Home for the holidays? Savor this bright little collection of festive verse in front of the fireplace or share it with family—after all, the written word is most beautiful when spoken aloud.

Yule Log
Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

Come, bring with a noise,
My merrie, merrie boyes,
The Christmas Log to the firing;
While my good Dame, she
Bids ye all be free;
And drink to your hearts’ desiring.

With the last yeeres brand
Light the new block, and
For good successe in his spending,
On your Psaltries play,
That sweet luck may
Come while the long is a-teending.

Drink now the strong Beere,
Cut the white loafe here,
The while the meat is a-shredding;
For the rare Mince-Pie
And the Plums stand by
To fill the paste that’s a-kneading.

The Cherry Tree Carol
Traditional

Joseph was an old man,
And an old man was he,
When he wedded Mary
In the land of Galilee.

Joseph and Mary walked
Through an orchard good,
Where was cherries and berries
So red as any blood.

Joseph and Mary walked
Through an orchard green,
Where was berries and cherries
As thick as might be seen.

O then bespoke Mary,
With words so meek and mild,
‘Pluck me one cherry, Joseph,
For I am with child.’

O then bespoke Joseph,
With answer most unkind,
‘Let him pluck thee a cherry
That brought thee now with child.’

O then bespoke the baby
Within his mother’s womb —
‘Bow down then the tallest tree
For my mother to have some.’

Then bowed down the highest tree,
Unto his mother’s hand.
Then she cried, ‘See, Joseph,
I have cherries at command.’

O then bespoke Joseph —
‘I have done Mary wrong;
But now cheer up, my dearest,
And do not be cast down.

‘O eat your cherries, Mary
O eat your cherries now,
O eat your cherries, Mary,
That grow upon the bough.’

Then Mary plucked a cherry,
As red as any blood;
Then Mary she went homewards
All with her heavy load.

As Joseph was a-walking
He heard an angel sing:
‘This night there shall be born
On earth our heavenly King.

‘He neither shall be born
In housen nor in hall,
Nor in the place of Paradise,
But in an ox’s stall.

‘He neither shall be clothed
In purple nor in pall,
But all in the fair white linen,
As wear the babies all.

‘He neither shall be rocked
In silver nor in gold,
But in a wooden cradle
That rocks upon the mould.

‘He neither shall be christened
In white wine nor red,
But with fair spring water
As we were christened.’

Then Mary took her young son,
And set him on her knee;
Saying, ‘My dear son, tell me,
Tell me how this world shall be.’

‘O I shall be as dead, mother,
As stones are in the wall;
O the stones in the streets, mother,
Shall sorrow for me all.

‘On Easter-day dear mother,
My rising up shall be;
O the sun and the moon, mother,
Shall both arise with me.’

Joseph
G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

If the stars fell; night’s nameless dreams
Of bliss and blasphemy came true,
If skies were green and snow were gold,
And you loved me as I love you;

O long light hands and curled brown hair,
And eyes where sits a naked soul;
Dare I even then draw near and burn
My fingers in the aureole?

Yes, in the one wise foolish hour
God gives this strange strength to a man.
He can demand, though not deserve,
Where ask he cannot, seize he can.

But once the blood’s wild wedding o’er,
Were not dread his, half dark desire,
To see the Christ-child in the cot,
The Virgin Mary by the fire?

Once in Royal David’s City
Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895)

Once in Royal David’s city,
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for his bed.
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.

He came down from earth to heaven
Who is God and Lord of All
And his shelter was a stable
And his cradle was a stall,
With the poor and mean and lowly
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.

And through all his wondrous childhood
He would honour and obey
Love, and watch the lowly maiden
In whose gentle arms he lay.
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as he.

For he is our childhood’s pattern
Day by day like us he grew;
He was little, weak and helpless;
Tears and smiles like us he knew;
And he feeleth for our sadness,
And he shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see him,
Through his own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above;
And he leads his children on
To the place where he is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see him, but in heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high,
When, like stars, his children crowned
All in white shall wait around.

A Hymn for Christmas Day
Traditional

Arise, and hail the sacred day!
Cast all low cares of life away,
And thought of meaner things;
This day, to cure thy deadly woes,
The Sun of Righteousness arose
With healing in His wings.

If Angels on that happy morn
The Saviour of the world was born,
Poured forth seraphic songs;
Much more should we of human race
Adore the wonders of His grace,
To whom that grace belongs.

How wonderful, how vast His love,
Who left the shining realms above,
Those happy seats of rest;
How much for lost mankind He bore,
Their peace and pardon to restore,
Can never be expressed.

While we adore His boundless grace,
And pious joy and mirth take place
Of sorrow, grief, and pain,
Give glory to our God on high,
And not among the general joy
Forget good-will to men.

O then let Heaven and earth rejoice,
Creation’s whole united voice,
And hymn the Sacred Day,
When sin and Satan vanquished fell,
And all the powers of death and hell,
Before His sovereign sway.

Love Came Down at Christmas
Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

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.