Top 10 christmas poems
We were shocked that it is difficult to find good poems about Christmas. This is much more difficult on the internet than you might thing. It’s a little shocking, but we decided to put together a list of the Top 10 Christmas Poems of all time.
These are all classic poems, only a few come from the modern era.
A Visit from St. Nicholas
by Clement Clarke Moore
Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas is by far the most famous poem on this list. It maybe one of the most famous poems ever written, and it is read by many to their families every Christmas. Also know as T’was the Night Before Christmas, thanks to the first line of the poem, the verse helped to create the image of Santa Claus and helped solidify the practice of St. Nick putting presents under the tree.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost
Though the poem does not directly reference Christmas, like many of the others on this list, it is certainly a historically famous poem that sets the winter scene. It’s not always connected to Christmas, and some have said that it may be about suicide, but on it’s surface the poem paints a winter scene better than any other. It’s wonderful and certainly worth a read in the days leading up to the holiday.
Christmas Bells
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Longfellow was the superstar of American poetry in the 1800s, and he help set the stage of Christmas with this poem. The poem is about good over coming evil at Christmas, and of course it’s full of all the verse and meter that Longfellow was famous for.
Christmas Carol
BY SARA TEASDALE
Teasdale’s Christmas Carol is one of those poems, and there are many, that is a basic and quick retelling of the first Christmas. It is a wonderful and short poem with great verse.
Wartime Christmas
Joyce Kilmer
Like most of Kilmer’s poems, Wartime Christmas is close to the sadness of war, with hope in it. It’s short, and worth a read at Christmas. The poem is certainly historic.
[little tree]
by ee cummings
Little Tree is by the great modern poet ee cummings. The poem is a little unusual in the type of heart it displays from a poet who is usually more cynical than ernest when it comes to matters like this. The poem is fun and worth a read.
The Snow Man
by Wallace Stevens
A wonderful poem about winter and a snowman. This poem is exactly what a lot of people looking for when they think of the Holiday Season.
Winter Trees
by William Carlos Williams
Winter Trees is a short wonderful little poem about winter. Again, it captures much of what the season is about.
Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind
by William Shakespeare
We had to get our Shakespeare in! This is a wonderful little verse about the cold and joy of winter. It’s a fun read.
Eric Sander Kingston says
The Christmas Heart of Childhood & Santa’s Letter
In a town made of wishes, gold prayer, and star dreams,
With diamond lined skies and silver leaf trees,
The children of Light, shine bright in this town.
It’s where the childhood spirit of Christmas resounds.
At the center of town, by the light of each prayer,
The childhood Heart of all Christmas beams clear.
It beams and It shines through these children of Light,
From their spirits of hope, glow the world’s purest Light.
So let us begin, the introduction is through,
What was once passed to me, I now pass unto you.
This story of Christmas, Its Heart, and Its Way,
And the children of Light who beam out their rays.
There once was a Prince, who reigned in this town.
He guarded the Heart of this Christmas compound.
The Prince took a vow, to keep safe from the Night,
The Heart that gave these children prayers of good Light.
What shined from this Heart was the Sun’s golden kiss,
And each child of Light was blessed with this gift.
The heart gave to the children a young Light of gold.
Then they sent the worlds children dreams for their souls.
The Heart held the essence of young hope & good prayer.
Should it be lost, something of us is not there.
And as long as the Heart was held by the Light,
The Shadow would stayed lost deep in the night.
For the Shadow was Doubt, and Worry, and Fear,
That longed for the Heart and children’s bright prayers,
To keep as Its own, from the Sun’s golden Light.
So the Prince had to guard the Heart
With all the faith of His might.
But deep one fall season when the Prince wasn’t fast.
He did not keep focused on the one Light that lasts.
And playing one day, with the Heart on Hope’s hill,
He spied the first time, the Shadow of ills.
The Shadow came clever, quick and smart keen,
With a glint in its eye and a false smile that beamed.
It reached a thin hand, and said a hello,
Saying, “Stay for awhile—there’s tricks I will show”
“There’s plenty of time left to the day,
And ages of mischief we’ll find in the shade.
You seem a bright Prince and sworn to Your cause,
But the knowledge of shadows is outside of Your law”
The Prince returned a hello and started to play,
Running through fields even farther from day.
Down by rivers of Saint Thomas and Nick.
Then past the Light’s Garden—and into the thick.
Over mountains of iron, into rivers of time,
Into places where even words cannot rhyme.
They went up past the brambles and over the snow.
Then down to Night’s valley to the Shadows stone home.
But darker and darker the Sun soon did fall,
And the Shadow of Night made one final call.
When the Prince finally rested at the end of the day,
Shadow took the young Heart and floated away.
Then Night descended, and the Shadow was gone.
For the Night’s where the Shadow’s power is strong,
And the Prince awoke lost in the cobbles and stone
Crying, “Where is the Heart?” Lost and alone!!!”
Then deep in the distance he spied Its bright shine,
Held by the Shadow who disappeared to the sky,
And rose up like a cloud of gray gasses and tears.
Then the bright Heart of Christmas—was no longer there.
And for the first time, the Prince felt in his days,
A tired old feeling that would not go away.
All through the night, he walked back to Light’s shore,
But the Sun was not shining as It shined once before.
And when he returned,
The children knew what was done.
For none of them could find one droplet of fun:
They looked through their boxes, and places, and toys,
They searched for their laughter with trumpets and noise
But nothing would work without the Hearts sacred glow,
And the Prince, he started at once to grow old.
He staggered and stumbled and fell to the ground,
And he said with a cry, “The Heart must be found!”
Then, he was carried away on blue bedding and silk,
While those still of young Light carried out his new will.
They gathered together the strongest and brave
To seek out to the Light from Shadow and Shade.
Each child was Knighted and sworn to their quest,
This was the act that defined the bravest and best.
For the Heart of the Light was the most sacred of pearls:t
They knew the effect it would have if lost in the world.
And soon in each place, inside every town,
The smiles of children were hard to be found.
Children grew sour, for Sweetness was ill,
And Faith had gone looking far out in the hills.
Then Summer and Laughter melted from tears,
And each day that passed equaled a year.
And things got much worse with each passing day.
Then, letters to Santa—faded away.
But deep in the poles, past all the of the woods,
Past rivers and mountains, to the snows of pure good,
Faith’s Light of passion found Santa’s kind grace, but
When Santa saw Faith, he said,
“Something’s misplaced!”
For all the world’s children were now losing their glows.
Then a dusty shade sadness covered all the pure snows.
So Santa sent Knowing, the elf of the mind,
To find out what happened to give Sorrow this time.
Santa said, “Knowing, go see Christmas Town.
Something’s forgotten when Faith’s sadness abounds!
Gather the reindeer and suit up the sleigh.
For Christmas is soon—we must not delay!”
Now Shadow was well on his way to delight,
To give this great gift to the Darkness of Night.
He went to his child, before he went on his way,
But something was different in his child named Shade.
Shadow looked to the Heart, but what did he see?
The Light of the Heart no longer did beam.
The Heart faded from flame, to ember, to ash.
Soon everything good was moving into its past.
So Shadow returned to Christmas Town,
But no one was there, not even life’s Sound.
There was only the elf, Santa sent out to find:
The problem that Shadow now gave to mankind.
The elf said to Shadow, “I really do fear,
what you have broken cannot be repaired.
And you should have realized with unselfish ways
Even the Night, needs the Light of the day!”
Then Shadow went back to its child to care,
And felt for the first time, a need for bright prayer.
Shadow told Shade, the wrong that was done,
Saying, “No one can steal the Light of the Sun.”
Now, Christmas was only a few moments away,
But only Night’s sorrow seemed to come in and stay,
And all waited with Hope, through the dark of this night,
For a miracle of Faith to rekindle the Light.
So Santa sent Wisdom into Christmas town,
With a special present, and something else to be found.
When Wisdom arrived, all perked up and appeared,
Thinking,
“Maybe, he answered the dreams of our prayer!”
Then they rose brighter, as bright as the Star,
That once guided a journey of three kings from afar.
And the Prince, he looked upward, alone by his throne
Saying,
“I never should have let the Heart out of my throne.”
Then all gathered ‘round, but Santa’s gift did not shine.
It was more like a box, with just a letter inside.
Then they opened the letter and began to read,
A letter from Santa that would become their new creed.
“Dear Children,
I’ve written this letter to you,
To extend my good wishes to those who’ve stood true,
And to remind you of the wonders of this
Miraculous Night.
I’ll tell you of this, as I check my list twice.
It starts out with peace, and the prayers that we hold
Its beauty is timeless, more precious than gold:
It’s whispers, and wishes, and moonbeams, and stars,
It’s elves, and bright magic, and generous hearts,
It’s parents, and neighbors, and families that love,
It’s stocking, and trees, and presents dreamed of,
It’s filled with the magic of sleigh bells and song,
Bright candles of hope, and a love that beams strong.
But Christmas is more than toys and good cheer.
It is something that shines in the hearts of our prayers.
It’s a Light guiding brightly from a most sacred Star,
That says, “Never lose faith, whomever you are”
For the gold Light of Its youth, burns not from outside,
But shines from the depths of your hearts state of mind.
It’s a time to remember and a time to remind
That in the deepest of faiths—no shadow divides.
The Sun always shines, despite shadowy dreams.
It glows through all years, so choose to believe, that
All faiths have this glow, when their love understands,
That we get upon giving and lending our hand.
Now believe my dear Children, each boy and each girl,
The Light that’s within, unites each heart in the world,
And bonds us together whoever we be,
When we choose to shine bright, despite Shadows creed.
So goodnight one and all, good faith and good cheer.
My only regret is Christmas comes once a year.
Remember: the Light of the heart is within everyone,
Always have faith
And your light will always be young.
With Love and Elf Magic,
Santa Claus
Then within Santa’s letter, they finally could see,
It’s the heart that’s within you:
That’s where your love and faith needs to beam.
Then the children of light shone as never before,
And soon the whole world began to restore.
And all could see Shadows—aren’t created by night.
They only exist when we turn our backs to the light.
They come forth to teach us about what’s in our heart.
So we can see:
Even the shadows among us seek the Light that they are.
And Shadow and Shade? They too were transformed,
As the children of earth shone like never before.
So you can too, from my tale that’s now told.
Pass it on to your children before they grow old.
For this was my story with a bright Christmas glow.
You know the dreams of your youth are lighter than snow,
They shine like the Heavens to Light up the earth:
But the love in your heart that holds what your worth.
It’s the love in your heart that holds what your worth.
And the faith of that Light will transfigure our world.
Remember,
You don’t have to search for a heart of love:
You simple need to choose to have faith
—In the one—
You already (all ready) have.
By Eric Sander Kingston
An excerpt from my novel Tiny Tim’s Secret of Keeping Christmas All the Year Round: a Continuing Journey of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol