Christmas Presents Ten Poems to Give and Receive

Christmas Presents Ten Poems to Give and Receiveby Candlestick Press. Its better to give than to receive, as the saying goes. But then, of course, there is sharing which contains a bit of both. This mini anthology of specially commissioned poems by leading poets captures the rich rewards of that exchange whether the memory of time spent with a loved one, the singing of carols or the magic of getting ready for Christmas morning with a young child: We fill your pillow case with glittered jewels and

by Candlestick Press.

It’s better to give than to receive, as the saying goes. But then, of course, there is sharing which contains a bit of both. This mini-anthology of specially-commissioned poems by leading poets captures the rich rewards of that exchange – whether the memory of time spent with a loved one, the singing of carols or the magic of getting ready for Christmas morning with a young child:

“We fill your pillow case with glittered jewels
and illuminated texts. In the morning you wake to find a room
covered with frosted leaves, berries and fairy lights.”

from ‘Midwinter Gods’ by Jessica Mookherjee.

There’s humour in an imagined baby shower for the new-born Christ-child, complete with a carpentry set and a bottle of pink fizz from someone who thought it was going to be a girl. Elsewhere we encounter an ailing family cat who recovers just in time to run rings around the Christmas tree.

This selection will delight and entertain – while also reminding us of the things that really count.

Poems by Andre Bagoo, Suzannah V Evans, Mark Fiddes, John Greening, Helen Ivory, John McCullough, Jessica Mookherjee, Pey Oh, Kelley Swain and Ben Wilkinson.

Cover illustration by Sarah Young.

Candlestick Press is a small, independent press publishing beautiful ‘Instead of a card’ poetry pamphlets. Based in Nottingham in the UK, they’ve been making their mini-anthologies since 2008. Their pamphlets are supplied with an envelope for posting, a bookmark for a special message and an ‘Instead of a card’ sticker to seal the back of the envelope for a lovely finishing touch. All items are collated in a biodegradable cellophane wrapper which is certified to the European (EN13432) norm for industrially compostable packaging and by Vincotte to the OK BIOBASED standard for sustainable, biodegradable film. All their pamphlets are printed in the UK on FSC-accredited paper.