Christmas

Ririro.com - Poetry · Aug 4, 2026 · 2m · transcript

"Christmas" by William Henry Davies bursts open with a call to abandon study, care, and social division in favour of food, drink, and shared humanity. The poet-speaker throws his doors wide to beggars and strangers alike, insisting that fine cloth and golden coins mean nothing when every soul swims freely together in the Christmas bowl. Across ten stanzas the poem builds from festive invitation to something bolder — a demand that old feuds dissolve, that the rich pay gladly, and that ale or whisky unites whoever holds the cup.

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