Collection of Classic Christmas Poems

Classic Christmas poems are a joy to read during the holiday season. They offer a glimpse into how Christmas was celebrated in the decades and centuries of the past. It is likely true that some of these poems have shaped how we view and celebrate Christmas today. As you snuggle beneath the Christmas tree or before the fire, browse some of the poems gathered here for your holiday reading and reflection. They may inspire you to add new traditions to your celebration or even to take up your own pen or keyboard to compose your own verses. Christmas Poems from the 17th Century The traditions of the Christmas season in the 17th century combined the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus with baptized versions of pagan solstice revelries. The Puritans tried to rein it in, even to the extent of banning Christmas. But the poems from these times tell of holly, ivy, the Yule log, mince pie, wassail, feasting, and merriment. William Shakespeare, Lines spoken after the ghost’s exit from Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 1 (1603)George Wither,â€Å"A Christmas Carol† (1622)Robert Herrick,â€Å"Ceremonies for Christmas† (1648)Henry Vaughan,â€Å"The True Christmas† (1678) Christmas Poems from the 18th Century This century saw political revolutions and the Industrial Revolution. From the bucolic list of gifts of fowl in The Twelve Days of Christmas, there is a transition to more somber issues of war and strife in Coleridges A Christmas Carol. Anonymous,â€Å"The Twelve Days of Christmas† (1780)Samuel Taylor Coleridge,â€Å"A Christmas Carol† (1799) Christmas Poems from the 19th Century St. Nicholas and Santa Claus became popular in the United States in the 19th Century and A Visit from St. Nicholas popularized the elements of nocturnal rounds of gift giving. The poem helped crystallize the image of a chubby Santa Claus with a sleigh and reindeer and arrival on the roof and down the chimney. But the century also has Longfellows lament about the Civil War and how the hope of peace can survive harsh reality. Meanwhile, Sir Walter Scott reflects on the holiday as celebrated by a baron in Scotland. Sir Walter Scott, â€Å"Christmas in the Olden Time† (from Marmion, 1808)Clement Clark Moore (attributed to him—but more probably written by Major Henry Livingston, Jr.),â€Å"A Visit from St. Nicholas† (first published in 1823, likely written in 1808)Emily Dickinson,â€Å"’Twas just this time last year I died† (#445)Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,â€Å"Christmas Bells† (1864)Christina Rossetti,â€Å"In the Bleak Midwinter† (1872)Robert Louis Stevenson,â€Å"Christmas at Sea† (1888) Christmas Poems of the Early 20th Century These poems are ones worth setting aside some time to muse over their meanings and lessons. Did the oxen kneel at the manger? Who gave the poet an unseen kiss under the mistletoe? What is the worth of a field of trees if not to be cut down for Christmas trees? What brought the Magi and other visitors to the manger? Christmas can be a time for contemplation. G.K. Chesterton,â€Å"A Christmas Carol† (1900)Sara Teasdale,â€Å"Christmas Carol† (1911)Walter de la Mare,â€Å"Mistletoe† (1913)Thomas Hardy,â€Å"The Oxen† (1915)William Butler Yeats,â€Å"The Magi† (1916)Robert Frost, â€Å"Christmas Trees† (1920)

Essay on Salvation on Sand Mountain by Dennis Covington

Dennis Covington writes about a unique method of worship—snake handling, in his memoir, Salvation on Sand Mountain. He begins as a journalist, looking in on this foreign way of life; however, as time progresses he increasing starts to feel a part of this lifestyle. As a result loses his journalistic approach, resulting in his memoir, detailing his own spiritual journey. Upon the conclusion of his stay in this world, Covington realizes the significance of this journey, and argues in his memoir that we cannot entirely know ourselves until we step outside of our comfort zone and separate ourselves from our norm. It is almost as if Covington was in a dream or some sort of trance throughout this whole experience. He begins as a†¦show more content†¦Allowing himself to be pulled into this world says a lot about the author’s character: it is almost as if he is vulnerable, and this vulnerability in some cases can be seen as a weakness. However, this vulnerable act all owed him to find himself and strengthen his previous beliefs and attitude. According to Aristotle, authors have an ethical obligation to have a strong ethos: this entails authors to have intelligence, rectitude, and goodwill, and Covington expresses this throughout his entire memoir. Even though, at the beginning he does not understand their behavior, and after he is embarrassed and virtually kicked out of the society, he is able to write the truth about the handlers with the utmost respect. Yes, he exposes many aspects of the handlers’ lives, but he does so in a respectful and journalistic manner: it is clear that the information he divulges is essential to the reader understanding the true meaning of his argument. The author does not purposely try to portray these people in the best light possible, but rather the most ingenuous way. He demonstrates his goodwill by remaining impartial during most of the memoir: occasionally he allows his emotions to effect his depiction of t he characters; however, this is almost impossible to achieve, because he interacted with these people and was reacting to certain situations. Covington writes this memoir for many reasons: he writes in order publicize this exclusiveShow MoreRelated Reflecting on Religion in Literature1925 Words   |  8 Pagesto use all three to form an overall definition of religion based on the work we have done throughout the semester. The three books that I am referring to are Ann Schiller’s Small Sacrifices, Rane Willerslev’s Soul Hunters, and Dennis Covington’s Salvation on Sand Mountain. Ann Schiller’s Small Sacrifices explores religious change among the Ngaju in Borneo, Indonesia. She elaborates on the Indonesian government’s demand on the Ngaju to conform to one of the religions they deem acceptable. In conformingRead MoreSnake Handling, a Pentecostal Pastime Essay1256 Words   |  6 Pagescrazy, and the list goes on and on. However, one of the negative stereotypes that tend to stick out more prominently than others is that people in Appalachian folk are crazy, serpent handling, Christians. In order for the people of the Appalachian Mountain region to figure out a way to get over this stereotype and move forward in their quest to be no longer considered â€Å"outdated†, they must first break down and fully understand what they are going up against. The region’s religion is characterizedRead MoreIn Dennis Covington’S Book Salvation On Sand Mountain And2612 Words   |  11 Pages In Dennis Covington’s book Salvation on Sand Mountain and David Haberman’s Journey Through the Twelve Forests: An Encounter with Krishna, we get two very different experiences of researches stepping into a world of different religion and perspectives than their own. While both Haberman and Covington focus on a certain religion and the traditions of its followers, Haberman does a better job with presenting an accurate representation of Hinduism and the Braj pilgrimage. This is because Covington’s

Swot Matrix for Starbucks Free Essays

SWOT matrixkey success factors for star bucksStarbucks has a strong brand name and its known international. Starbucks was the first coffee shop whereby high quality coffee and products at accessible locationsand affordable prices, provided a community to share in the coffee drinking experience| Strengths: * Brand recognition * High quality coffee * Business ethics * Location they are located everywhere| Weakness * Competition a lot of coffee shops are offer coffee at a lower price. * Overexposure star bucks Is obsolete according to some consumers. We will write a custom essay sample on Swot Matrix for Starbucks or any similar topic only for you Order Now Too many products * Not enough marketing | Opportunity * Business leaders * New strategy * Expand franchise| Threat * Recession * Mc-cafe offers lattes and cafes at very cheap price with the same quality. * PLC is at declining stage. | 2. Generic strategy pursued at starbucks: Differentiation strategy Differentiation strategy star bucks offers high quality coffee that you cant find at other coffee shops. Starbucks spends minimal cost on marketing although they have great market share due to the product differentiation star bucks has a unique line coffee shops so advertising is through a method called word of mouth. Their core competencies can be defined as high quality coffee and products at accessible locations and affordable prices, provided a community to share in the coffee drinking experience, and variety of choices. They also value ethics and good business practices. Starbucks provide a high quality coffee and unique experience in the convenience of a large volume of locations, which separates them from their competition ,the new instant coffee line is straddling differentiation and low cost- leadership. While it will be a low cost and convenient alternative to Starbucks regular coffee, it is still unique from other products in the market. The in-store gifts and brewing utensils are in the focused differentiation category as they cater to the coffee lover, and are unique items found only in the Starbucksstores. 3. strategic direction pursued by star bucks? Starbucks new strategy is to refocus on some of the areas that decrease risk and up front investment. Franchising, expanding products and selling at convenient stores not just coffee shops. This includes expanding foreign stores, with aid of partnerships that share risk and costs, selling whether its instant coffee and other products in retail and convenience stores, and reinvigorating the Seattle’s Best Brand coffee. 4. I would pursue cost differentiation since star bucks is already I would add a few new bistro’s or pastries or offer special deals that wouldn’t harm my profit margin but gain more market share. Starbucks doesn’t focus on marketing since the brand is already famous so by offering new flavors of coffee, pastries and beverages would attract attention. How to cite Swot Matrix for Starbucks, Papers Swot Matrix for Starbucks Free Essays SWOT matrixkey success factors for star bucksStarbucks has a strong brand name and its known international. Starbucks was the first coffee shop whereby high quality coffee and products at accessible locationsand affordable prices, provided a community to share in the coffee drinking experience| Strengths: * Brand recognition * High quality coffee * Business ethics * Location they are located everywhere| Weakness * Competition a lot of coffee shops are offer coffee at a lower price. * Overexposure star bucks Is obsolete according to some consumers. We will write a custom essay sample on Swot Matrix for Starbucks or any similar topic only for you Order Now Too many products * Not enough marketing | Opportunity * Business leaders * New strategy * Expand franchise| Threat * Recession * Mc-cafe offers lattes and cafes at very cheap price with the same quality. * PLC is at declining stage. | 2. Generic strategy pursued at starbucks: Differentiation strategy Differentiation strategy star bucks offers high quality coffee that you cant find at other coffee shops. Starbucks spends minimal cost on marketing although they have great market share due to the product differentiation star bucks has a unique line coffee shops so advertising is through a method called word of mouth. Their core competencies can be defined as high quality coffee and products at accessible locations and affordable prices, provided a community to share in the coffee drinking experience, and variety of choices. They also value ethics and good business practices. Starbucks provide a high quality coffee and unique experience in the convenience of a large volume of locations, which separates them from their competition ,the new instant coffee line is straddling differentiation and low cost- leadership. While it will be a low cost and convenient alternative to Starbucks regular coffee, it is still unique from other products in the market. The in-store gifts and brewing utensils are in the focused differentiation category as they cater to the coffee lover, and are unique items found only in the Starbucksstores. 3. strategic direction pursued by star bucks? Starbucks new strategy is to refocus on some of the areas that decrease risk and up front investment. Franchising, expanding products and selling at convenient stores not just coffee shops. This includes expanding foreign stores, with aid of partnerships that share risk and costs, selling whether its instant coffee and other products in retail and convenience stores, and reinvigorating the Seattle’s Best Brand coffee. 4. I would pursue cost differentiation since star bucks is already I would add a few new bistro’s or pastries or offer special deals that wouldn’t harm my profit margin but gain more market share. Starbucks doesn’t focus on marketing since the brand is already famous so by offering new flavors of coffee, pastries and beverages would attract attention. How to cite Swot Matrix for Starbucks, Essay examples