A Christmas Prayer, by Robert Louis Stevenson

 

Who knew Robert Louis Stevenson had written a poem titled A Christmas Prayer?

Certainly not me, until I was scanning a few listings for my Etsy shop and came upon this vintage card which I estimated to be not all that old (although it has an older look to it) -- probably from the 1980s.  The card is by Marian Heath.

The card front has a lovely design, sort of an illuminated style but without any gold, and simply the title and author of the poem.

Inside, though, is the poem itself, all in red calligraphy and the same lovely sort of design as the card front.

In case it's hard to read, here is the poem:

"Help us rightly to remember the birth of Jesus,

that we may share in the song of the Angels,

the gladness of the shepherds, 

and the worship of the Wise Men.

Close the door of  hate and open the door of love

all over the world.

Let kindness come with every gift

and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing that Christ brings,

and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning 

make us happy to be Thy children, 

and the Christmas evening

bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,

forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake.  Amen."

What a treasure!  I have five of these, so I'm planning to list four on Etsy and keep one for myself!

Because it is Christmas

 

 Now, I don't know whether to call this a poem or a quote.  But I thought it would be an inspiring thing to share in my Christmas kitchen this season, so here it is.  I found this unused Christmas card in my mother's card stash and have set it aside to send to someone special at some point. Or, I may simply list it for sale in my Etsy shop.

In case you can't read it, here are the words:

"I am thinking of you today because it is Christmas, and I wish you happiness.  And tomorrow, because it will be the day after Christmas, I shall still wish you happiness.  I may not be able to tell you about it every day, because I may be far away or we may be very busy.  But that makes no difference -- my thoughts and my wishes will be with you just the same.  Whatever joy or success comes to you will make me glad.  Clear through the year ... I wish you the spirit of Christmas." -- Henry van Dyke

I didn't really know much about Henry van Dyke, so decided to do a quick search and learn a little more.  Here's what I read on AmericanLiterature.com.  

"Henry van Dyke was an American author, educator and clergyman, born in 1852 in Germantown, Pennsylvania.

He attended Princeton University, graduating in 1873 from then matriculated at the Princeton Theological Seminary from which he graduated in 1877. He returned to Princeton as a professor of English literature, a post that he held from 1899 - 1923 but it was not without interruption. From 1908–09 Dr. van Dyke was an American lecturer at the University of Paris. And in 1913 his former classmate, President Wilson, appointed him Minister to the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

As a member of the clergy, Christmas and Easter were special holidays for Henry van Dyke. He wrote some popular Christmas stories including; The Other Wise Men, The First Christmas Tree, and Keeping Christmas. "

Henry van Dyke

 
There you have it.   This Christmas card shares a lovely sentiment for friends or loved ones.

A lovely untitled poem from a vintage Ideals

 I thought I would share one more poem for Christmas in July.  This is one that I found in the front of the 1980 Christmas Ideals magazine pictured above.  It appears to be untitled, but the author is Helen Shick.  Here it is:

May the peace and love of Jesus Christ
    Go with you on your way,
And bless your home and loved ones
    In spirit Christmas Day.

May the joy of God's bright promise --
    The Advent of His Son --
Live evermore within each heart
    And comfort everyone.

May the faith of old-time prophets
    Be with you where you are.
And may the truth of God's own Word
    Remain your Christmas Star.
-- Helen Shick

I especially like the first stanza and think it would be a wonderful message inside a Christmas card.  I like the last lines also: "May the truth of God's own Word remain your Christmas star."  Giving light and guidance to one's path, it seems to me.

The illustration that is with the poem in the magazine is black and white, but it closely resembles this 1950s vintage Christmas card:

Hope you have enjoyed this lovely, meaningful poem.

A sweet poem -- "Merry Christmas"

 

 It's time for a poem!!  I found this poem in an older Christmas Ideals magazine.  The author is Margaret Ann Rorke.  The fun graphic at the top of this post is a vintage Christmas card that sold in my Etsy shop some time ago.

Here's the poem:

MERRY CHRISTMAS

The sparkle from a pair of eyes
Lit up by Santa's sweet surprise,
A hearty laugh from one himself
Who acts a bit like that old elf,
A healthy home with spicy smells
That blend with pine, a few church bells,
Some cards, a visit from a friend,
A moment that you'll have to spend
Rereading Luke, some carols sung;
All this and more you'll find among
The wishes that I wish your way
To merry-up your Christmas Day.

-- Margaret Rorke

What a fun little poem!  When you think about what you wish for friends and family at the Christmas season, the things the author mentions here are definitely among them.  

Who doesn't love watching the "sparkle from a pair of eyes" as someone opens a gift to find just what they wanted -- or, even better, something they didn't even know they wanted!

Hearty laughter, the scents of pine and gingerbread -- all are aspects of delightful Christmas times at home.  

Church bells pealing, friendly visits, a mailbox full of Christmas cards -- these things make the season just delightful.  

Most importantly, quiet moments to hum a few carols and to reread the Christmas story from the book of Luke.  I wish all of these for my loved ones.  How about you?

Another lovely Christmas poem: A Winter Day

 

 Regular readers know that I often feature Christmas poems from vintage magazines.  Here's one from a 1980 Christmas Ideals issue.

A WINTER DAY

'Tis Christmas again and once more as before
We  hang up the holly outside the front door.
The hills and valleys are covered with snow,
Brushed with crystals of ice that glow.
From towering trees, from shrubs, each tiny strand
Glistens in winter's fairyland.
The snow, like a veil, drawn across earth's face,
Falls from each branch like frothy lace
And the wind fingers lightly hill and plain,
Chanting a soft cathedral strain;
Through the windowed trees, the sun's clear, bright gaze
Cloaks the world in a golden haze;
Transforming this earthly vision of ice
To reflection of Paradise.
'Tis Christmas again and once more as before
We  hang up the holly outside the front door.

-- Margaret Phillips Succop

I've always enjoyed Christmas cards that feature front doors, often open, with seasonal greens adorning them.  That's what I thought of when I read this poem.  Hope you enjoyed it too.

One more poem: "A Christmas Song"

 

Here is one last poem as Christmas in July begins to draw to a close.  This is another that I found in a vintage Christmas Ideals magazine, and is by a favorite poet, Mildred L. Jarrell.

A CHRISTMAS SONG

Joyfully upon the air
There comes a sweet refrain,
For carols bring the message
That it's Christmastime again.

Music ringing round the town
Proclaims the Savior's birth,
Filling hearts with hope anew
Of peace to men on earth.

Harken to the angels' song;
Let earth receive her King;
Filled with spirit, loud and strong,
Lift up your voice and sing.

Keep in your heart a Christmas song,
And let the words convey
The message of the carols
To all men this Christmas day.

-- Mildred L. Jarrell

This just conjures up images from vintage Christmas carol books, don't you think? The one at top seems to fit particularly well here.

Another beautiful Christmas poem

 

Today I'm sharing another poem from an older Ideals Christmas magazine.   This is such a beautiful description of a festive Christmas room.

CHRISTMAS

A golden taper burning on the table,
A pine tree dressed in brightly colored light,
A row of boxes tied with scarlet ribbons,
A single star appearing in the night.

A wreath of evergreens outside the window,
The mistletoe and holly spread galore,
The smoldering branches in the open fireplace,
A group of carolers singing at the door.

The smell of ginger cookies in the oven,
A beaming child that scurries far and near,
The twinkling eyes, the ringing merry laugher --
Oh, Christmas, what a joyous time of year!

-- Carolyn Sue Peterson

I couldn't find a vintage Christmas card in my collection that really fit the picture this poem conjures up.  So I ended up choosing two -- a living room (I think) and a kitchen.

What a joyous time of year indeed!  I can almost smell those ginger cookies baking in the oven, can't you?

A lovely Christmas poem -- "Going Home"

 

Here is a lovely poem -- "Going Home", by LaVerne P. Larson.  I found it in a Christmas Ideals from 2000, but I believe the poem to be a vintage one.  

GOING HOME

I'm going home for Christmas,
To that lovely place aglow
With a special magic splendor
I have always treasured so.

I'm going home for Christmas,
Where love waits at the door
And my heart is ever welcome
To share happiness in store.

I'm going home for Christmas,
Across the sparkling snow
To hear stories, bells, and carols
And bask in candleglow.

I'm going home for Christmas
To help trim the Christmas tree
And give gifts to all my loved ones
Who mean so much to me.

I'm going home for Christmas
Because I love it there;
Its open arms envelop me
With blessings I may share.

-- LaVerne P. Larson

This just conjures for me a picture of my grandmother's farm and how so many of the aunts, uncles and cousins would come "home for Christmas".  It seems to me that this poem describes how we all felt about coming to the farm for Christmas.  If you would like, you can read about those midcentury memories here: Christmas on the Farm.  

How blessed I am to have such memories of Christmases past!

A nostalgic Christmas poem: "The Buying of Gifts"

 

 I've found over time that I tend to really enjoy poems by Grace Noll Crowell.  This is one that I found in the 1957 Christmas Ideals magazine.  

THE BUYING OF GIFTS

When I was a child on my father's farm,
And Christmastime drew near,
I would trudge thru the snow to the little town ....
Oh, the memory is quite clear
Of the little girl with a quarter to spend
For parents, for brother, and sister, and friend.

My scarlet mittens and scarlet hood
Were white with glistening snow,
My eyes were shining with eagerness,
My frost-bright cheeks aglow,
As I went gladly, hurrying down
To the novelty store in the little town.

And oh, the rapture, the sheer delight!
The shop's small windows shone
With beautiful things .... and there was I
With a quarter all my own!
I searched --- and would wonders never cease?
I found five gifts for a nickel apiece.

Such beautiful gifts!  And trudging home
Thru the winter dusk, I knew
A joy and a glowing happiness
That has lasted the long years thru.
For something of that far Christmastime
Stayed in my heart and it still is mine.

-- Grace Noll Crowell

Such a sweet poem!  It reminds me a bit of when our own kids were very young -- that is, not earning money on their own yet.  We would give them, if I remember right, $5 and take them to a discount store where they could find inexpensive gifts for everyone on their list.  How carefully they used that money to find just the right gift for each family member!

Aglow with friendship's light

 

Many of my readers know that I have an Etsy shop where I am selling much of the contents of a New Hampshire attic.  Mostly I'm selling used greeting cards and children's books.  Recently I was listing the card pictured above.  If you happen to be acquainted with vintage Christmas cards, you will recognize this as a Brownie Christmas card by Rust Craft.  They were very popular back in the 1940s and 1950s.  This one is a newer card, but I believe it is reprinted from an older design.  I think the artist is Erica von Kager, but there is no signature so I'm not sure.

See the little Brownie emblem from the card back?

  This Christmas card image is charming, featuring six or seven small angels carrying lanterns. They are making their way through a village of tall stone buildings and lighting the street lamps. It seems as if they are going into the buildings to light lamps there also. Above the town is a night sky in a pretty dark blue, spangled with stars. Although this is not a bright colorful Christmas card, it is gilded with many touches of metallic gold and is quite charming.

I do realize that we have no idea what angels truly look like (except that sometimes in the Bible we see them looking like very ordinary people, and in other instances they are so obviously celestial beings that they caution people not to be afraid of them).  Almost certainly they don't look like the ones in this image.  But I still find it charming, and the little poem inside the card is absolutely delightful:

A well-worn path runs through our thoughts,
With lighted lamps along the way,
That mark the memories we share
Of many a happy bygone day. 
And now that Christmas time is here
Those lamps are shining bright
With memories and thoughts of you
Aglow with friendship's light.

That is so beautiful to me.  It's very interesting in reading these old cards that many carry very simple messages, something as basic as "Merry Christmas" or "Season's Greetings" while others include more sentimental messages for friends and family.  In this particular card, the message itself was quite short and simple: "Thinking of you with best wishes at Christmas", but then on the facing side was the sweet little poem above.  What dear friendships the unknown writer must have had in mind when he or she penned these words!

I know this much: their words moved me to tears.

Christmas poem: The Story that Never Grows Old

 

 This poem, written by Ottis Shirk, is from Christmas Ideals from 1957.  The image at top is a scanned vintage Christmas card from my collection.

THE STORY THAT NEVER GROWS OLD

Let us pause and take time again to read
The story so often told,
Of the village obscure, the manger and child,
The story that never grows old.

The shepherds abiding nearby in the field,
Keeping watch o'er their flocks, and then
The Angel's appearance with the Heavenly Host,
Saying, 'Peace and good will to men.'

The story of the Wise Men from the East
In their journey from afar
In search of Him, born King of the Jews,
Saying, 'We have seen His star'.

Meditatingly read the old story
In a thoughtful, prayerful, way,
And find Bethlehem's child of the manger
Is the hope of the world today.

-- Ottis Shirk

It's true, the story has so often been told.  Yet it is also true that it never grows old.  And it seems more true than ever that Jesus is the hope -- the only hope -- for our world today.

A Christmas poem: Sleigh Ride

 

Here's another Christmas poem for you all this Christmas in July.  It's another from a vintage Christmas Ideals magazine.

SLEIGH RIDE

Beside the hearth the sleigh bells hang
And wait my touch to sound again
That joyous ring that once we heard
As prancing steed tossed high his mane.

Our songs were gay, our laughter rang
Across the fields of glist'ning snow,
For we were young with carefree hearts
Those Christmas Eves of long ago.

"We're going home.  We're going home."
Those singing bells would seem to say
As round the bend to lanterned door
Our cutter sparked its icy way.

And now the holly spray I twine
Between each shining silver bell.
I'm glad I lived in sleighing years
That only in my memory dwell.

-- Martha D. Tourison

I am just a little bit too young to have lived "in sleighing years", but I loved this poem!

A Christmas poem: The Shepherd

Another July Sunday, and here is another Christmas poem from a vintage Christmas Ideals magazine.  This one, by John Davenport Womack,  is written from the point of view of a shepherd at the manger.  I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.

THE SHEPHERD

I do not think I'm likely to forget
The brilliance of the star that blazed that night,
And in my ear the song's resounding yet
Of that celestial choir whose voices bright

With hope and promise filled the shining air;
Rang from the nestling hills, rang from the earth
Where slept our flocks that night, all unaware
These voices heralded a Saviour's birth.

We went into the stable where He lay
And my poor gift of love placed at His feet.
He smiled on me.  The place grew bright as day,
And there was peace, ineffable and sweet.

-- John Davenport Womack

The nativity scene at top features a stable made by my dad, and the lovely figures they had used over the years.  I have always loved the shepherd boy with the lamb across his shoulders, and am so happy to own these figures now.

A Christmas poem: First Christmas

 

Image from Pixabay

From another vintage Christmas Ideals, I've picked out another poem to share with you all.  This one is written by Betty W. Stoffel.  The title, First Christmas, doesn't refer to the birth of Jesus as you might suppose.  Yet it is beautiful and most meaningful.  I hope all of you will enjoy it.

FIRST CHRISTMAS

Dear son, you're far too small to know
What sets the Christmas heart aglow.
You'll only look with grave surprise
As colors dance before your eyes.
The manger scene, the lighted star,
The greeting cards from near and far,
The splendor of a lovely tree,
The carols of eternity,
These shall be meaningless this year
To little eye and little ear.

First Christmas! O my tiny son,
For me it is a special one:
For I, who hold you close, have trod
Those sacred steps that lead to God.
And so, for both of us, I know
What sets the Christmas heart aglow;
So I shall see and I shall hear
For both of us this Christmas, dear.
I feel so close to Him through you,
For once God's Son was little too.

-- Betty W. Stoffel

A Christmas poem: Childhood Christmas

 

 In an older Ideals Christmas magazine, I found the following sweet poem by June R. Collins:

Childhood Christmas

The tree with its candles cheerful and bright
Has etched itself deeply in memory's sight.
The toys were not many, the fare was not grand,
But I was the luckiest child in the land.

The snow sparkled sharply outside the door,
And the house a bright mantle of icicles wore.
But the inside was warm with the love that was there
With a spirit of giving and wanting to share.

The popcorn was strung and the cranberries too;
The shabby old ornaments even looked new.
The story of Christmas was read to us all,
And the carols we sang I still can recall.

Then snuggled in bed on a cold Christmas night
And up with the first of the dawn's faintest light.
Yes, there stood the tree, the most beautiful ever;
It was and it is and it will be forever.

~ June R. Collins

This very much describes my own childhood Christmases, especially the third stanza where stringing cranberries and popcorn is described.  We usually strung only popcorn, but I think one year we did alternate with cranberries.  The phrase "the shabby old ornaments even looked new" surely speaks of those days.  So many of our ornaments were old, and were more shabby than not.  Yet we treasured each one and enjoyed placing them just so on that beautiful Christmas tree each year!

Merry Christmas!

 

Gorgeous image is from Gooseberry Patch

Mr. T and I would like to wish all of our friends a very Merry Christmas!  

 Our day started off with our usual quiet times and then a very simple breakfast of cheesy scrambled eggs and wonderful rye bread from our neighbor Walter (his traditional gift to us) and clementines.  This is a simpler Christmas breakfast than we ordinarily enjoy, but Mr. T wanted to get to his usual Saturday morning flag wave.  

I have a couple more small gifts to wrap and then need to put together a salad and a cookie and fudge tray to take to our daughter's where we will be for dinner and the afternoon.  During that time we will likely Skype or FaceTime with our Nevada daughter and her family.

I can't think of a nicer way to extend our Christmas wish to all of you than to share this beautiful poem by the beloved writer Edgar Guest:

God bless you all
This Christmas Day;
May Bethlehem's star
Still light the way,
And guide thee to
The perfect peace
When every fear
And doubt shall cease,
And may thy home
Such glory know
As did the stable
Long ago.

Edgar A. Guest

I pray that each of us may find that place of "perfect peace when every fear and doubt shall cease".  We can find it by committing ourselves to the Lord Jesus and by staying our minds upon who He is and the truths of His Word.  Isaiah 26:3 and Philippians 4:6-7 tell us more about God's perfect peace that surpasses all human understanding.  Perhaps you might like to look those Scriptures up sometime today.

 May you enjoy a blessed Christmas day and week and a very happy, healthy 2022!

Poem: Song for Christmas

 

 Time for a Christmas poem.  I've shared so many of these, over the years, that I always have to do a search of my own blogs just to be sure I'm not inadvertently repeating one.  This is a poem I found in an Ideals Christmas magazine from 2010.  It's by Sudie Stuart Hager.

Song for Christmas

I love the Yuletide's radiant things --
The treetop angel's spun-glass wings,
Each scarlet ball and tinseled limb,
The tapers sputtering, soft and dim,
The light in happy children's eyes,
A bright-faced doll that talks and cries,
The log that sparkles on the grate,
The glow that follows through the gate,
A neighboring window's candle-wreath,
The snow, like burnished gold, beneath,
And the sky, bright jeweled o'erhead,
As on that night above His bed.

-- Sudie Stuart Hager

These poets always say it so much better than I could.  So many of them say just what I would like to say if I had only been able to put my thoughts together in verse.  When I read this poem I can vividly picture so much of what she has shared.  We have a glass angel -- not a treetop one, but a small glass angel playing a glass flute.  So pretty and a lovely reminder of our youngest daughter who plays the flute.

The phrase "each scarlet ball and tinseled limb" brings such clear memories of my grandmother's Christmas trees, with glowing glass balls and limbs liberally tinseled and icicled.  Oh, I could go through every phrase of this poem and conjure up a picture or a memory.  Think of that next-to-last phrase about the sky being "bright jeweled" overhead.  How many times have I seen the night sky simply sparkling with stars against a black velvet background?  My heart aches for people who have never seen this.

The other day when our grandchildren were with us, a John McDermott CD was playing and my 13-year-old grandson and I were talking of the song "Christmas Memories".  He commented that it almost made him sad for people who have never had such Christmas memories as his family has had.  And I am feeling the same way as I read and discuss this poem with you all.  How very blessed we have been! 

A lovely Blue Christmas card and poem

 

I simply love blue Christmas scenes.  I know they are not for everyone and I absolutely love the traditional Christmas scenes and colors as well, but there is just something about those blue ones!

This gorgeous blue forest scene is from a Christmas card.  I only have the front of the card, the back having been torn off some time ago, likely before it came into my possession.  Still, I felt it was unmistakably a Leanin' Tree card.

You will notice that the artist has signed his or her name simply "GARE".  I was very curious to learn more about the artist, so did a bit of research.  

Here is some of what I found out: Margaret Wynnfred Williams, aka Gare Barks, was born in Hilo, Hawaii. She was born Margaret Wynnfred Williams on December 6, 1917. Since there were two Margarets in her class at school, she elected to use the shortened name of Garé.  She was educated in Honolulu and in Boston, eventually becoming a commercial artist.  In 1954 she married Carl Barks, who was also an artist.  Many of Gare's paintings ended up as greeting cards with Leanin' Tree, and can be seen at the Leanin' Tree Western Art Museum. During the Gulf War, Leanin' Tree chose one of her paintings to send as a greeting card to the troops to remind them of home. Gare Barks died on March 10, 1993.

Isn't this scene beautiful?  If you look closely, back by the evergreen tree in the middle of the picture, there are two deer.

And here is the lovely poem that was inside the cover of this card: 

Hope you have enjoyed this lovely winter forest scene and poem, as well as learning a little bit about the artist!

One last poem: "The Little Lights of Christmas"

 

Here's one last poem for Christmas in July: The Little Lights of Christmas, by Polly Prindle.  All of my readers know that I love Christmas lights, but I may have overdone it in choosing poems for this July -- 3 out of 4 of them had to do with lights!  Still, I think you will enjoy this poem.

The Little Lights of Christmas

I love the lights of Christmas,
The candleflame that gleams
From clear unshaded windows
In golden-threaded streams.

I love each bulb that glistens
On every spicy tree,
And every star seems brighter
At Christmastime to me.

But the little lamps that thrill me
From earth up to the skies
Are the little lights of Christmas
That shine in children's eyes.
-- Polly Prindle

When I read about the light gleaming "from clear unshaded windows in golden-threaded streams", it brought back a picture to my mind.  Numerous times last Christmas season we drove to spend an evening with our dear young friends Sam and Jenn.  One of the homes we passed had a front door with small narrow windows along its sides.  From these windows light streamed out onto the snow.  It was so pretty!

Even more, like the poet, I love seeing the "little lights of Christmas" gleaming from children's eyes this wonderful time of year.

A sweet poem: Christmas Assembly

 

Today I'm featuring another Christmas poem from an older Ideals Christmas magazine.  This one, called Christmas Assembly, will bring back touching memories for anyone who has ever attended their children's Christmas concerts.  The poem is by Mary Lou Carney, and a fine poet she is.

CHRISTMAS ASSEMBLY

Today is the Christmas assembly.

I sit with other parents
on brown metal chairs,
all watching the orchestra
file into the gym
wondering when our children
became so tall
    so grown-up
        so serious.

Fluorescent lights glint off
brightly polished baritones
highly buffed cellos.

Stuffy air is shattered by
scrambled sounds of squeaks
    and plinks
rumbling groans of bows
drawn across taut strings
as each musician
tackles the task of tuning.

The conductor steps onto
the small black platform,
flanked by poinsettias and pine.
Silence.
His baton hovers in the air
like a mute hummingbird.
Every eye is his.

The baton moves lightly;
the music begins --
filling the gym with
stirring strains of
    remembered carols
melodic magic of
    well-orchestrated parts
and I silently celebrate
the birth of Christ
    who
        tunes
            orchestrates
                conducts
my life.

-- Mary Lou Carney

Isn't that beautiful?  What a picture Mary Lou Carney paints with her words!

I especially love the thought of Christ tuning, orchestrating, and conducting my life.  So meaningful.