itsawonderfilledlife

As the Christmas season moves forward, our mailboxes provide delightful posts of encouragement, reconnection and well wishes with cards, letters and photos. I especially love the humorous one!

I have the habit of sending mine out the week after Christmas …

Some years it was a card, some an update letter and now it is usually a family photo card … every second year.

Today’s guest post (Linda Ann Nickerson) is one I discovered when looking for Christmas poems. It is The Top 10 Famous Poems for Christmas Cards, and I am certain that many, if not most you have heard or read before.

The list caught my eye because I was certain that my most favorite of poems (Christmas focused or not) would be included in the list, and it was!

Just leave me a note here, or on Facebook as to which poem you think is my favorite, and maybe tell me if one of them is a favorite of yours too.

“To many folks, Christmas poems may be the most memorable verses of the entire year. These treasured verses do echo annually through our Christmas picture books and holiday greetings.

Here are our top 10 favorite famous Christmas poems for use in Christmas cards.

These famous Christmas poems include both lighthearted and lingering verse, but all are appropriate for holiday greetings. Readers may recognize some of these verses from traditional Christmas carols, as many of the most famous Christmas poems have been set to music over the years.

Favorite famous Christmas poems (or excerpts, in some cases) are listed here in alphabetical order (by author).

The Holy Night

We sate among the stalls at Bethlehem;
The dumb kine from their fodder turning them,
Softened their horned faces
To almost human gazes
Toward the newly Born:
The simple shepherds from the star-lit brooks
Brought their visionary looks,
As yet in their astonied hearing rung
The strange sweet angel-tonge:
The magi of the East, in sandals worn,
Knelt reverent, sweeping round,
With long pale beards, their gifts upon the ground,
The incense, myrrh, and gold
These baby hands were impotent to hold:
So let all earthlies and celestials wait
Upon thy royal state.
Sleep, sleep, my kingly One!

Elizabeth Barrett Browning
British Poetess
(1806 – 1861)

Some Children See Him

Some children see Him lily white,
the infant Jesus born this night.
Some children see Him lily white
with tresses soft and fair.

Some children see Him bronzed and brown,
the Lord of heav’n to earth come down.
Some children see Him bronzed and brown
with dark and heavy hair.

Some children see Him almond-eyed,
This Saviour whom we kneel beside.
Some children see Him almond-eyed
With skin of yellow hue.

Some children see Him dark as they,
Sweet Mary’s Son to whom we pray.
Some children see Him dark as they
And, ah, they love Him so.

The children in each different place
Will see the Baby Jesus’ face
Like theirs but bright with heav’nly grace
And filled with holy light.

O lay aside each earthly thing
and with thy heart as offering
Come worship now the infant King
‘Tis love that’s born tonight!”

Alfred Burt
American Composer
(1920 -1954)

The Christ-Child

“The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world’s desire.)

The Christ-child stood on Mary’s knee,
His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.”

Gilbert K. Chesterton
British Author
(1874 – 1936)

Before the Ice

“Before the ice is in the pools,
Before the skaters go,
Or any cheek at nightfall
Is tarnished by the snow,
Before the fields have finished,
Before the Christmas tree,
Wonder upon wonder
Will arrive to me!”

Emily Dickinson
American Poetess
(1830 – 1886)

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet the words repeat,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had roll’d along th’ unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bow’d 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.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.

‘Til ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
American Author
(1807- 1882)

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

“‘Twas the night before Christmas,
when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring,
not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
‘Now, Dasher! now, Dancer!
now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch!
to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!’

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes – how they twinkled!
his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses,
his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle,
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.'”

Clement Moore
American Author
(1779 – 1863)

Peace on Earth

“Peace on earth will come to stay,
When we live Christmas every day.”

Helen Steiner Rice
American Poetess
(1900 – 1981)

Love Came Down

“Love came down at Christmas;
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Stars and angels gave the sign.”

Christina G. Rossetti
British Poetess
(1830-1894)

Heap on the Wood

“Heap on the wood.
The wind is chill;
But let it whistle as it will,
We’ll keep our Christmas merry still.”

Sir Walter Scott
Scottish Author
(1771 – 1832)

A Christmas Prayer

“Loving Father,
help us to remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and the worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and
open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and
good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing
which Christ brings, and teach us to
be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy
to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening
bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.”

Robert Louis Stevenson
American Author
(1850 – 1894)”

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