Classic Christmas Poems & Christmas Rhymes

Christmas poems have long captured the meaning and magic of the season, celebrating love and hope. From reflections on the birth of Jesus to descriptions of Christmas traditions, these poems invite readers to honor the season:

• “The Three Kings” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1847)
• “Christmas Greetings From a Fairy to a Child” by Lewis Carroll (1867)
• “Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1867)
• “The Christmas Wreath” by Anna de Brémont (1867)
• “Christmastide” by Christina Rossetti (1893)
• “Christmas Comes Again” by Elizabeth Drew Stoddard (1895)
• “Noel: Christmas Eve 1913” by Robert Bridges (1913)
• “Christmas Carol” by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1922)

Whether you’re gathering inspiration for a creative project, designing cards, or simply reflecting on the season’s message, these classic Christmas poems from the 19th and early 20th centuries offer timeless words to share and remember. Keep reading to explore each of these poems, plus a few of the most classic Christmas rhymes.

Classic Christmas poems

Here are eight classic Christmas poems to inspire your holiday projects, Christmas wishes, and personal reflections.

“The Three Kings” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Published in 1847, Longfellow’s classic Christmas poem tells the story of the three wise men’s journey to Bethlehem. The description of the Star of Bethlehem in the second stanza is perfect for quoting on a religious Christmas card.

“The Three Kings” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (stanzas 1–2)

Three Kings came riding from far away,
Melchior and Gaspar and Baltasar;
Three Wise Men out of the East were they,
And they travelled by night and they slept by day,
For their guide was a beautiful, wonderful star.

The star was so beautiful, large and clear,
That all the other stars of the sky
Became a white mist in the atmosphere,
And by this they knew that the coming was near
Of the Prince foretold in the prophecy.

“Christmas Greetings From a Fairy to a Child” by Lewis Carroll

Carroll wrote this poem in 1867 and distributed it with copies of Alice in Wonderland. The poem features a playful ABAB rhyme scheme and an uplifting message about embracing the childlike wonder that’s part of the Christmas season. The word “Christmas-tide” in this poem is an older English expression for the 12 days of Christmas (December 24 to January 5).

“Christmas Greetings From a Fairy to a Child” by Lewis Carroll

Lady dear, if Fairies may
For a moment lay aside
Cunning tricks and elfish play,
‘Tis at happy Christmas-tide.

We have heard the children say –
Gentle children, whom we love –
Long ago, on Christmas Day,
Came a message from above.

Still, as Christmas-tide comes round,
They remember it again –
Echo still the joyful sound
‘Peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Yet the hearts must childlike be
Where such heavenly guests abide:
Unto children, in their glee,
All the year is Christmas-tide!

Thus, forgetting tricks and play
For a moment, Lady dear,
We would wish you, if we may,
Merry Christmas, glad New Year!

“Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Published in 1867 and written during the American Civil War, Longfellow’s Christmas poem explores a poignant theme: The peace and joy of the Christmas season are more powerful than conflict and despair. The seven-stanza poem begins and ends with vivid descriptions of Christmas bells ringing, which overpower the sounds of cannons in the fourth stanza.

In 1872, the composer John Baptiste Calkin used the first three stanzas to create the Christmas carol “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”

“Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (stanzas 1–3)

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

“The Christmas Wreath” by Anna de Brémont

The imagery in Brémont’s 1867 Christmas poem is so vivid that you can clearly visualize an iconic Christmas wreath hanging on a wall. Every stanza begins with the same line: “Oh! Christmas wreath upon the wall.” (If you’re teaching or studying poetry, the literary term for this type of repetition is anaphora).

“The Christmas Wreath” by Anna de Brémont

Oh! Christmas wreath upon the wall,
Within thine ivied space
I see the years beyond recall,
Amid thy leaves I trace
The shadows of a happy past,
When all the world was bright,
And love its magic splendour cast
O’er morn and noon and night.

Oh! Christmas wreath upon the wall,
’Neath memory’s tender spell
A wondrous charm doth o’er thee fall,
And round thy beauty dwell.
Thine ivy hath the satiny sheen
Of tresses I’ve caressed,
Thy holly’s crimson gleam I’ve seen
On lips I oft have pressed.

Oh! Christmas wreath upon the wall,
A mist steals o’er my sight.
Dear hallow’d wreath, these tears are all
The pledge I now can plight
To those loved ones whose spirit eyes
Shine down the flight of time;
Around God’s throne their voices rise
To swell the Christmas Chime!

“Christmastide” by Christina Rossetti (1893)

The central theme of Rossetti’s 1983 poem is the birth of Jesus and divine love. In just three stanzas, the word “love” appears 11 times.

“Christmastide” by Christina Rossetti

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and Angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,
Love Incarnate, Love Divine;
Worship we our Jesus:
But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.

“Christmas Comes Again” by Elizabeth Drew Stoddard

Stoddard’s Christmas poem from 1895 explores the challenges of missing loved ones who have passed. Through its contrast of festive imagery and quiet grief, the poem captures the bittersweet mix of memory and celebration that often accompanies the holiday season. It’s a poignant reminder that joy and loss can coexist.

“Christmas Comes Again” by Elizabeth Drew Stoddard (stanzas 1–3)

Let me be merry now, ’t is time;
The season is at hand
For Christmas rhyme and Christmas chime,
Close up, and form the band.

The winter fires still burn as bright,
The lamp-light is as clear,
And since the dead are out of sight,
What hinders Christmas cheer?

Why think or speak of that abyss
In which lies all my Past?
High festival I need not miss,
While song and jest shall last.

“Noel: Christmas Eve 1913” by Robert Bridges

In “Noel: Christmas Eve 1913” by Robert Bridges, the speaker takes a walk on Christmas Eve and hears church bells in the distance. The experience reminds the speaker of the first Christmas when the shepherds heard music. The poem begins with the inscription “Pax hominibus bonae voluntatis” (Latin for “peace to people of good will”).

Bridges’ poem was later set to music by composer Lee Holdridge and featured in the 1979 classic John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together.

“Noel: Christmas Eve 1913” by Robert Bridges (stanza 1)

A frosty Christmas Eve
when the stars were shining
Fared I forth alone
where westward falls the hill,
And from many a village
in the water’d valley
Distant music reach’d me
peals of bells aringing:
The constellated sounds
ran sprinkling on earth’s floor
As the dark vault above
with stars was spangled o’er.
Then sped my thoughts to keep
that first Christmas of all
When the shepherds watching
by their folds ere the dawn
Heard music in the fields
and marveling could not tell
Whether it were angels
or the bright stars singing.

“Christmas Carol” by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Written in a carol-like rhythm, Dunbar’s 1922 poem celebrates the birth of Jesus as a moment that transforms sorrow into glory.

“Christmas Carol” by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Ring out, ye bells!
All Nature swells
With gladness at the wondrous story,—
The world was lorn,
But Christ is born
To change our sadness into glory.

Sing, earthlings, sing!
To-night a King
Hath come from heaven’s high throne to bless us.
The outstretched hand
O’er all the land
Is raised in pity to caress us.

Come at his call;
Be joyful all;
Away with mourning and with sadness!
The heavenly choir
With holy fire
Their voices raise in songs of gladness.

The darkness breaks
And Dawn awakes,
Her cheeks suffused with youthful blushes.
The rocks and stones
In holy tones
Are singing sweeter than the thrushes.

Then why should we
In silence be,
When Nature lends her voice to praises;
When heaven and earth
Proclaim the truth
Of Him for whom that lone star blazes?

No, be not still,
But with a will
Strike all your harps and set them ringing;
On hill and heath
Let every breath
Throw all its power into singing!

Christmas rhymes

This collection of beloved Christmas rhymes brings together playful lines, timeless literary snippets, and modern pop-culture gems.

• “Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, Was singing! Without any presents at all!” —Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• “Everytime a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.” —Zuzu Bailey in the Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life 
• “The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.” —Clement-Clarke Moore, “A Visit from St. Nicholas”
• “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” —Buddy the elf in the Christmas movie Elf
• “At Christmas I no more desire a rose, Than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled mirth; But like of each thing that in season grows.” —William Shakespeare, Loves Labor Lost
• “Have yourself a merry little Christmas, Let your heart be light, Next year all our troubles will be out of sight.” —Hugh Martin, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

Frequently asked questions about Christmas poems

What’s the difference between Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays?

“Merry Christmas” refers to Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but Happy Holidays refers to all of the religious and cultural days in November and December.

Only say “Merry Christmas” when you’re certain that your audience observes Christmas.

When you don’t know which religious days your audience observes or when your audience observes multiple winter holidays, say “Happy Holidays.”

QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you with word choices when you’re writing Merry Christmas wishes or Happy Holidays messages.

What are some Christmas poems about Jesus?

Some Christmas poems about Jesus include:

• “On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity” by John Milton
• “The Three Kings” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• “For Christmas Day: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” by George Robert Sims
• “Love Came Down at Christmas” by Christina Rossetti
• “The Oxen” by Thomas Hardy
• “Christmas Morn” by Anna de Brémont

QuillBot’s AI Chat can provide fascinating details and reading lists about a variety of holiday topics, and it’s completely free to use.

What rhymes with Christmas?

There aren’t really any perfect rhymes with “Christmas,” but there are some slant rhymes (aka near rhymes):

• Business
• Forgiveness
• Wish list

QuillBot’s free poem generator can help you brainstorm Christmas rhymes and other ideas for original Christmas poems.

What’s the Twas the Night Before Christmas poem?

The “Twas the Night Before Christmas” poem is actually titled “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” It was written by Clement Clarke Moore and first published in 1823.

“A Visit from St. Nicholas” is one of the most famous Christmas poems for kids, although many adults also enjoy it. The poem has also been recited in many Christmas films.

Want to learn more about this poem? Ask QuillBot’s AI Chat.