Discover the Best Christmas Rhymes and Poems in One Place! For Kids and for Adults, too

Christmas is a really special time of year filled with joy and goodwill. It’s all about Christmas pageants, singing carols, giving gifts, and decorating homes.

To really get into the festive spirit, you might want to check out some Christmas poems that talk about the meaning of the season or capture all the holiday fun.

We’ve put together a list of the best Christmas poems for families to enjoy this season. For kids, Christmas is all about getting gifts, eating treats, and seeing Santa.

That’s why we’ve included some light-hearted and fun poetry on our list that they’ll want to hear over and over again.

Christmas poems for children

If you’ve already got a routine of reading to the kids before bed, why not switch it up a little for the holiday season?

Take a break from Harry Potter and start a new tradition of reading a Christmas poem together. We have plenty of options to get you started. It’s a fun way for little readers to practice each night with these easy, whimsical verses.

They’ll drift off to sleep dreaming of Santa Claus, reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and all sorts of other holiday magic. It’s a great way to get them feeling the holiday spirit!

Remember the Reindeer

 Hang up the stockings.

Decorate the tree.

Presents placed perfectly.

What a sight to see!

Milk and cookies are out,

Kids are tucked in tight.

There’s so much to do

On Christmas Eve night!

Before you take a snooze

And dream of the next day,

Don’t forget some food

For the friends who pull the sleigh!

You see, reindeer need snacks, too

A little love and fun

To help Santa through the night,

And get the important job done!

A Chubby Little Snowman

 A chubby little snowman

Had a carrot nose.

Along came a bunny,

And what do you suppose?

That hungry little bunny

Looking for some lunch,

Grabbed that snowman’s nose,

Nibble, nibble, crunch!

Christmas Stars

The golden Christmas stars shine down

With a cheerful Christmas glow,

And twinkle a Yuletide message

To the busy world below;

They tell of the peace and good will

The Christmas time brings to earth,

The peace and good will all should feel

At this season of joy and mirth.

Five Little Reindeer

 Five little reindeer playing in the snow
The first one said, “Can you see my nose glow?”
The second one said, “Listen to me sing!”
The third one said, “I can hear the bells ring.”
The fourth one said, “Let’s eat the pie!”
The fifth one said, “I’m ready to fly.”
Then clomp went their hooves
And the snow fell white
As the five little reindeer flew out of sight.

I am a little tree

 I am a little tree.
 As you can see,
 all other trees
 they are bigger than me

 Maybe when I grow up
 Then I will
 big big merry christmas tree!

Christmas Poems for nice Christmas Time

Truly, Christmas is a lyrical holiday, experienced through the stories told from days past and hopes strung together for the future. Whether through Bible verses, Christmas carols, or the written word, there’s no better way to celebrate the beauty of today than with classic Christmas poetry. Here, we’ve compiled excerpts from ten Christmas poems. Enjoy the “rhythmical creation of Beauty” this Christmas Day.

“Little Tree” by E.E. Cummings

little tree
little silent Christmas tree
you are so little
you are more like a flower
who found you in the green forest
and were you very sorry to come away?
see i will comfort you
because you smell so sweetly
i will kiss your cool bark
and hug you safe and tight
just as your mother would,
only don't be afraid
look the spangles
that sleep all the year in a dark box
dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,
the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,
put up your little arms
and i'll give them all to you to hold
every finger shall have its ring
and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy…

“Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 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!

“Winter Time” by Robert Louis Stevenson

 Late lies the wintry sun a-bed,   
A frosty, fiery sleepy-head;   
Blinks but an hour or two; and then,   
A blood-red orange, sets again.   
   
Before the stars have left the skies,
At morning in the dark I rise;   
And shivering in my nakedness,   
By the cold candle, bathe and dress.   
   
Close by the jolly fire I sit   
To warm my frozen bones a bit;
Or with a reindeer-sled, explore   
The colder countries round the door.   
   
When to go out, my nurse doth wrap   
Me in my comforter and cap;   
The cold wind burns my face, and blows
Its frosty pepper up my nose.   
   
Black are my steps on silver sod;   
Thick blows my frosty breath abroad;   
And tree and house, and hill and lake,   
Are frosted like a wedding-cake.

The First Christmas

 It never snows at Christmas in that dry and dusty land.
Instead of freezing blizzards, there are palms and drifting sands,
and years ago a stable and a most unusual star
and three wise men who followed it, by camel, not by car,
while, sleepy on the quiet hills, a shepherd gave a cry.
He'd seen a crowd of angels in the silent starlit sky.
In the stable, ox and ass stood very still and calm
and gazed upon the baby, safe and snug in Mary's arms.
And Joseph, lost in shadows, face lit by an oil lamp's glow
stood wondering, that first Christmas Day, two thousand years ago.

Funny Christmas poems

Funny Christmas poems are always great for a giggle during the holiday season. After all the stress of Christmas shopping, cooking, and preparations, we all deserve to sit back, put our feet up, and laugh at all things Christmasy.

Snowball – Shel Silverstein

I made myself a snowball,
As perfect as could be,
I thought I'd keep it as a pet,
And let it sleep with me.

I made it some pajamas,
And a pillow for its head,
Then last night it ran away,
But first - it wet the bed!

A Chubby Snowman – Anon

A chubby little snowman
had a carrot nose.
Along came a bunny,
and what do you suppose?

That hungry little bunny,
looking for some lunch,
Grabbed that snowman's nose,
Nibble, nibble, crunch!

Thank You – William Church

For your Christmas presents,
I thank you one and all.
For the big ones many thanks,
And fewer for the small.

Happy Christmas, Auntie Peggy

For Christmas I bought my Auntie
A brand new wooden leg
I didn’t have it specially made
No I just got it off the peg
You may say it’s not a nice gift
Or even that it’s a killer
It wasn’t her main present though
It was just a stocking filler.

Classic Christmas Poems

Discover 10 Christmas poems, both traditional and modern, to evoke warmth and joy during this holiday season.

Christmas poetry, with a history spanning hundreds of years, continues to captivate and resonate with readers today.

May these Christmas poems bring you and your loved ones a sense of joy and tranquility as you come together in celebration.

Christmas Bells - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The Carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;
‘For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Christmas Past - Carice Williams

Each Christmas I remember
The ones of long ago;
I see our mantelpiece adorned
With stockings in a row.

Each Christmas finds me dreaming
Of days that used to be,
When we hid presents here and there,
For all the family.

Each Christmas I remember
The fragrance in the air,
Of roasting turkey and mince pies
And cookies everywhere.

Each Christmas finds me longing
For Christmases now past,
And I am back in childhood
As long as memories last.

Minstrels - William Wordsworth 

The minstrels played their Christmas tune
To-night beneath my cottage-eaves;
While, smitten by a lofty moon,
The encircling laurels, thick with leaves,
Gave back a rich and dazzling sheen,
That overpowered their natural green. 

Through hill and valley every breeze
Had sunk to rest with folded wings:
Keen was the air, but could not freeze,
Nor check, the music of the strings;
So stout and hardy were the band
That scraped the chords with strenuous hand. 

And who but listened?—till was paid
Respect to every inmate's claim,
The greeting given, the music played
In honour of each household name,
Duly pronounced with lusty call,
And "Merry Christmas" wished to all. 

Do you already know which poem you and your children will say about the tree this year before you unwrap the presents?