The Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore
‘Twas the night before Christmas,
when all through the house
not a creature was stirring,
not even a mouse;
the stockings were hung
by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicholas
soon would be there.
The children were nestled
all snug in their beds,
while visions of sugar-plums
danced in their heads;
and mama in her kerchief,
and I in may cap,
had just settled down 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 window I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutters and threw up
the sash.
The moon on the breast of the newfallen
snow,
gave a lustre of midday to objects below,
when, what to my wondering eyes
should appear,
but a miniature sleigh, and eight
tiny reindeer,
with a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it 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, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch!
To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away!
Dash away all!”
As dry leaves that before the
wild hurricane fly,
when they meet with an obstacle,
mount to the sky,
so up to the housetop the coursers
they flew,
with a sleigh full of toys and
St. Nicholas, too.
And when in a twinkling, I heard on the roof,
the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was
turning around,
down the chimney St. Nicholas came
with a bound.
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 toys
he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a peddler
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 white
as the 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 round little 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 stockings; 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 as he drove
out of sight:
“Happy Christmas to All,
and to All a Good Night!”
.jpg)
.jpg)
