Holiday Poetry Books that capture the essence of the season

With the holiday season fast approaching, we can’t help but feel a sense of excitement in the air. It’s the perfect time to slow down, reflect on the year gone by, and appreciate the people and moments that matter most in our lives. And what better way to add a touch of festive cheer than by indulging in some poetry books?

Poetry has a magical way of capturing the essence of the season, whether it’s the joy of spending time with loved ones or the peacefulness of a snowy evening. If you’re looking to dive into the world of poetry this holiday season, we’ve got you covered. We’ve put together a list of 7 poetry books that are sure to get you in the holiday spirit. From classic works to modern gems, there’s something for everyone on this list.

So, cozy up with a warm drink and let the words transport you to a world of holiday wonder. Whether you’re curled up by the fire, snuggled up with a loved one, or simply enjoying some quiet time alone, these poetry books are the perfect way to add a touch of magic to your holiday season. And who knows? Perhaps they’ll even inspire you to start writing your own holiday poems and share them with those around you. After all, there’s no better time than the present to spread some joy and cheer.

Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem

by Maya Angelou

This dazzling Christmas poem by Maya Angelou is powerful and inspiring for people of all faiths.

In this beautiful, deeply moving poem, Maya Angelou inspires us to embrace the peace and promise of Christmas, so that hope and love can once again light up our holidays and the world. “Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers, look heavenward,” she writes, “and speak the word aloud. Peace.”

Read by the poet at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House on December 1, 2005, Maya Angelou’ s celebration of the “Glad Season” is a radiant affirmation of the goodness of life.

A Child’s Christmas in San Francisco

by John Briscoe

At the core of A Child’s Christmas in San Francisco are seven poems, composed, author John Briscoe tells us, by generations of San Francisco school children. Over the week before Christmas these children paired iconic San Francisco food and drink with the days of the week. Each day got a poem featuring a particular food or beverage. In this way, Briscoe observes, the young poets showed “a precocious affection for the culinary tradition and abiding spirits of Christmas in their City of St. Francis.”

Christmas Around the Fire: Stories, Essays, & Poems for the Season of Christ’s Birth

by Ryan N S Topping

Christmas is a time for celebrating the birth of Jesus with family and friends; to gather together in sacred and jovial celebration of the Incarnation. Yet in our fast-paced, hyper digitized lives, we are losing the sense of a good story, among good friends, around a good fire.

In Christmas Around the Fire, Ryan Topping invites the reader to turn off the television set, put down the device, quiet ourselves, and gather our loved ones to share some of the best writing, in a variety of forms, about Christmas. Whether or not, your family has an actual fireplace around which to gather is not so important, but it helps!

Included within are entries from legendary novelists and poets such as Leo Tolstoy, G.K. Chesterton, Charles Dickens, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Willa Cather, and more. As well as the profound thoughts of great religious figures such as Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Pope Saint John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI.

For those who love the true spirit of the “most wonderful time of the year”, and who love reading in almost equal measure, Christmas Around the Fire will quickly become a family tradition–the first piece excitedly pulled out of storage every year. This is one of those rarest of books: one around which family memories are made.

Christmas Poems

by John Hollander – J D McClatchy

A beautiful hardcover stocking-stuffer collecting the best-loved poems to celebrate the Christmas season, ranging from traditional religious poems to works by Emily Dickinson, Dorothy Parker, and Philip Larkin. AN EVERYMAN’S LIBRARY POCKET POET.

Christmas is both a holiday and a holy day, and from the start it has been associated with poetry, from the song of the seraphim above the manger to the cherished carols around the punch bowl. This garland of Christmas poems contains not only the ones you would insist on finding here.

A Classic Christmas: A Collection of Timeless Stories and Poems

by Louisa May Alcott – Charles Dickens – Hans Christian Andersen

This beautiful, giftable Christmas collection features timeless works from well-known authors that will become a precious holiday keepsake.

Perhaps no Christmas novel is more beloved than Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, and no holiday poem more well-known than Clement Clarke Moore’s “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Together these classic literary masterpieces warm our hearts and remind us of the joy and love to be discovered anew each Christmas morning.

A Classic Christmas features both of these traditional works, as well as other vintage poems and stories that celebrate the timeless truths of the holiday season. This cheerful, collectible treasury makes a wonderful gift for the reader in your life and reminds us that simple gifts of the heart and memories made with loved ones truly are the most meaningful of all.

A Treasury of Family Christmas Poems

by Union Square Kids Union Square Kids

This cozy collection of holiday poetry includes works by Clement C. Moore, Lewis Carroll, Susan Coolidge, and more. It is an excellent gift and will serve as a family heirloom for generations. The Treasury of Family Christmas Poems features full-color period illustrations as well as a deluxe case with foil stamping. Punch-out ornaments and gift tags are also included.

A Vintage Christmas: A Collection of Classic Stories and Poems

by Louisa May Alcott – Charles Dickens – L M Montgomery – Mark Twain

This beautiful, giftable Christmas collection features old-fashioned works from classic authors who invite you to a feast of holiday nostalgia.

Filled with stories that have been part of the Christmas season for generations. A Vintage Christmas is a unique collection of lesser-known Christmas tales, reflections, and poems. From beloved authors across the centuries and makes the perfect gift for the reader in your life. This beautiful treasury will take you back to firesides, simple gifts, and warm family moments of Christmases past as you cherish the timeless truths and joys of the season.