‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Though its author is disputed, with the poem being attributed to both Clement Clarke Moore and Henry Livingston Jr. over the years, it was definitely first published on Dec. 23, 1823 in the Troy Sentinel newspaper in upstate New York.
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 our brains 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 new-fallen snow,
Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment he 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 hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the housetop 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 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 pedler 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 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 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!”
When I was in the seventh grade, I remember being required to memorize this poem. I can remember bits and pieces of it still, but I don’t have the whole thing cemented in my mind. The following year, we had to memorize “the Jabberwocky”. Nowadays, I can barely memorize what I need to get from the store. I have to make lists and such.
At the time of this post, it’s actually the night before Yule. So it does feel like I’m preparing for Christmas. By the time this actually posts, I’ll be in Georgia with my family at a cabin celebrating. I didn’t get a chance to go down to see my stepmama. She had to cancel, in part because her sister dying has made celebrating the holidays a challenge, but also there was a COVID scare so it was best to table that trip for another time.
What does everyone do for Christmas food? Is it Thanksgiving 2.0 or do you do something different? I try to remember what kind of meals my mother made when I was younger, but I honestly can’t recall. We made sugar cookies and such, but that’s the only thing that sticks in my mind. This year, I’m finding it hard to motivate myself to bake. Baking is usually my stress reliever, but I don’t really have my own kitchen to do that in.
I live with my in-laws. And I am beyond thankfully they allow us to stay here and save money for our own place. We also help out where/when we can. Which means not always baking a lot of fattening sweets. My FIL tries to avoid too many cookies/cakes, so keeping those out of the house is important. We don’t have anything super fancy prepared, just the typical “Christmas Eve” lineup:
Ham Roll Ups
Spinach Dip
Ranch Dip
Pickles, Pepperocini, Olives, and Banana Peppers
Veggie Tray: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Tomatoes, Cucumber, and Celery
Little Weiners
Sausage Balls
Cheese Tray
Summer Sausage
Traditional Christmas Eve Meal at My SO’s Household
We do a big breakfast on Christmas Day. I think they are planning to do it this year as well since the kiddo’s going to be here just for the morning. She still believes in Santa Claus so she needs to be here for that present. So big breakfast: biscuits, gravy, sausage, bacon, and eggs. Maybe pancakes? Since I will be in Georgia, I’m not entirely sure what we’ll be doing.
Since most restaurants will be closed, we’re going to cook at the cabin. I’ve volunteered to do Filipino chicken adobo and vegetable stir fry one night. I’ll have to take pictures while I’m there. I’ll also share photographs of the Christmas presents I’m giving folks. I haven’t wanted to risk spoiling the surprise, you know?
Thanks for checking in today, guys! I hope you and your loved ones are enjoying the holiday.
Atelier Whootique 