’Twas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas
And 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 mamma in her ’kerchief, and I in my cap
Had just settled down for a long 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 shutters and threw up the sash
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid day 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
Well, 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
"On, Dasher! On, Dancer! On
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 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 furs
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 in 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
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed
Like a bowlful of jelly (Ho ho ho)
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 he filled all the stockings and
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, good-night, good-night"