Christmas Poems

This thoughtful selection is deeply satisfying and inspired me to read additional poetry by some of the authors herein. I think any sensible reader will find this collection both reassuring and provocative. There is something here for every Christmas mood; and doesn't Christmas create a lot of moods? I particularly enjoyed the section about the aftermath of Christmas.

Here is an exquisite anthology, 4 1/2" x 6 1/2", small enough to fit into one's purse or pocket -- to peruse while standing in line at the p.o., at a store counter, etc. Besides Clement Moore's classic "A Visit from St. Nicholas" and familiar carols, here are "Christmas at Sea" by Robert Lewis Stevenson, "The Annunciation" by Elizabeth Jennings, and "Christmas in Biafra" by Chinua Achebe. Also read poems by J.D. McClatchy, Dorothy Parker, Emily Dickinson and other classic or contemporary poets in these 254 pages. Highly recommended.

This is a warm-yet not sentimental-collection of poems which explores many sides of Christmas. It is beautifully typeset and bound and perfect for carrying on one's person for a moment of thoughtful beauty. I wish it included W.H. Auden's entire "For the Time Being" but there were several and wonderful surprising inclusions.