The night before christmas
av: Clement Moore.

Twas the night before Christmas when althrough the house
Not at 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 sugarplums danced through their heads;
And mamma in her kercheif, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter´s nap - 
When out on the lawn there rose such a clatter;
I sprung 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 new fallen snow,
gave a luster of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my woundering eyes should appear
But a miniature slegh, 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, Donner and Blitzen - 
to the top of the porch, to the top of the wall!
Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!"
As leaves that before the wild hurricne fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So, up to the house top the coursers they flew,
With a 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 allin fur from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tamished with ashes and soot;
A boundle 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 chins was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encirkled 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 stocknings; 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 down of a thistle,
But I heard him exclaim, where he drove out of sight:
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

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