Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Kriss Kringle

Summary


"Kriss Kringle" is a short Christmas poem in which Santa Claus, finishing his rounds by moonlight with every stocking stuffed, spots an empty oriole's nest hanging high in an elm tree. Struck by its resemblance to a stocking, the jovial old gift-giver chuckles at the thought of birds expecting presents — then, true to his generous and mischievous spirit, drops a handful of snowflakes into the nest anyway. The poem captures a quiet, magical moment between duty done and one last spontaneous act of whimsy.

Listen to audio


Read Online

Just as the moon was fading
Amid her misty rings,
And every stocking was stuffed
With childhood’s precious things,

Old Kriss Kringle looked round,
And saw on the elm-tree bough,
High-hung, an oriole’s nest,
Silent and empty now.

“Quite like a stocking,” he laughed,
“Pinned up there on the tree!
Little I thought the birds
Expected a present from me!”

Old Kriss Kringle drops snowflakes into an oriole's nest in a winter elm tree, illustrating the poem "Kriss Kringle."

Then old Kriss Kringle, who loves
A joke as well as the best,
Dropped a handful of flakes
In the oriole’s empty nest.

Credits

Thomas Bailey Aldrich was a 19th-century American poet, novelist, and editor, best known for his autobiographical novel *The Story of a Bad Boy* and his influential tenure as editor of *The Atlantic Monthly*. "Kriss Kringle" showcases his gift for light verse — blending seasonal imagery with gentle humor in just four compact stanzas.
Related tags
, , , , , , ,