And So This is Christmas: A festive, funny poetry collection. The perfect Christmas gift or stocking filler!

by Brian Bilston

It’s that time of year again . . .

With his signature wit, Brian Bilston returns with And So This is Christmas, fifty-one poems in celebration of the festive from bizarre family traditions to the office Christmas party; from voting day for turkeys to the impossible art of gift-giving.

So hang your stockings, grab your mistletoe and curl up with this heart-warming collection of Christmas crackers.

Genres: Poetry, Christmas, Humor, Audiobook, Fiction, Book Club, Collections

Audible Audio

Published October 12, 2023

About the author

Brian Bilston is a poet whose work has been shared widely on social media over the last few years. He has been described as the 'unofficial Poet Laureate of Twitter'.

Reviews

[Fern A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve kept seeing this book appearing in various places and have been hoping to manage to get hold of a copy to have a read. Today was the day and it was brilliant. Funny poems that made me laugh out loud at times and that often had quite a meaningful point underneath them. I think reading this each year will become a new tradition. Perfect for snatching back some moments of calm in amongst all the busyness of the season. 2025 new year resolution- read more Brian Bilston poems!

[Abbie Toria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humorous and witty collection of poems about the holidays.

[Amanda B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining festive poetry 🎄

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these! Had the audiobook on in the background whilst I wrapped presents and I was thoroughly entertained.

It also helped to distract me from how much Christmas wrapping wrecks you body and soul- I almost forgot how much my back was breaking, how much sellotape I had wrapped myself in, I forgot about the paper cuts and wrapping paper nightmares for an hour whilst I listened. Can you tell I love wrapping?! (Help meeee).

One more pile of presents to wrap and another audiobook lined up. Hopefully I’ll get through.

On another note, I need to buy this book as a physical copy for next year as I’d love the physical format after listening to the audio. Note to self for next Christmas!

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

And So This is Christmas is a collection of poems, some humorous, some touching, and some bizarre, but enjoyable. I listened first, then read them from the ebook as I didn't quite get the full impact of his words just listening to them. I had never heard of Brian Billston and apparently he is the poet laureate of twitter, so you will find his poems on there if you want to look for them. Being British, I didn't fully grasp the meaning of all of them, but overall, I enjoyed this cheeky little book.

[James Surprenant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Festive and funny and right on time for the Xmas season.

[Jamie Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb collection of poems based around Christmas, some funny, some poignant but all entertaining.

[Shannon (booksbyshannon) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Festive and funny.

*gifted by bookbreakuk*

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of Christmas poems. Some are funny, some a little strange and some made me cry.

[Jade Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few really good ones but the rest were kind of a miss for me.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of seeing and listening to Brian Bilston read earlier this year. Funny, poignant, brilliant.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! I laughed out loud at some of the poems and made my family listen to me reading some out loud. I really enjoyed this book.

[Kirsten Oetting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant!

[Steph Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across Brian Bilston’s poetry on social media a few years ago and instantly became an avid follower – I love his humour and creativity in capturing the quirks and absurdities of modern life.

This collection contains fifty-one poems, all based around seasonal themes, and makes an excellent introduction to his work (and a perfect stocking filler, of course!)

You will find parodies of classic Christmas songs, word pictures of falling snow and pine needles, a countdown of haikus, satires of capitalist ‘traditions’ and a clever parody of Prufrock, plus much more. I wanted to pick a favourite poem or two to highlight for you in this review, but I honestly couldn’t choose – they are all superb!

Brian Bilston’s sharp yet warm wit and his joyful genius with wordplay completely resonates with me and reading these poems before bed each night in the run-up to Christmas really put me in the festive spirit of a classic British Christmas – crackers, socks, sprouts, and gathering with the family to watch repeats on the telly. I can’t wait!

Get this book for your Secret Santa, or as a stocking filler, or just as a little treat for yourself to indulge in with nibbles and sherry and too many mince pies.

And have yourself a merry little Christmas (book of poems)!

[D.A. Fellows · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 stars. I’m not an audiobook kinda guy, and I wish I’d been able to obtain a print copy. Something went wrong at the library and I ended up basically forced into getting the audio version, if I wanted to “read” it at Christmastime, which of course I did. I actually enjoyed it. It helps that it’s read by the author himself, so that he can knowingly inject just the proper amount of sarcasm in the right places! The poetry isn’t Shakespeare and isn’t intended to be. The level here is more along the lines of: “and what the hell even was stupid myrrh anyway?” but there are one or two surprisingly clever pieces. It’s short: the total audio length was 58 minutes, but having listened to it, I would consider getting it in print to enjoy again in future years.

[Pallavi Shukla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The collection of poems in the anthology "And So This Is Christmas" is of 51 poems, and it asks the reader to pause on the festive day at the first of November until the twelfth of Christmas. The poems are light-minded and humorous, and at the same time they are deep and thought-provoking that gives the reader a rich and colorful experience of the season. All the poems are unique and one can immerse into the spirit of a holiday!

The collection is an equal mix of songs to laugh at and those that go to the heart, so it is very entertaining and thought-provoking. The anthology of Brian Billstad encompasses such aspects of office parties and family get-together as the peccadilos of the gift-give and even of the turkey voting. This combination brings out the ordinary nature of the holidays, and it makes reading it a pleasure!

The poetry of Billston is an ideal fit on a smaller scale, and the poems may be discovered in his Twitter feed. It is the perfect book to read over a warm Christmas and will serve as a nice tool to keep in the pocket even many years later. It is also a good Christmas gift since it comes in a collection of Christmas poem and friends and relatives can share the Christmas poetry.ives can share the Christmas poetry!

[Cidney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite like Brian Bilston whether he has anything to do with Bilston I'll never know, well I know that town well. Festive and funny sums up this book:

"Should old and quaint tents be forgot
And never broaden minds
Should old and quaint tents be forgot
In the days of old land signs

For old landslides my dear
For old landslides
We'll drink a cup of wine or Becks
For the sake of old landslides" .......

Well I thought this poem was funny, there's another four verses if you fancy reading them!

[Colin Murtagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Brian Bilston collection, but quite a short one this time. Running to just 51 poems, all on the topic of Christmas. If you've read Bilston before you'll know what to expect, some funny poems, some really heartfelt poems, and some that just play with the form. A poem in the shape of a Christmas tree, or a poem in the form of an Excel spreadsheet.
This may be quite a small collection, but given the subject matter, that's probably no bad thing. Even an old Grinch like me managed to enjoy it

[Beachcomber · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short collection of Christmas-themed poems. Some are based on famous songs or poems, but not as many as I was expecting from the title (seasonally adjusted poems - suggesting they were something else before). A few really good ones like the dysfunctional family games ones, several nice ones and a few so so. Poetry can be tough, not all are going to be stand out winners like the book of stamps one, I know!

[Karen Mace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this, read by the author!

This was a really fun and festive listen! I do prefer poetry being read to me, so this was the perfect way to enjoy it as I wrote Christmas cards! Anyone who can make a poem using Nik Kershaw song titles is fine by me!!

he covers all aspects of the festive traditions that really resonate with you and puts a smile on your face while doing it!

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Brian Bilston has taken regular poems and rhymes and gives them a Christmas twist. Some topics covered are bizarre family traditions to the office Christmas party; from voting day for turkeys to the impossible art of gift-giving. This is a fun read that will help you smile and laugh as the Holiday chores start to pile up and overwhelm you. A great gift.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several of these made me chuckle. I mainly tried to read them at around the right date but decided not to wait until New Year or twelfth night to finish them. So here I sit surrounded by Christmas decorations and the like smiling to myself as I consider whether reading these is going to become a new Christmas tradition.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these poems are visual and need to be seen. I really liked the poem called "Needles." Some are very clever and funny. Others were just kind of meh for me. I listened to the audio, too. That worked well on some of the poems. Others were better to be read without the narrative.

EBN Challenge - A title with sea, see, or C.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great overall. Some fun ones, but far too many were just meh for me. Worst of all, were the “how is that even a poem?” poems. A few random line breaks in a chunk of prose without any obvious rhyme or rhythm do not mean it’s a poem in my book.

The best thing I can say about this book is it made me feel better about my own writing.

[allie english · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of Christmas poetry from the "Poet Laureate of Twitter" Brian Bilston.
Perfect for a quick cosy Christmas read for this year and all years to come.
As it's a Christmas collection, could be a great little gift to share some festive poetry this year!

[Felicity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this for Christmas from my boyfriend and loved reading through this collection. Some were hilarious and others were playing on well known songs and a few were more serious. I enjoyed all of them.

An excellent and approachable collection to read at Christmas and at other times of year.

[Karri Hoopes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun Bilston collection! I'm so glad I found his work! I love fun, uplifting poetry and poetry that fits conventional rhythm and form--some of that here--as well as poetry that is visual and free-form.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first poetry collection I actually enjoyed reading! I loved the clever and humorous takes on classic Christmas songs and tales, and the satirical poems about how Christmas can be just as much of a bad time as it is a merry one.

[Brenda Ramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Holidays Reimagined

This book makes me want to write poetry. In fact, I started after reading this book. But it turns out that it is harder than it looks! These poems are delightful.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ‘ve seen and enjoyed a few of Bilston’s poems on social media. This is tbe first book by him I’ve read, and I really enjoyed his humor and creativity. Some of the poems were previously published, all are on the theme of the Christmas holiday season to New Years. He’s British, so some traditions aren’t as familiar to me as an American, but that didn’t meaningfully affect my enjoyment. The poems are highly accessible, and occasionally read more like flash essays. A fun book.

Looking forward to reading more of Bilston’s work.