Mother Christmas

In 1988, Roald Dahl composed a festive poem for Great Ormond Street Hospital, illustrated by Quentin Blake. It's a Christmas cracker.

As the festive season is upon us, here's a slightly, well, alternative Christmas rhyme from Roald Dahl...

Mother Christmas

"Where art thou, Mother Christmas?
I only wish I knew
Why Father should get all the praise
And no one mentions you.

I'll bet you buy the presents
And wrap them large and small
While all the time that rotten swine
Pretends he's done it all.

So Hail To Mother Christmas
Who shoulders all the work!
And down with Father Christmas,
That unmitigated jerk!"
[c. RDNL]

The 'Mother Christmas' poem was created by Roald Dahl in 1988 for Great Ormond Street Hospital. Quentin Blake - also patron of Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity - provided the illustrations.

You can find the poem, along with many other stories and verses, in The Roald Dahl Treasury.

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