Christmas Everywhere by Phillips Brooks

This poem may use Christmas as its central image, but it is not written strictly as a Christmas poem. The poet uses the lines of the poem to suggest that, if people felt like it was Christmas everywhere, all the time, they would maintain a faithful, kind attitude more often and engage in more good deeds. 

Christmas Everywhere
Phillips Brooks

Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas to-night!Christmas in lands of the fir-tree and pine,Christmas in lands of the palm-tree and vine,Christmas where snow-peaks stand solemn and white,Christmas where corn-fields lie sunny and bright,Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas to-night!

Christmas where children are hopeful and gay,Christmas where old men are patient and gray,Christmas where peace, like a dove in its flight,Broods o’er brave men in the thick of the fight;Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

For the Christ-child who comes is the Master of all,No palace too great and no cottage too small,The angels who welcome Him sing from the height:“In the city of David, a King in his might.”Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

Then let every heart keep its Christmas within,Christ’s pity for sorrow, Christ’s hatred of sin,Christ’s care for the weakest, Christ’s courage for right,Christ’s dread of the darkness, Christ’s love of the light.Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

So the stars of the midnight which compass us roundShall see a strange glory, and hear a sweet sound,And cry, “Look! the earth is aflame with delight,O sons of the morning, rejoice at the sight.”Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

Summary 

‘Christmas Everywhere’ by Phillips Brooks is a positive and optimistic poem about the impact of Christmas around the world. 

The poem uses the same structure throughout the stanzas, describing the way that Christmas affects people before indicating that this occurs everywhere and should continue all year long. The poet mentions plants, human beings, and the Christian tradition of celebrating the birth of Christ. He indicates that he believes the faith people feel around this time of year should last all year long. 

Structure and Form 

‘Christmas Everywhere’ by Phillips Brookes is a five-stanza poem that’s divided into uneven stanzas. The first is a sestet (meaning it has six lines), the second has five, the third: five, the fourth: five, and the final stanza has five lines as well. The poem uses a great deal of repetition, seen through the use of the word “Christmas” and the repeated line, “Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!” These things also add to a feeling of rhythm in the text. 

The poet also used a rhyme scheme that varies slightly in each stanza. The first stanza rhymes ABBAAA, and the second rhymes AABBB. The latter pattern is that which is maintained throughout the majority of the stanzas. 

Literary Devices 

This poem uses a few different literary devices. For example: 

• Anaphora: the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of lines. For example: “Christmas” in lines two, three, four, and five of stanza one. 
• Epistrophe: the repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of lines. For example: “tonight” which ends the last line of each stanza.
• Refrain: the line “Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!” ends all five stanzas of the poem. 

Detailed Analysis 

Stanza One 

Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas to-night!
Christmas in lands of the fir-tree and pine,
Christmas in lands of the palm-tree and vine,
Christmas where snow-peaks stand solemn and white,
Christmas where corn-fields lie sunny and bright,
Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas to-night!

In the first stanza of this festive holiday poem, the speaker begins by noting that all over the world, “Everywhere,” it’s Christmas tonight. This is something that the speaker sees as a unifying fact of life. All people are connected by the fact that the same evening is playing out. 

The poet mentions the different lands and trees that differentiate them, indicating that all different landscapes experience the same thing. The line, “Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas to-night!” ends the stanza. The entire poem can be summarized by this single line. It is repeated, minus the dash, at the end of every stanza (creating a refrain). 

Stanzas Two and Three

Christmas where children are hopeful and gay,
Christmas where old men are patient and gray,
Christmas where peace, like a dove in its flight,
Broods o’er brave men in the thick of the fight;
Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

For the Christ-child who comes is the Master of all,
No palace too great and no cottage too small,
The angels who welcome Him sing from the height:
“In the city of David, a King in his might.”
Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

The second stanza is very similar to the first with the poet using the word “Christmas” repetitively and describing different people (rather than trees). Children are “hopeful” and “gay,” or happy throughout the world, and old men are “patient and gray.” These are unify, universal facts the poet is implying. They see the same emotions impacting different people all over the world on Christmas. 

The poet uses a simile in the next line, comparing the peace of Christmas to a “dove in its flight.” It flies over fighting men and soothes them. The season has this effect on everyone. 

In the third stanza, the poet goes on, describing Christ, who, born on Christmas, is “Master of all.” He touches all people with his grace, the poet implies, just as the Christmas season touches everyone. 

Stanza Four 

Then let every heart keep its Christmas within,
Christ’s pity for sorrow, Christ’s hatred of sin,
Christ’s care for the weakest, Christ’s courage for right,
Christ’s dread of the darkness, Christ’s love of the light.
Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

In the fourth stanza, the poet writes that he hopes all people keep “Christmas” within their hearts (even after the season is long over). This would mean following “Christ’s pity for sorrow, Christ’s hatred of sin” year round. Of course, this is a difficult task, but the season inspires the poet, and likely many others, to become better people and further devote themselves to their faith.  

Stanza Five 

So the stars of the midnight which compass us round
Shall see a strange glory, and hear a sweet sound,
And cry, “Look! the earth is aflame with delight,
O sons of the morning, rejoice at the sight.”
Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

The final stanza personifies the stars in the sky on Christmas night. They will look down on earth and say, “the earth is aflame with delight” during the Christmas season. It’s lit up, the poet implies, as the sky would normally be. The poem ends with the repetition of the same line, “Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!” that’s seen at the end of every stanza. This brings the poem back around to where it began, creating a cyclical feeling and a consistency of theme and message. Readers are unlikely to walk away from this poem without correctly interpreting the poet’s intentions. 

FAQs 

Similar Poetry 

Readers who enjoyed this poem should also consider reading some related poems. For example: 

• ‘Christmas’ by John Betjeman – describes the traditions of Christmas and how they compare to the story of the birth of Christ.
• ‘Christmas Comes to Moccasin Flat’ by James Welch – features the activities of a Native American community during Christmas.
• ‘Christmas Trees’ by Robert Frost –  depicts two different types of men, one who wants to buy Christmas trees and the other who debates selling them.