Resumen:
Throughout his life, Joseph Brodsky clung stubbornly to a set of habits and tastes. One of his most outstanding and surprising loyalties was his writing a Christmas poem every year, which in time produced around thirty different pieces. Among these is the remarkable "Dec 24, 1971", his last Christmas poem before he left the Soviet Union, which contains a reference to his idea of "empire" -a criticism of totalitarian regimes- plus an idea of Christianity as a religion of hospitality and brotherhood.