“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
Today, December 23rd, marks the 190th anniversary of the first publication of one of my absolute favorite poems, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” more familiarly known by its first line as “The Night before Christmas.”
Granted, there has been some serious debate as to the true authorship of the poem – some argue for Clement Clarke Moore as the man who penned these iconic lines while others attribute the poem’s origin to Henry Livingston, Jr., another American poet.
Whichever side of the debate you favor, I think it is safe to agree that this poem has warmed the hearts and entertained the spirits of many children and adults at Christmastime.
Several nights ago, Kidzilla read the entire poem to me – by herself and out loud. And that, friends, may just top the list as my favorite reading of this classic to date.
I’ll be spending the next couple of days unplugged and enjoying the company of family as we celebrate the Birth of Christ and all the wonders of this joyous season. I’ll be back later in the week, ready to gear up for the New Year!
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Until then, I wish you peace, love, and happiness
in whatever you do
and however you celebrate this time of year!
Have a wonderful Christmas!!!!!
And to you! 🙂
I had no idea how old that poem is. Wow. Enjoy your holiday and being unplugged. M
I think the only reason I did was my English major background – all kinds of useless literary information swirls around in my head. 🙂
I think we will be indulging in Christmas activities and – for the Fab Hub – some Chinese food for dinner after Mass.
That is quite the accomplishment for your daughter! Have a very merry Christmas.
It was awesome – really surprised me! That’s a pretty hefty order for a five year old! Merry Christmas to you, too! 🙂
Merry Christmas! Have a wonderful break!
And to you, Christine!
Love that poem- I had no idea it was almost 200 years old!!
It is indeed. And I love the fact that it continues to bring delight to children – and adults – after all these many generations.
I didn’t know the authorship was disputed. That’s interesting. I always thought it was attributed to Moore. I’m going to have to check that out.
Anyway I hope you had a very Merry Christmas. I unplugged for a while too and it felt pretty good.
I always thought that, too – was fun to dig into it a while.
Hope you and your wife had a Merry Christmas, too! The unplugged has been so good I’m having a hard time getting re-plugged…