"Please to put a nickel, please to put a dime. How petitions trickle in at Christmas time!"

Phyllis McGinley’s lines from her poem portray the familiar deluge of appeals for charity and help that often arrives during the holiday season. The speaker’s polite, even playful repetition, “please to put a nickel, please to put a dime”, echoes the phrasing of charity appeals or the sing-song voice of carolers, conjuring both the innocence and the persistence with which these requests are made. By choosing the smallest coins, nickels and dimes, McGinley subtly alludes to both the modesty of the individual asks and the expectation that, because little is being requested, it will be difficult to refuse. Yet, when all these little requests combine, the sheer number is overwhelming.

Her use of “petitions trickle in” evokes a sense of relentless, steady accumulation. The word “trickle” can sound benign, but within the context of Christmas, a time when good cheer is supposed to flow freely, it becomes wry and faintly ironic. The cumulative effect, for the recipient of such petitions, can be wearying, as every group and cause, from the church to the poor to the local children, lines up for a share of seasonal generosity. McGinley hints at the transactional nature that charity and goodwill sometimes take on in an overstimulated festive environment.

Beneath the surface of her rhythm and rhyme lies a gentle satire, poking fun at the mechanical repetitiveness of these requests and, by extension, at society’s tendency to approach generosity as a ritual obligation rather than a heartfelt gesture. The tone is not scornful but clear-eyed, recognizing the pressures the holidays bring: not just to give, but to fulfill every expectation attached to the season. McGinley’s poem is a reminder of the complex interplay of duty, sincerity, and fatigue that colors end-of-year giving, and it gently urges readers to reflect on the meaning and motivation behind their own acts of kindness.