A Poem for Every Day of Christmas

by Allie Esiri

This stunning hardback gift book is the perfect pocket-sized stocking-filler for everyone on your list.

A Poem for Every Day of Christmas is a splendid collection of thirty-one poems, compiled by award-winning anthologist Allie Esiri, to take you through the month of December.

Perfect for reading aloud and sharing with friends and family, this book is the ideal companion for the holiday season. It features festive poems and carols by Brian Bilston, Robert Burns, Wendy Cope, T. S. Eliot, Christina Rossetti. E. E. Cummings, Dylan Thomas, Clement Clarke Moore and many more.

The day-to-day format of this fabulous and fun anthology invites you to make poetry a part of your festive season.

Genres: Poetry, Christmas, Ebooks

80 pages, Hardcover

Published September 23, 2025

Reviews

[Abbie Toria · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favourite Christmas book! You can't go wrong with a collection edited by Allie Esiri, and this is my favourite of hers so far.

[Magical bookcorner5 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just read this cute little book of festive poems/songs while having a coffee and a scone with jam and cream in Waterstones. Full of poems/ songs old and new. Got me in the festive mood. Btw gorgeous cover 🎄

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tried to pace myself and read one poem a day but, after a particularly awful day when I was in a bad mood, I started reading and I just kept going. I smiled, I cried, I laughed, I felt nostalgia, and most importantly, I felt Christmassy! What more can you ask from a short anthology?

This is staying on my shelves to be read every year at Christmas time.

[Siobhán Mc Laughlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bought this thinking - 'oh yay a lovely Christmas anthology of poems.'... To be sorely disappointed. Most of the 'poems' here are carols. Talk about a cheat filler!! Out of 31 poems, 3 were new to me, others boring and traditional meh; the majority Christmas carols. What a lazy, disappointing attempt at a Christmas anthology! Should've known better as I was not a fan of her previous anthologies either.

[Sw33t_heart89 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️little book of various poems and songs for Christmas 🎄 time

[Ainslie Wilson-Shearer · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day, we'll be able to give half stars properly on here... 3.5 ⭐

[Lenya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love seasonal non-fiction and this was a nice little read for the christmas time but 1/3 of the poems were christmas songs and reading lyrics is just not doing it for me

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I managed to read this one day at a time as was intended.

The collection is just right for the festive season and at one poem a day is easily achievable. Thoroughly enjoyed this and will be bringing it out every year. I might even buy the hardback, having read this on Kindle, there’s just something more special about a paper book and this one justifies a place on my over-stocked shelves.

Highly recommended

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little mince pie of a book, sweet and temporarily filling. I can see myself returning to the poems in this collection each Christmas.

[Stephanie Miceli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of Christmas poems to keep on your bedside table to read throughout the month of December.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few nice poems in this collection, but most of them were actually Christmas carols, which I thought was a bit of a cheat.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really lovely read and perfect for getting in the Christmas spirit especially from the beginning of December!
It contains 31 poems both old and new. My modern favourites were The Computer’s First Christmas Card by Edwin Morgan, Talking Turkeys by Benjamin Zephaniah, Motorway Music by Wendy Cope, Needles and On the Thirteenth Day by Brian Bilston!
I also loved reading some of the more traditional Christmas Carols like In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rosseti, The Holly and the Ivy, We Wish you a Merry Christmas, and Jingle Bells.
Highly recommended for families or anyone who wants to enjoy poetry at Christmas.
Thanks so much to Amanda at Moonflower books for my PDF copy

[Linda Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A festive anthology of 31 poems.

As I’m reviewing the hard back version of A Poem for Every Day of Christmas, I must mention the wonderful physical properties that make this little book an ideal gift or stocking filler. The red, gold and green slip cover shouts Christmas and the green, robust covers underneath feel traditional and special. Add in gold end papers and ivy line drawings on every page and this is a very special volume that readers will want to keep and return to year after year.

Inside the covers, the contents are equally good. I loved the index of poets and the index of first lines as they enable the reader to delve further into poetry, being a catalyst for further reading. I could easily see those first lines being used for the start of a game of consequences, or to stimulate creative writing too. Poems like Edwin Morgan’s The Computer’s First Christmas Card would be great for choral speaking and might stimulate debate about modern issues like AI so that, whilst I think A Poem for Every Day of Christmas is probably best enjoyed just for the sheer exuberance and joy of poetry in the home, I think it has great potential for classrooms too. Different rhyme schemes, poetic forms and styles all add to the possible uses of A Poem for Every Day of Christmas.

The poets range from traditional ones like Thomas Hardy and Christina Rossetti to more modern writers like Brian Bilston and Lemn Sissay so that not only is the volume a microcosm of literary history, but there really is a poem for every reader regardless of taste or preference. Whilst I read the 31 dated entries in order, albeit earlier than the December dates might suggest, I think it would be equally rewarding to dip in at random like opening a surprise Christmas gift too. This is an advent calendar of poetry that is accessible and engaging. It would make an ideal introduction to poems for reluctant readers too.

This gorgeous little volume of poetry is simply lovely. It is the perfect little gift book for any poetry lover or for anyone for whom you have no idea what to buy. However, I think it would be quite hard to give A Poem for Every Day of Christmas as a gift as you’re going to want to keep it for yourself. The only solution, I feel, is to buy several copies! I really recommend it.

[Becca ♡ PrettyLittleMemoirs · Rating 4 out of 5]

With 31 poems, one for every day of Christmas as the title foretells, you could easily unfold a poem each day as an advent sort of treat, but once I started flicking through the pages, I just couldn’t stop myself from unfurling day after day of Christmassy joy. We open with the traditional poem Christmas Is Coming, which sets the scene for the wistful feel of the book. I find a new favourite by Day Six when Little Tree by E. E. Cummings is displayed, inflicting a heartwarming lilt of vintage seasonal emotion—who found you in the green forest, and were you very sorry to come away?—before relatable rhymes from Wendy Cope with Motorway Music and familiar musical poetry in the form of Auld Lang Syne among others.

I really admire the poetry chosen for this book and think that each one evokes a different type of feeling, which in turn makes it perfect for almost any reader. I am a huge fan of anthologies, and it’s been a few years since I’ve read one that was festive, so it was really refreshing to get to dive into it this month and submerge myself fully, because I had really been struggling to get into the festive spirit this year, and this book most definitely gifted that feeling back to me—the book is a gift in itself, presented stunningly with shiny gold foiling, and would catch my eye in a bookshop immediately. In fact, it was already in my basket online before I was kindly offered the chance to read it!

Overall, A Poem For Every Day Of Christmas is nostalgia in a book, a cosy sweater in the middle of a bleak winter, and would make a perfect gift this Christmas season. I would be overjoyed if I got this as a present on Christmas Day. It shows just the right amount of festivity without being tacky, and can be read over and over again, year after year. It would be on the more pricey side considering it’s a very slim book with just seventy pages, but does make a sentimental and meaningful gift. I hadn’t heard of these little collections by Allie Esiri before now, but will definitely be looking to add more to my collection. I can see myself tucking into pages of this over the course of the end of December, holding onto one last page of Christmas magic.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of award-winning anthologist Allie Esiri's poetry collections, and have several of them nestled among the gems on my poetry shelf, so I was delighted to have a chance to read her brand new festive collection, A Poem for Every Day of Christmas.

This gorgeous little anthology contains a wealth of specially selected festive pieces chosen by Esiri to take you through every day of the month of December. There is something here to touch the heart of every reader, whether your tastes range from the work of contemporary poets like Brian Bilston, the witty delights of Wendy Cope (one of my absolute favourites), or more traditional traditional rhymes and prose by some of our best loved writers of days gone by (many of which have inspired Christmas songs that have become beloved fixtures of the Christmas season).

I think the most moving piece in this joyous gem is the timely Let There Be Peace by the amazing Lemn Sissay, which marks 13th December. It seems particularly apt given the chaotic state of the world at the moment, and if it does not leave you with a tear in your eye, I do not know what will...

There is nothing quite like beautiful poetry to touch your heart, and this delightful festive collection does that with ease. It is just lovely.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard about this book just over 12 months ago - then couldn’t get hold of a copy in time for Xmas ‘24.
Got a copy earlier this year & fortunately found it at the beginning of December!
It’s made me think I need to read more Wendy Cope - and it’s introduced me to John Greening who I’d not heard of before. I wasn’t at all impressed with her version of ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas, I assume she was getting round copyright laws. & some of the poems included, to my mind, are just trite!
However, it has made a pleasant distraction from the stress of the build up to Christmas!!!
My copy is probably going to the charity shop next week! Maybe I should’ve give in it 3 stars, not 4!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so enjoyed reading this little book that was given to me by a friend to ring in the season. The classic poems of Christmas are wonderful to read again and some of the newer ones are very funny. A delightful holiday gift (mine is the hardback.)

[Kirsty Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve really enjoyed this short book of Christmas poems to get me in a Christmas mood as I hadn’t been feeling it this year . It was just enough to read and my love for poetry , a lovely selection . I will have to look into the other poetry books .

[Susan Mansfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's okay. As others have said, there are quite a few Christmas carols - We Wish You A Merry Christmas makes an appearance, and although yes....they're not out of place obviously, I would've just preferred (what feels like) less filler.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great new poems to discover - a few days were traditional songs, which felt less exciting to me, but maybe would be more interesting to those who didn’t grow up in the UK singing them every year.

[Bernie Flynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely little pre Christmas treat…

[LudmilaM · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Cristiana Marques · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very cute Christmas poetry collection 🎄 I appreciated it a lot and enjoyed myself thoroughly while reading each poem. I recommend to everyone who needs something different this holiday!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Handy little book with a poem for every day in December. A good balance between the well-known and the less familiar

[Jilly (living through literature) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of festive poems.

[skye]

cute, new annual book i think

[Jo_Scho_Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A gorgeous little handbag size anthology to read over the festive period. There’s a poem for every day of December and it’s the ideal book to get you in the mood for Christmas.

[Rhys Causon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly fine mixture of traditional poems/carols and new poetry.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited to get this collections of poems, but wound up disappointed. There are a few poems I enjoyed in it. Many others are famous Christmas carols which made me feel kind of cheated.

[laurau · Rating 2 out of 5]

underwhelming tbh