Twas the night before
Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was
stirring (the fish was asleep), not even
a mouse (all dead).
The stockings were
hung by the fireplace with care,
In hopes that St
Nicholas soon would be there.
The child was nestled
all snug in his bed,
While visions of Ritz
crackers danced in his head.
And daddy in his
Guinness pjs, and I in my VS nightie,
Had just settled our
tired brains for a short winter’s nap.
When out on the lawn
there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed
to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I
flew like a flash,
Tore open the
curtains and opened the blinds.
The moon on the
breast of the new-fallen snow
(again)
Gave the lustre of
mid-day to my neighbor's broken playhouse below.
When, what to my wondering
eyes should appear,
But a red Mercedes-Benz sleigh, and eight very well fed 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, on Donner 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
house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full
of Toys, 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 turning around,
Down the chimney St
Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in
Fendi fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were
not tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys and
Electronics he had flung on his back,
And he didn’t look
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 of 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 (I had to open the window after).
He had a broad face
and a huge round belly,
That shook when he
laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!
He was chubby and
plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I smiled 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 three
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, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to
all, and to all a good-night!”
