і поема, завдяки якій в попкультурі закріпилися імена Сантиних оленів, і ще багато чого.
Щодо авторів - це традиційно мікс англомовних чи перекладних поетів, ну і дрібка народних творів (якраз переважно колядки). Серед знайомих імен - Мільтон, Єйтс, Лонгфеллоу, Рільке, Вальтер Скотт, Стівенсон, Емілі Дікінсон, Теккерей, Кіплінг, тощо. Мою увагу привернуло прізвище Дей-Льюіс, і так я дізналася, що батько видатного актора - видатний поет.
Загалом збірка мені сподобалася, але не прям в захваті від неї. Я б не рекомендувала читати її від корки до корки, але відкривати на випадковій сторінці, щоб підкріпити різдвяний настрій - чому б і ні?
Більше відгуків: https://t.me/kseniia_reads
📣 Annunciation and Advent
🌌 Christmas Eve
🤱 The Nativity
🎅 Christmastide
🎄 Meditations on Christmas
🧨 Chrisgtmas Crackers
💬 Christmas Ironies
🎵 Christmas Songs and Carols
🎁 After Christmas
Cпочатку мені було захопливо. Завдяки книзі Дарʼї Анцибор, я почала впізнавати різні різдвяні символи, про які раніше не задумувалася, до прикладу - змію. Але десь на розділі The Nativity стало трохи нуднувато, бо там були досить одноманітні перекази біблійних сюжетів. Але згодом знову стало веселіше, наприклад - зʼявилися досить сучасні вірші про офісні корпоративи 🥂 А розділ з піснями і колядками взагалі був дуже кайфовий, багато з чого впізнавалося.
В цій книзі є і вірш про Миколая (саме не про Санта Клауса, а про нашого Миколая!!), і поема, завдяки якій в попкультурі закріпилися імена Сантиних оленів, і ще багато чого.
Щодо авторів - це традиційно мікс англомовних чи перекладних поетів, ну і дрібка народних творів (якраз переважно колядки). Серед знайомих імен - Мільтон, Єйтс, Лонгфеллоу, Рільке, Вальтер Скотт, Стівенсон, Емілі Дікінсон, Теккерей, Кіплінг, тощо. Мою увагу привернуло прізвище Дей-Льюіс, і так я дізналася, що батько видатного актора - видатний поет.
Загалом збірка мені сподобалася, але не прям в захваті від неї. Я б не рекомендувала читати її від корки до корки, але відкривати на випадковій сторінці, щоб підкріпити різдвяний настрій - чому б і ні?
Більше відгуків: https://t.me/kseniia_reads
December 28, 2017
I really like having the lyrics to Christmas carols on hand, but I didn't enjoy the poems. None really talked about the feeling of Christmas and the magic of the season. This is a good collection of religious Christmas poems, though.
December 20, 2021
I started this last Christmas season and finished it up this year. As with most collections of poetry, some I liked, some I did not, some I’m sure I didn’t understand. There is one whole section of Christmas war poems and they were quite interesting to read. Overall I’d certainly recommend it and I’ll probably read it again.
December 18, 2014
I didn't care for all the poems, but it was a great collection that helps get you in the Christmas mood:) The editors included the traditional Christmas songs in their poetry form, but also many many others and many by authors I had never read. They certainly gave me some unique perspectives on parts of the Christmas story that I hadn't thought of, so it was a delight to read.
November 27, 2018
I knew there would be a lot of religious poems, but I expected there to be more of the non-religious poems than there were based on the description. Still good. I love Christmas and I enjoy poetry so it worked.
August 5, 2023
This book is filled with Christmas Poems, most I know, some I didn't. It was a nice book to read through a page or two at a time. Here are a few that I never read before:
The Maid-servant At The Inn
“It's queer,” she said; “I see the light
As plain as I beheld it then,
All silver-like and calm and bright-
We've not had stars like that again!
“And she was such a gentle thing
To birth a baby in the cold.
The barn was dark and frightening-
This new one's better than the old.
“I mind my eyes were full of tears,
For I was young, and quick distressed,
But she was less than me in years
That held a son against her breast.
“I never saw a sweeter child-
The little one, the darling one!-
I mind I told her, when he smiled
You'd know he was his mother's son.
“It's queer that I should see them so-
The time they came to Bethlehem
Was more than thirty years ago;
I've prayed that all is well with them.”
by Dorothy Parker
Christmas in India
Dim dawn behind the tamerisks -- the sky is saffron-yellow --
As the women in the village grind the corn,
And the parrots seek the riverside, each calling to his fellow
That the Day, the staring Easter Day, is born.
O the white dust on the highway! O the stenches in the byway!
O the clammy fog that hovers over earth!
And at Home they're making merry 'neath the white and scarlet berry --
What part have India's exiles in their mirth?
Full day begind the tamarisks -- the sky is blue and staring --
As the cattle crawl afield beneath the yoke,
And they bear One o'er the field-path, who is past all hope or caring,
To the ghat below the curling wreaths of smoke.
Call on Rama, going slowly, as ye bear a brother lowly --
Call on Rama -- he may hear, perhaps, your voice!
With our hymn-books and our psalters we appeal to other altars,
And to-day we bid "good Christian men rejoice!"
High noon behind the tamarisks -- the sun is hot above us --
As at Home the Christmas Day is breaking wan.
They will drink our healths at dinner -- those who tell us how they love us,
And forget us till another year be gone!
Oh the toil that knows no breaking! Oh the Heimweh, ceaseless, aching!
Oh the black dividing Sea and alien Plain!
Youth was cheap -- wherefore we sold it.
Gold was good -- we hoped to hold it,
And to-day we know the fulness of our gain!
Grey dusk behind the tamarisks -- the parrots fly together --
As the sun is sinking slowly over Home;
And his last ray seems to mock us shackled in a lifelong tether.
That drags us back howe'er so far we roam.
Hard her service, poor her payment -- she in ancient, tattered raiment --
India, she the grim Stepmother of our kind.
If a year of life be lent her, if her temple's shrine we enter,
The door is shut -- we may not look behind.
Black night behind the tamarisks -- the owls begin their chorus --
As the conches from the temple scream and bray.
With the fruitless years behind us and the hopeless years before us,
Let us honor, O my brother, Christmas Day!
Call a truce, then, to our labours -- let us feast with friends and neighbours,
And be merry as the custom of our caste;
For, if "faint and forced the laughter," and if sadness follow after,
We are richer by one mocking Christmas past.
- Rudyard Kipling
The Maid-servant At The Inn
“It's queer,” she said; “I see the light
As plain as I beheld it then,
All silver-like and calm and bright-
We've not had stars like that again!
“And she was such a gentle thing
To birth a baby in the cold.
The barn was dark and frightening-
This new one's better than the old.
“I mind my eyes were full of tears,
For I was young, and quick distressed,
But she was less than me in years
That held a son against her breast.
“I never saw a sweeter child-
The little one, the darling one!-
I mind I told her, when he smiled
You'd know he was his mother's son.
“It's queer that I should see them so-
The time they came to Bethlehem
Was more than thirty years ago;
I've prayed that all is well with them.”
by Dorothy Parker
Christmas in India
Dim dawn behind the tamerisks -- the sky is saffron-yellow --
As the women in the village grind the corn,
And the parrots seek the riverside, each calling to his fellow
That the Day, the staring Easter Day, is born.
O the white dust on the highway! O the stenches in the byway!
O the clammy fog that hovers over earth!
And at Home they're making merry 'neath the white and scarlet berry --
What part have India's exiles in their mirth?
Full day begind the tamarisks -- the sky is blue and staring --
As the cattle crawl afield beneath the yoke,
And they bear One o'er the field-path, who is past all hope or caring,
To the ghat below the curling wreaths of smoke.
Call on Rama, going slowly, as ye bear a brother lowly --
Call on Rama -- he may hear, perhaps, your voice!
With our hymn-books and our psalters we appeal to other altars,
And to-day we bid "good Christian men rejoice!"
High noon behind the tamarisks -- the sun is hot above us --
As at Home the Christmas Day is breaking wan.
They will drink our healths at dinner -- those who tell us how they love us,
And forget us till another year be gone!
Oh the toil that knows no breaking! Oh the Heimweh, ceaseless, aching!
Oh the black dividing Sea and alien Plain!
Youth was cheap -- wherefore we sold it.
Gold was good -- we hoped to hold it,
And to-day we know the fulness of our gain!
Grey dusk behind the tamarisks -- the parrots fly together --
As the sun is sinking slowly over Home;
And his last ray seems to mock us shackled in a lifelong tether.
That drags us back howe'er so far we roam.
Hard her service, poor her payment -- she in ancient, tattered raiment --
India, she the grim Stepmother of our kind.
If a year of life be lent her, if her temple's shrine we enter,
The door is shut -- we may not look behind.
Black night behind the tamarisks -- the owls begin their chorus --
As the conches from the temple scream and bray.
With the fruitless years behind us and the hopeless years before us,
Let us honor, O my brother, Christmas Day!
Call a truce, then, to our labours -- let us feast with friends and neighbours,
And be merry as the custom of our caste;
For, if "faint and forced the laughter," and if sadness follow after,
We are richer by one mocking Christmas past.
- Rudyard Kipling
December 24, 2025
“But father, havin’ been a boy hisself, suspicions me || When, jest ‘fore Christmas, I’m as good as I kin be!” (p. 35)
What a range of Christmas poems! From Dorthy Parker to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to Sir Walter Scott to Emily Dickenson to Thomas Hardy to Robert Louis Stevenson. I didn’t even know Robert Louis Stevenson wrote poetry. And, yet, his poem was my favorite in the collection.
“And well I knew the talk they had, the talk that was of me, || Of the shadow on the household and the son that went to sea; || And O the wicked fool I seemed, in every kind of way, || To be here and hauling frozen ropes on blessed Christmas Day.” (p. 100)
The poems vary from well-known classics and songs (e.g., Clement Moore’s) to lesser-known works, some dating back many centuries. And they cover the time before Christmas to that after the holiday and even to New Year’s Day. There are also “Christmas Irony” poems, which juxtapose the holiday against the sadder, tragic parts of human civilization, such as poverty and war.
“And in despair I bowed my head; || ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said || ‘For hate is strong, || And mocks the song || Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’” (p. 150)
What a range of Christmas poems! From Dorthy Parker to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to Sir Walter Scott to Emily Dickenson to Thomas Hardy to Robert Louis Stevenson. I didn’t even know Robert Louis Stevenson wrote poetry. And, yet, his poem was my favorite in the collection.
“And well I knew the talk they had, the talk that was of me, || Of the shadow on the household and the son that went to sea; || And O the wicked fool I seemed, in every kind of way, || To be here and hauling frozen ropes on blessed Christmas Day.” (p. 100)
The poems vary from well-known classics and songs (e.g., Clement Moore’s) to lesser-known works, some dating back many centuries. And they cover the time before Christmas to that after the holiday and even to New Year’s Day. There are also “Christmas Irony” poems, which juxtapose the holiday against the sadder, tragic parts of human civilization, such as poverty and war.
“And in despair I bowed my head; || ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said || ‘For hate is strong, || And mocks the song || Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’” (p. 150)
December 27, 2017
It’s hard to imagine how such a fine collection of poets could produce such lackluster verse. There are major names here -- Tennyson, Yeates, Eliot, Dickinson, Hardy, Kipling, Longfellow, Milton, Donne, Hardy, etc. -- yet the entire collection is disjointed, which is a strange way to describe a book of topical poems. I can only conclude that Christmas (especially the Adoration tale) isn’t the most inspiring topic for great poetry. All the big names take a crack at it and miss -- sometimes wildly. The traditional carols, some of which are anonymous, are familiar from childhood (and endless holiday airplay), but read on the page like kitschy doggerel. Not even the inclusion of one of my favorite poets, Philip Larkin, can save this collection. I think next year I'll stick to prose narratives for my Christmas reading.
December 26, 2020
Organized chronologically from the annunciation and advent to after Christmas, this collection contains many of the classic verses that have been put to song over the years. However, I must confess that I was drawn more to the lesser known (to me) poems that had a more realistic, even darker message. These poems were found in the "Christmas Crackers" and "Christmas Ironies" sections. I also especially liked the poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, "Christmas at Sea."
December 30, 2022
A fabulous collection of Christmas poetry. Generally speaking, it leans more toward the serious and the classic poetry, rather than the lighthearted and the contemporary, which didn't make it the best choice as our Advent poetry book for Morning Time. (It's also quite lengthy, which didn't help.) Despite that, the girls (mostly) enjoyed it and I found it utterly delightful. Definitely recommended for anyone hoping to grow their seasonal poetry collection.
January 1, 2020
A lot more religious than I thought- which seems like I should have known. The section “After Christmas” was very relatable. Noteworthy poems included:
A Lullaby - Janet Lewis
Christmas at Sea - Robert Louis Stevenson
Christmas Robin- Robert Graves
(From) For The Time Being - W.H. Auden
Epiphany - Robert Fitzgerald
And a noteworthy poet was Phyllis McGinley.
A Lullaby - Janet Lewis
Christmas at Sea - Robert Louis Stevenson
Christmas Robin- Robert Graves
(From) For The Time Being - W.H. Auden
Epiphany - Robert Fitzgerald
And a noteworthy poet was Phyllis McGinley.
December 30, 2024
A nice little collection to read over the holiday season. I was a little surprised they chose Santa as the cover art since the majority of the poems were related to the nativity. Some poems I just read to be done with, but others required stopping to ponder at the word choice. One off the top of my head I loved was reading all the verses of O Little Town of Bethlehem.
November 10, 2025
A pleasant collection of Christmas poems with many favorites and carols included. There is a small section of somewhat darker/gloomier poems. That isn't something I am looking for in Christmas poetry, but I can see why it was included and I appreciate that it didn't take over the whole book. There were many more sacred poems than secular.
December 23, 2019
Really enjoy this collection, try to read through bit every year. A nice mix of poetry sectioned off into different themes for a nice flow. A lot of "big names" and the material is all accessible to a relative non-poetry reader such as myself.
December 28, 2021
A delightful trip down memory lane. Many favorite poems and songs. Don’t skip A Ships Christmas by Robert Louis Stevenson. Jest for Christmas will give you a chuckle. Loved-it, a great Christmas read.
January 2, 2018
Lovely collection of poems that really helps to set the right jolly christmas mood
February 14, 2018
I love Christmas and I like poetry but for me, this book was tedious
December 11, 2018
Heavy reliance on religious-based poetry. Was hoping more for “feelings of the season” along with a few religious poems instead. Not a bad collection overall though.
December 12, 2019
It's fine, but as far as poetry collections go it didn't wow me.
December 3, 2020
Some beautiful religious poems in there.
dnf
December 24, 2021As others have mentioned, there are a lot of religious poems in this collection. I'm not very religious these days, so this wasn't quite for me.
January 3, 2022
Didn’t get to it until well into the 12 days of Christmas. Some traditional favorites, many that were new to me, and just a few cheeky modern ones.
December 27, 2023
Brightens long evenings. Delightful!
December 18, 2024
A few gems.
December 27, 2024
I really enjoyed reading this book through the month of December. It was a good mix for me of familiar and unfamiliar poetry.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews