A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

By Christina Rossetti

The Shepherds had an Angel,
The Wise Men had a star,
But what have I, a little child,
    To guide me home from far,
Where glad stars sing together
    And singing angels are?

Those Shepherds through the lonely night
    Sat watching by their sheep,
Until they saw the heavenly host
    Who neither tire nor sleep,
All singing “Glory, glory,”
    In festival they keep.

The Wise Men left their country
    To journey morn by morn,
With gold and frankincense and myrrh,
    Because the Lord was born:
God sent a star to guide them
    And sent a dream to warn.

My life is like their journey,
    Their star is like God’s book;
I must be like those good Wise Men
    With heavenward heart and look:
But shall I give no gifts to God?—
    What precious gifts they took!

⸻

About the Poem

Christina Rossetti’s A Christmas Carol is a quiet, contemplative Nativity poem—not focused on spectacle, but on belonging, guidance, and spiritual longing. Rather than centering angels or kings, Rossetti places herself—or the reader—in the role of “a little child,” asking a deeply human question: What guides me?

For many LGBTQ+ readers, that question resonates powerfully. The shepherds and the wise men are given signs—angels, stars, dreams—but the speaker must search inwardly for direction. Faith here is not inherited effortlessly; it is walked into, step by step, often without certainty.

Rossetti’s emphasis on journey rather than arrival speaks to those whose spiritual paths have felt solitary or uncertain. The poem quietly affirms that longing itself—the desire to follow the light, even when unsure what form it will take—is an act of faith. The final question about gifts reframes worthiness: not what do I lack? but what do I already carry that is precious?

For queer Christians, that can be read as an invitation to offer one’s whole self—identity, love, honesty, perseverance—as a gift, even when tradition has suggested those things were unfit for the altar.

⸻

About the Poet

Christina Rossetti (1830–1894) was one of the most important religious poets of the Victorian era. Raised in a deeply Anglican household, her poetry frequently explores themes of devotion, renunciation, longing, and divine love. While she lived a life marked by personal restraint and religious seriousness, her work often reveals profound emotional depth and spiritual tension.

Rossetti never married, declined at least two proposals due to religious differences, and devoted much of her life to faith and writing. Modern readers—particularly women and LGBTQ+ readers—have found in her poetry a quiet resistance to easy answers and rigid roles. Her work makes space for desire, doubt, and devotion to coexist, offering a spirituality rooted not in triumph, but in humility and searching.