Christmas-ish Poems
6th December : Saint Nicholas Day
Remember remember
the 6th of December.
It’s Saint Nicholas Day! Headline News!
When stockinged Romanians
and barefoot Hungarians
find gifts in their sandals and shoes.
the 6th of December.
It’s Saint Nicholas Day! Headline News!
When stockinged Romanians
and barefoot Hungarians
find gifts in their sandals and shoes.
17th December: Saturnalia Day
Two and half thousand years ago today
the first Saturnalia got under way.
Here’s what one Roman slave had to say!
Well…
it’s kind of a topsy turvy
toga party,
for the well-to-do
and the arty farty,
who turn the tables
and serve their slaves
and generally
misbehave.
They exchange rude gifts,
and recite rude rhymes,
and dance daft dances,
and have a whale of a time!
How very amusing!
But for slaves like us
it always ends in cryin’!
For tomorrow
we’ll be thrown to the lions!
But heh!
Let’s not the spoil the fun, okay?
Happy Saturnalia Day!
the first Saturnalia got under way.
Here’s what one Roman slave had to say!
Well…
it’s kind of a topsy turvy
toga party,
for the well-to-do
and the arty farty,
who turn the tables
and serve their slaves
and generally
misbehave.
They exchange rude gifts,
and recite rude rhymes,
and dance daft dances,
and have a whale of a time!
How very amusing!
But for slaves like us
it always ends in cryin’!
For tomorrow
we’ll be thrown to the lions!
But heh!
Let’s not the spoil the fun, okay?
Happy Saturnalia Day!
20th December 1946: A Wonderful Day
On this day
in ‘46’
It’s a Wonderful Life
hit the New York flicks,
and Jimmy Stewart’s
wholesome drawl
made grown men weep
and women bawl.
Two lessons
can be learned from this
number one movie
on the Christmas list:
One:
Every act,
however small
has an impact
on us all
Two:
Every time
a bell rings
an angel gets its wings…
…and the box office till goes
… ker-ching!
in ‘46’
It’s a Wonderful Life
hit the New York flicks,
and Jimmy Stewart’s
wholesome drawl
made grown men weep
and women bawl.
Two lessons
can be learned from this
number one movie
on the Christmas list:
One:
Every act,
however small
has an impact
on us all
Two:
Every time
a bell rings
an angel gets its wings…
…and the box office till goes
… ker-ching!
23rd December 1888 : A Joyeux Noël for V.V.G
On this day
in eighteen eighty eight
Vincent Van Gogh,
in a bit of a state,
cut off his ear,
and as a Joyeux Noël
gave it to a girl
called Gabrielle.
(Why?
A rabid dog had bit Gaby on the arm
And Vince believed his ear would keep her from harm.)
An unusual gift
is a severed lug,
Gabs expected perfume
a painting or a mug.
But it’s the thought that counts and Vincent’s thoughts,
though weird, were also plucky.
She survived the rabid dog bite.
Poor Vince was not so lucky.
in eighteen eighty eight
Vincent Van Gogh,
in a bit of a state,
cut off his ear,
and as a Joyeux Noël
gave it to a girl
called Gabrielle.
(Why?
A rabid dog had bit Gaby on the arm
And Vince believed his ear would keep her from harm.)
An unusual gift
is a severed lug,
Gabs expected perfume
a painting or a mug.
But it’s the thought that counts and Vincent’s thoughts,
though weird, were also plucky.
She survived the rabid dog bite.
Poor Vince was not so lucky.
This poem is copyright (©) Stewart Ennis 2025
About the Writer
Stewart Ennis
Stewart lives in Glasgow. He writes books, plays, stories and poems, and takes quite a lot of photographs. His work has been widely performed and published on a variety of stages and pages. Most recently he wrote Yoyo and the Little Auk for the RSNO (Royal Scottish National Orchestra).
