Christmas Poems

by U.A. Fanthorpe

U.A. Fanthorpe's Christmas Poems gathers together the poems she wrote and sent to friends as Christmas cards from 1974 to 2002. Now readers can enjoy Fanthorpe's yearly output in its entirety. Her subject matter covers a broad range of seasonal characters, from angels to personified Christmas trees, and a variety of styles to match, from moments of beautiful lyricism to the comically touching Gloucestershire foxes begging baby Jesus to 'Come live wi we under Westridge / Where the huntin folk be few'. Fanthorpe is witty and highly original, rethinking the Christmas story from quirky angles, to create her own alternative Christmas legend – from the cat and the sheep-dog left out of the stable, to the wicked fairy's gifts for Jesus. Above all, these poems are celebrations of Christmas joy and love.

Genres: Poetry, Christmas

68 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

About the author

Ursula Askham Fanthorpe (published as U. A. Fanthorpe) was an English poet. She was educated at St Catherine's School, Bramley in Surrey and at St Anne's College, Oxford, where she received a first-class degree in English language and literature, and subsequently taught English at Cheltenham Ladies' College for sixteen years. She then abandoned teaching for jobs as a secretary, receptionist and hospital clerk in Bristol - in her poems, she later remembered some of the patients for whose records she had been responsible.

Her first volume of poetry, Side Effects, was published in 1978. She was "Writer-in-Residence" at St Martin's College, Lancaster (now University of Cumbria)(1983–85), as well as Northern Arts Fellow at Durham and Newcastle Universities.

In 1987 Fanthorpe went freelance, giving readings around the country and occasionally abroad. In 1994 she was nominated for the post of Professor of Poetry at Oxford. Her nine collections of poems were published by Peterloo Poets. Her Collected Poems came out in 2005. Many of her poems are for two voices. In her readings the other voice is that of Bristol academic and teacher R.V. "Rosie" Bailey, Fanthorpe's life partner of 44 years. The couple co-wrote a collection of poems, From Me To You: Love Poems, that was published in 2007 by Enitharmon.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fanthorpe’s name was not overly familiar to me, but apparently she’s been championed by Carol Ann Duffy. I first heard one of her poems read aloud at a Christmas concert I attended in Bath earlier in the month. I read all of her Christmas-themed poems through the Collected Poems, 1978–2003 volume. They are charming blends of the mundane and the mystical, with little touches of humor.

A few favorite lines:

“And this was the moment / When a few farm workers and three / Members of an obscure Persian sect // Walked haphazard by starlight straight / Into the kingdom of heaven.” (from “BC:AD”)

“Not your fault, Virgin, / Muddling along in the manger, / With your confused old man, / Your bastard baby, in conditions / No social worker could possibly approve.” (from “The Contributors)

“In the story, I’m not there. / Ox and ass, arranged at prayer: / But me? Nowhere.” (from “Cat in the Manger”)

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable, very witty, and a nice Christmas read.

[Beverley · Rating 5 out of 5]

l just love this book!!! I read it every Christmas and still enjoy the short, quirky poems that look at the festive season in a different light and often make me say 'aaah lovely' out loud.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book on a whim some years ago with the intention of reading it on the lead up to Christmas... then forgot about it. I was already familiar with U A Fanthorpe's poetry. I came across it a few times but it didn't seem right to read it in May or July, so I reaffirmed my intentions to read it in December, and so it went on.
This year I saw it at the end of November, probably because I have spent more time at home (due to Covid restrictions) and at last I read it, savoured it at exactly the time it should be read, through December.
I treated myself to one poem a day, so as not to over-indulge and be able to let each one settle within me and enjoy them all. And I have, enjoyed them all immensely, as individual pieces of work.
It wasn't long before I was looking forward to each poem, squirrelling myself away and stealing a minute or two in my day, like a meditation, or a Yoga session, the world of virus's and quarantines and work full of PPE, and stress, and Boris talking about tiers were all left outside, for a moment.
The poems are funny and thought provoking and clever. Many take our traditions and festivities out of context, others re-examine the story of the baby in the manger. Every one was a joy to read and I am so glad that I read it now, when I needed it. It can only be read and fully appreciated on the run up to Christmas and this book is going to be one of my yearly traditions, my present-to-self, each year from now on.

[StephanieNicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of poems the author wrote for her yearly Christmas cards along with the accompanying art that was drawn by a friend. The poems are eclectic: the focus varies from modern, Biblical, to obscure (ex. animals in the manger) characters, and some poems are humorous while some are serious, but they are all creative and festive. As with any collection, some of the poems I enjoyed more than others, and some of them I didn't understand, but I would have loved to have received these as Christmas cards over the years.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many unexpected perspectives of the Christmas narrative here.

I was drawn to this slim volume after finding Fanthorpe (a Quaker, who wrote a poem every Christmas for her acquaintances for nearly three decades) in Haphazard by Starlight, the volume of Advent poems which takes its title from the powerful ending of Fanthorpe's poem, "BC:AD." I recognized the name, having heard it first in the following poem, also to be found in this collection. It remains a favorite and is a good sample of Fanthorpe's style, the wry surprise of her insights:

The Wicked Fairy at the Manger

My gift for the child:
No wife, kids, home.
No money sense. Unemployable.
Friends, yes, but the wrong sort—
The workshy, women, wimps,
Petty infringers of the law, persons
With notifiable diseases,
Poll tax collectors, tarts;
The bottom rung.
His end?
I think we’ll make it
Public, prolonged, painful.
“Right,” said the baby, “That was roughly
What we had in mind.”

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good selection of poems for the Christmas season. I like the way she set herself to write a new poem each year for her Christmas cards. My favourite is ‘The Sheepdog’.
“I had to stay behind wi’ sheep.
Pity they didn’t tek me along, too.
I’m good wi’ sheep,
And the baby might have liked a dog
After all that myrrh and such.”

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked "BC–AD," "The Wicked Fairy at the Manger" (see here), and "Christmas Traffic." "Dear True Love" and "The Biographers" were okay.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little book of poems sent as Christmas cards over a period of 28 years. Some more than others hit home, but the process and the general good nature of the poet and illustrator radiate throughout.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

My gosh these poems are spectacular. I may have expected something a little cheesy. These are brilliant, thoughtful, well-crafted, wise poems. I’ll keep these close at hand.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these poems I already knew, but there are a lot here I didn't know. Personally, I thought the standard wasn't always completely even. But, overall, it's a volume of poetry I will treasure, and worth every penny of the £9.99 it cost me.

[Ian Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

did not take a year to read. was given one poem to help with a Christmas service I was writing and had to read the book

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of these poems are good, and many of them outstanding. Lots of fun.