Christmas Poems, from Family Christmas Online^TM

This page contains links to many classic Christmas poems that are worth reading, and especially worth reading aloud to your family during the Christmas season.

Note for 2009: We have already reviewed hundreds of poems as potential candidates for this page, but we're trying to focus on poems that are well-written, family-friendly, and - when possible - uplifting, or at least amusing. Although we've just begun, our list should eventually include many poems by well-known authors.

We have a lot of poems queued up to be showcased in 2009 and 2010, but only a few ready to go right now. So, please take a look now and check back once in a while.

• "A Visit from St. Nicholas" ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) - the poem that changed the way a nation saw St. Nicholas, if not Christmas. Contains a history of the poem, illustrations, and links to other sites.

• The Minstrels, by William Wordsworth - A reticent cottage-dweller is bemused by a band of enthusiastic carolers.

• A Christmas Carol, by Edgar Albert Guest - A charming house blessing

• At Christmas, by Edgar Albert Guest - Guest muses on how people's generousity improves as Christmas approaches. The first line is often quoted: "A man is at his finest towards the finish of the year."

• This Section is a Christmas Tree, by N. Vaschel Lindsay - A unique poem meant to be read aloud.

• The Three Kings, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - A classic Christmas poem from the American master of epic poetry.

• Santa Claus (Comes to Camp) - Celebrated Australian poet "Banjo" Paterson brings a humorous story from the Australian "bush" (wilderness) about Santa's frustrated attempt to visit to military post.

• Santa Claus in the Bush, by "Banjo" Paterson - A small but stocky Christmas-eve visitor to a Australian homestead gets poor hospitality from the dour housewife.

• Nativity, by John Donne - A devotional poem about a God who pitied us so much He became an infant for our sake.