Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, WITH BEST WISHES, by DOROTHY PARKER


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

WITH BEST WISHES, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Glad christmas day once more has come
Last Line: "and a highly colored copy of ""that old sweetheart of mine."
Alternate Author Name(s): Rothschild, Dorothy
Subject(s): Christmas; Christmas Gifts; Santa Claus; Nativity, The; Nicholas, Saint


Glad Christmas Day once more has come --
There's little novelty in that.
It's welcomed eagerly by some,
Which isn't to be marveled at.
Their stockings hold a house and a lot
(I hope you gather what I mean),
A picturesquely furnished yacht,
A next year's model limousine,
A sable wrap of graceful cut,
A sheaf of checks for vast amounts;
It's not the thought that matters, but
The gift which goes with it that counts.

But I'll get a multitude of seasonable cards,
A bowl full of lily bulbs, approaching their decease;
A pair of gilded shoe-trees, with appropriate regards,
And a leather-bound "Evangeline," with colored frontispiece.

It's scarcely any wonder that
The season finds me all unmoved,
For Father Christmas leaves me flat --
Step-Father Christmas, it has proved.
'Twas ever thus -- from early youth
I've seen my hopes decay, because
Too soon I learned the bitter truth:
There isn't any Santa Claus.
Each Yuletide mocks my touching trust;
Though give and let give is my plea,
It's Christmas Day for some, but just
December twenty-fifth for me.

For I'll get a paper-weight, to crush my Christmas cheer,
A hand-painted needle-case, a brace of button-hooks,
A host of cordial wishes for a prosperous new year,
And a holiday edition of the "Rubaiyat," de luxe.

I've often heard that some there are --
How hard such tales are to believe! --
To prove that costlier by far
It is to give than to receive.
On Christmas they present their friends
With motor cars, and pearls in strings,
And blocks of stocks with dividends,
And other useful little things.
Though I have no such benefits,
I sing the Christmas spirit's praise.
I know the giver's thrill -- for it's
A poor Yule which won't work both ways.

So I'll give a laundry bag, of chintz refined, yet gay;
A tooth-brush container of fanciful design,
A flock of timely greetings for a snappy Christmas Day,
And a highly colored copy of "That Old Sweetheart of Mine."





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net