The winter landscape at Christmas, the story of the Nativity, the celebrations of the season, and the coming of the New Year-these are explored through more than 120 poems, both old and new. Included in this wonderful illustrated collection are poems by Ted Hughes, John Betjeman, W.H. Auden, Thomas Hardy, Michael Rosen, and many more.

Christmas is both a holiday and a holy day, and from the start it has been associated with poetry, from the song of the seraphim above the manger to the cherished carols around the punch bowl. This garland of Christmas poems contains not only the ones you would insist on finding here ("A Visit from St. Nicholas," "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming," and "The Twelve Days of Christmas" among them) but such equally enchanting though lesser-known Yuletide treasures as Emily Dickinson's "The Savior must have been a docile Gentleman," Anthony Hecht's "Christmas Is Coming," Rudyard Kipling's "Christmas in India," Langston Hughes's "Shepherd's Song at Christmas," Robert Graves's "The Christmas Robin," and happy surprises like Phyllis McGinley's "Office Party," Dorothy Parker's "The Maid-Servant at the Inn," and Philip Larkin's "New Year Poem."

Why celebrate the wonderful blessings of Christmas only during the holiday season when you can celebrate Christmas every day? This refreshing gift book will encourage you to ponder the many reasons to celebrate Christmas—family, friends, blessings, and of course, the true Reason for the season. Extend the Christmas spirit throughout the year with Helen Steiner Rice's A Collection of Christmas Poetry, where you’ll find the encouragement and inspiration you need to keep Christmas in your heart.

Poetry.

Wendy Cope is a national treasure of the poetry world. This edition will be a highlight of the Christmas gift market, collecting together Cope's twelve best festive poems - jewels from decades of glittering verse - including anthology favourites such as 'The Christmas Life'. With lively illustrations to accompany the heart-warming words, this little hardback delightfully captures the spirit of the season.

"Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year is not just for Christmas, but for all time." —Helena Bonham Carter A magnificent collection of 365 passages from Shakespeare's works, for the Shakespeare scholar and neophyte alike. Make Shakespeare a part of your daily routine with Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year, a yearlong collection of passages from Shakespeare's greatest works. Drawing from the full spectrum of plays and sonnets to mark each day of the year, whether it's a scene from Hamlet to celebrate Christmas or a Sonnet in June to help you enjoy a summer's day. There are also passages to mark important days in the Shakespeare calendar, both from his own life and from his plays: You'll read a pivotal speech from Julius Caesar on the Ides of March and celebrate Valentine's day with a sonnet. Every passage is accompanied by an enlightening note to teach you its significance and help you better appreciate the timelessness and poetry of Shakespeare's words. Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year will give you a thoughtful way reflect on each day, all while giving you a deeper appreciation for the most famous writer in the English language.

Packed full of funny Christmas poems, parodies and nonsense verse by contemporary UK poets Max Scratchmann, Paul Curtis and Patrick Winstanley, The Peculiar Poetry Collection of Funny Christmas Verse distills the true spirit of Christmas - comic, misanthropic, dyspeptic, or sometimes just sick. The collection is presented chronologically, taking the reader in seven easy leaps from the eager anticipation of Christmas, through the fun and festivities, to the bitter aftertaste. Meet Pip, the ineffably jolly penguin who gets on everyone's tits, revel in the feminist retelling of the story of The Three Wise Men and discover the feminine hygiene product set to be a Christmas sensation. Oddly compelling and compellingly odd, you'll enjoy a roller coaster ride through the festive peaks - drinking, feasting and flirtation - and troughs - hangovers, religion and relations - in an anthology overflowing with Christmas good cheer. Perfect as a present for a hard to please relative (any relative!), a secret Santa gift for a colleague, or a small indulgence for oneself, The Peculiar Poetry Collection of Funny Christmas Verse is ribald, riotous and on occasion very rude.