Let Christmas not become a thing Merely of merchant's trafficking, Of tinsel, bell and holly wreath And surface pleasure, but beneath The childish glamour, let us find Nourishment for soul and mind. Let us follow kinder ways Through our teeming human maze, And help the age of peace to come From a Dreamer's martyrdom.

The poem urges readers to resist the commercialization of Christmas—“merchant’s trafficking,” “tinsel,” and other outward trappings—and to recover the holiday’s inward purpose: moral renewal and spiritual “nourishment.” It contrasts “childish glamour” with deeper ethical commitments, calling for “kinder ways” amid the crowded, confusing “human maze” of modern life. The closing couplet links private celebration to public consequence: genuine Christmas spirit should help usher in an “age of peace,” even if such ideals have historically required sacrifice (“a Dreamer’s martyrdom”). In effect, the speaker frames Christmas as a test of values—whether society chooses consumption and spectacle or compassion and peacemaking.