'Twas the Night Before Christmas

A Visit from St. Nicholas

BY CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the goat pen

Not a creature was stirring, not even a hen;

        The stockings were hung on the feeders with care,

In hopes that  St. Nicholas soon would be there; 

    The kids were nestled all snug in their beds;

While visions of corn chips danced in their heads; 

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose 

such a clatter,

I sprang from my bed to see what 

was the matter.

Away to the porch I flew in a 

fright,

Stuffed on my muck boots and 

grabbed my flashlight.

The floodlight on the dust of the pen,

Gave a lustre of haze to animals therein,

When what to my wondering eyes did appear,

But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,

   With a little old driver so lively and quick,

   I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the barn! to the 
top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash 
away all!"

As leaves that before the wild 

hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, 

mount to the sky;

So up to the barntop the

coursers they flew

With the sleigh full of chips, and St. Nicholas too—

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was wiping my boot,

Through the chimney St. Nicholas squeezed with a hoot.

   He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

   And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

   A bundle of chips he had flung on his back,

   And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.

   His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard on his chin was as yellow as snow;

The stump of a pipe he 
held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it 
encircled his head like 
a wreath;

He had a broad face and 

a little round belly

That shook when he 

laughed, like a bowl 

full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, 

a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the feeders;

 

   

    then turned with a jerk,

    And laying his finger aside of his nose,

    And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Happy Holidays from our Family to Yours!