'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 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,
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 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 hand, 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
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 belly.
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,
ere
he drove out of sight,
"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO
ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!"
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