Christmas Poems

These short and long poems are an assortment from famous and anonymous poets for family, friends and children.

Poetry books lying under Christmas tree

                     SHORT CHRISTMAS POEMS FOR CHILDREN

The Day Before Christmas

We have been helping with the cake,
And licking out the pan,
And wrapping up our packages,
As neatly as we can.
We have hung our stockings up,
Beside the open grate.
And now there’s nothing more to do,
Except
To
Wait.

I’m a little Snowman
~ Anon  

I’m a little snowman short and fat,
Here is my scarf and here is my hat.
When I see the snowfall,
Hear me shout
“All you children please come out!”

Christmas
~Anon

With all the children, far and near,

Today we'll sing a song of cheer!

To rosy lips and eyes, so merry,

We'll all kiss under the holly berry;

And for the sake of the small and gay

                                             We'll be children also for to-day. 

I’m a Little Snowman (Variation)
~Anon

I’m a little snowman round and fat,
Here are my mittens,
Here is my hat.
Add a little scarf and a carrot nose,
I stand so tall when the cold wind blows.

    

                                   I’ve Been Waiting for Christmas 
                                                               ~ Anon 

I’ve been waiting for Christmas,
And it’s almost here.
I’ve been waiting for Christmas,
Santa’s getting near. 

Can’t you hear the sleigh bells ringing?
Reindeer up so high.
Can’t you hear the children singing,
As they watch the sky?

The Funniest Face 
~ Anon 

The funniest face
looked out at me
From a silver ball
On the Christmas Tree! 

At first I thought
It was Santa’s elf,
But I looked again and
It was just myself!

Christmas Is Coming 
~ Anon 

Christmas is coming,
the geese are getting fat,
Please to put a penny in an old man’s hat;
If you haven’t got a penny a ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny, God bless you.

The Grinch (exerpt) 
~ Dr Seuss 

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?
It came without ribbons. It came without tags.
It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store?
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?

 

Once Their Was a Snowman 
~ Anon 

Once there was a snowman,
Who stood outside the door,
He wished that he could come inside,
And run about the floor.
He wished that he could warm himself,
Beside the fire, so red,
He wished that he could climb
Upon the big white bed. 

So he called to the North Wind,
“Come and help me, pray,
For I’m completely frozen,
Standing here all day.”
So the North Wind came along,
And blew him in the door,
And now there nothing left,
But a puddle on the floor!

 Christmas Day

By George MacDonald

Star high,

Baby low:

'Twixt the two

Wise men go;

Find the baby,

Grasp the star--

Heirs of all things

Near and far! 

When Santa Claus Comes

~ Anon 

A good time is coming, I wish it were here,
The very best time in the whole of the year;
I’m counting each day on my fingers and thumbs,
the weeks that must pass before Santa Claus comes. 

Then when the first snowflakes begin to come down,
And the wind whistles sharp and the branches are brown,
I’ll not mind the cold, though my fingers it numbs,
For it brings the time nearer when Santa Claus comes.

A Catch by the Hearth 

~ Traditional English 

Sing we all merrily
Christmas is here,
The day that we love best
Of the days in the year. 

Bring forth the holly,
The box, and the bay,
Deck out our cottage
For glad Christmas-day. 

Sing we all merrily
Draw around the fire,
Sister and brother,
Grandsire, and sire.

Jingle Bells

~ James Lord Pierpont 

Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way!
O what fun it is to ride
On a one-horse open sleigh
Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way!
O what fun it is to ride
On a one-horse open sleigh 

Dashing through the snow
On a one-horse open sleigh
Over fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bob-tails ring
Keeping spirits bright
Oh What fun it is to sing
A sleighing song tonight

Christmas Bells

by Eugene Field

Why do the bells of Christmas ring?

Why do little children sing?

Once a lovely shining star,

Seen by shepherds from afar,

Gently moved until its light

Made a manger's cradle bright.

There a darling baby lay,

Pillowed soft upon the hay;

And its mother sung and smiled:

"This is Christ, the holy Child!"

Therefore bells for Christmas ring.

Therefore little children sing.

                                   LONGER CHRISTMAS POEMS

                                                      Twas

                       the Night before Christmas ~ Clement Clarke Moore 

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 tinny 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, Donner 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!” 

Old Santeclaus 
~ Clement C. Moore 

Old Santeclaus with much delight
His reindeer drives this frosty night,
O’er chimney-tops, and tracks of snow,
To bring his yearly gifts to you. 

The steady friend of virtuous youth,
The friend of duty, and of truth,
Each Christmas eve he joys to come
Where love and peace have made their home. 

Through many houses he has been,
And various beds and stockings seen;
Some, white as snow, and neatly mended,
Others, that seemed for pigs intended. 

Where e’er I found good girls or boys,
That hated quarrels, strife and noise,
I left an apple, or a tart,
Or wooden gun, or painted cart. 

To some I gave a pretty doll,
To some a peg-top, or a ball;
No crackers, cannons, squibs, or rockets,
To blow their eyes up, or their pockets. 

No drums to stun their Mother’s ear,
Nor swords to make their sisters fear;
But pretty books to store their mind
With knowledge of each various kind. 

But where I found the children naughty,
In manners rude, in temper haughty,
Thankless to parents, liars, swearers,
Boxers, or cheats, or base tale-bearers, 

I left a long, black, birchen rod,
Such as the dread command of God
Directs a Parent’s hand to use
When virtue’s path his sons refuse. 

                                                  

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas 
~ Wilf Carter 

Jolly old Saint Nicholas,
Lean your ear this way,
Don’t you tell a single soul
What I’m going to say.
Christmas Eve is coming soon,
Now you dear old man,
Whisper what you’ll bring to me,
Tell me if you can. 

When the clock is striking twelve,
When I’m fast asleep,
Down the chimney, broad and black,
With your pack you’ll creep.
All the stockings you will find,
Hanging in a row,
Mine will be the shortest one,
You’ll be sure to know. 

Johnny wants a pair of skates,
Susie wants a sled,
Nelly wants a picturebook,
Yellow, blue and red,
Now I think I’ll leave to you
What to give the rest;
Choose for me, dear Santa Claus,
You will know the best. 

                                        

Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer 
~ Adapted by Johnny Marks 

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw it,
you would even say it glows. 

All of the other reindeer
used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Rudolph
join in any reindeer games. 

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say:
“Rudolph with your nose so bright,
won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?” 

                                                      Then how the reindeer loved him
                                                         and they shouted out with glee:
                                                        “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,
                                                               you’ll go down in history!