Christmas Poem & Meaning
Selected Holiday Poems
Events PoetryChristmas at Sea
The sheets were frozen hard, and they cut the naked hand;
The decks were like a slide, where a seaman scarce could stand;
The wind was a nor’wester, blowing squally off the sea;
And cliffs and spouting breakers were the only things a-lee.
And they heaved a mighty breath, every soul on board but me,
As they saw her nose again pointing handsome out to sea;
But all that I could think of, in the darkness and the cold,
Was just that I was leaving home and my folks were growing old.
Overview Short Summary
This Christmas poem presents a cold sea voyage rather than a warm home celebration. The speaker’s thoughts turn to family and aging parents, making it a moving holiday poem about distance, duty, and homesickness.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Homesickness: The holiday season makes separation from family feel sharper.
- Winter danger: The frozen ship and rough sea create a harsh setting.
- Family love: The speaker worries about loved ones growing older at home.
Close Reading Imagery and Mood
The poem’s frozen sheets, slippery decks, cliffs, breakers, darkness, and cold build a severe winter mood. This makes the speaker’s emotional longing for home more powerful.
The Death of the Old Year
Full knee-deep lies the winter snow,
And the winter winds are wearily sighing:
Toll ye the church bell sad and slow,
And tread softly and speak low,
For the old year lies a-dying.
Old year you must not die;
You came to us so readily,
You lived with us so steadily,
Old year, you shall not die.
He lieth still: he doth not move:
He will not see the dawn of day.
He hath no other life above.
He gave me a friend, and a true true-love,
And the New-year will take ’em away.
Old year you must not go;
So long as you have been with us,
Such joy as you have seen with us,
Old year, you shall not go.
He froth’d his bumpers to the brim;
A jollier year we shall not see.
But though his eyes are waxing dim,
And though his foes speak ill of him,
He was a friend to me.
Old year, you shall not die;
We did so laugh and cry with you,
I’ve half a mind to die with you,
Old year, if you must die.
He was full of joke and jest,
But all his merry quips are o’er.
To see him die, across the waste
His son and heir doth ride post-haste,
But he’ll be dead before.
Every one for his own.
The night is starry and cold, my friend,
And the New-year blithe and bold, my friend,
Comes up to take his own.
How hard he breathes! over the snow
I heard just now the crowing cock.
The shadows flicker to and fro:
The cricket chirps: the light burns low:
’Tis nearly twelve o’clock.
Shake hands, before you die.
Old year, we’ll dearly rue for you:
What is it we can do for you?
Speak out before you die.
His face is growing sharp and thin.
Alack! our friend is gone,
Close up his eyes: tie up his chin:
Step from the corpse, and let him in
That standeth there alone,
And waiteth at the door.
There’s a new foot on the floor, my friend,
And a new face at the door, my friend,
A new face at the door.
Overview Short Summary
This New Year poem imagines the old year as a dying friend and the new year as someone waiting at the door. It is emotional, dramatic, and useful for readers searching for holiday poems about time, farewell, and change.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Time passing: The old year becomes a person whose life is ending.
- Farewell and renewal: The poem mourns the past but admits the new year must arrive.
- Mixed emotion: New beginnings can feel hopeful and painful at the same time.
Craft Literary Devices
- Personification: The old year is treated like a dying human being.
- Symbolism: The door represents transition from past to future.
- Repetition: Repeated appeals to the old year intensify grief and attachment.
A Song for New Year’s Eve
Stay yet, my friends, a moment stay—
Stay till the good old year,
So long companion of our way,
Shakes hands, and leaves us here.
Oh stay, oh stay,
One little hour, and then away.
The year, whose hopes were high and strong,
Has now no hopes to wake;
Yet one hour more of jest and song
For his familiar sake.
Oh stay, oh stay,
One mirthful hour, and then away.
The kindly year, his liberal hands
Have lavished all his store.
And shall we turn from where he stands,
Because he gives no more?
Oh stay, oh stay,
One grateful hour, and then away.
Days brightly came and calmly went,
While yet he was our guest;
How cheerfully the week was spent!
How sweet the seventh day’s rest!
Oh stay, oh stay,
One golden hour, and then away.
Dear friends were with us, some who sleep
Beneath the coffin-lid:
What pleasant memories we keep
Of all they said and did!
Oh stay, oh stay,
One tender hour, and then away.
Even while we sing, he smiles his last,
And leaves our sphere behind.
The good old year is with the past;
Oh be the new as kind!
Oh stay, oh stay,
One parting strain, and then away.
Overview Short Summary
This New Year holiday poem asks friends to pause before the old year leaves. It remembers gratitude, rest, friendship, and loss while hoping the new year will be kind.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Gratitude: The speaker honors the year for what it gave.
- Friendship: The poem imagines New Year’s Eve as a shared gathering.
- Memory: The old year holds both joy and grief.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is warm, grateful, and slightly sorrowful. The repeated “Oh stay” creates the mood of a final song before parting.
Reader Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What are good holiday poems for kids?
Good holiday poems for kids are usually short, rhythmic, vivid, and easy to read aloud. “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” “The New-England Boy’s Song about Thanksgiving Day,” and “Winter-Time” are strong choices for children, students, and classroom reading.
What is the best holiday poem for Christmas?
For Christmas, “A Christmas Carol” by Christina Rossetti is best for quiet reflection, while “A Visit from St. Nicholas” is best for children and family reading. “Christmas Bells” is ideal when readers want a deeper poem about peace and hope.
Which holiday poems are good for New Year?
“In Memoriam, [Ring out, wild bells]” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson is one of the strongest New Year poems because it focuses on renewal, hope, and moral change. “A Song for New Year’s Eve” is warmer and more social, making it good for family gatherings.
Are holiday poems useful for students?
Yes. Holiday poems help students understand imagery, rhyme, repetition, symbolism, tone, and theme through familiar seasonal subjects such as winter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year, family, gratitude, and celebration.
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