Charles Dickens’s name is synonymous with Christmas, largely thanks to the enduring power of works like A Christmas Carol. While widely celebrated for his novels and essays, Dickens also possessed a profound capacity for poetic expression, often woven into his prose. Searching for “Charles Dickens Christmas Poem” frequently leads readers to discover his evocative essay, What Christmas Is As We Grow Older, which contains a passage so rich in imagery and emotion that it is often quoted and cherished as a poem in its own right. This piece captures the universal spirit of the season, emphasizing acceptance, memory, and the timeless warmth of human connection around the Christmas hearth.
Victorian family gathered around a Christmas tree in a cozy room, illustrating Dickensian Christmas spirit
Dickens published What Christmas Is As We Grow Older in 1851. It’s a reflective essay, contemplating how our perception and experience of Christmas evolve from childhood wonder to adult understanding, encompassing both joys and sorrows, presences and absences. Within this essay lies a powerful invocation that resonates deeply with the themes of welcome and acceptance:
Welcome, everything!
Welcome, alike what has been,
and what never was,
and what we hope may be,
to your shelter underneath the holly,
to your places round the Christmas fire,
where what is sits open-hearted!
Analyzing Dickens’ Poetic Prose
This passage, though not structured with traditional poetic metre or rhyme scheme, functions like a poem through its use of apostrophe (“Welcome, everything!”), potent imagery (“shelter underneath the holly,” “places round the Christmas fire”), and thematic depth. The repetition of “Welcome” acts as an anaphora, creating a rhythmic insistence on the expansive, all-encompassing nature of the Christmas spirit as Dickens perceived it.
The lines invite not just present reality but also the past (“what has been”) and future (“what we hope may be”) to the festive gathering. This acknowledges that Christmas, especially as we age, is intertwined with memory and aspiration, tinged perhaps with nostalgia or longing, but nonetheless embraced. The inclusion of “what never was” is particularly poignant, perhaps referencing lost possibilities, unfulfilled dreams, or even the purely imagined wonders of childhood Christmas that exist only in recollection. All are welcomed to the symbolic “shelter underneath the holly” and the unifying “Christmas fire.”
The Heart of the Dickensian Christmas
The final line, “where what is sits open-hearted!”, encapsulates the core message. The Christmas fire, a central image in Dickens’s Christmas narratives, is more than just physical warmth; it is the focal point for emotional openness and genuine human connection. Around this fire, the present moment (“what is”) exists in a state of vulnerability and sincerity (“open-hearted”). This highlights the ideal Dickensian Christmas – a time when barriers drop, kindness flourishes, and people connect on a deeper, more authentic level. It’s a sentiment that forms the bedrock of stories exploring redemption and generosity. For those seeking connections that resonate deeply, exploring themes of love and shared experience can be found in poetry for lovers, often echoing the same desire for open-hearted connection Dickens describes.
This poetic reflection from Dickens serves as a powerful reminder that the true magic of Christmas lies in its capacity for acceptance and open-hearted connection. It transcends the purely materialistic or even the narrowly doctrinal, focusing instead on the universal human need for belonging, memory, and hope gathered around a shared source of warmth and light.
In conclusion, while not a formal poem, this section from What Christmas Is As We Grow Older embodies the poetic essence of Charles Dickens’s vision of Christmas. It’s a call to welcome all aspects of our experience, past, present, and future, into the circle of warmth and human connection that defines the holiday season. Its enduring message continues to resonate, reminding us of the simple yet profound power of an open heart during this special time of year.