Twas The Night Before Christmas Poem is popularly known as “A Visit from St. Nicolas” or as the “Night before Christmas.” First published as an anonymous poem in the early 1800s, the authorship was finally accepted by Clement Clark Moore in the year 1837, almost a decade later.

This poem is regarded as one of the iconic poems on Christmas and the idea of Santa Claus written by an American.

Also, read Twas The Night Before Christmas Story.

Twas The Night Before Christmas Poem

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‘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 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 opened the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,

Gave a luster of midday to objects below,

When what to my wondering eyes did appear,

But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,

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 abound.

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 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!”

Summary:

Twas The Night Before Christmas Poem concentrates specifically on the night before Christmas. The poem opens with the house being completely silent at night. There was not a sound to be heard. The family had put out stockings and had gone to bed. As the younger ones lay asleep, they dreamt of sweets, while the parents were still preparing to sleep.

Just as the father was about to go to sleep, he heard a noise and he went to look out of the window. To his surprise, the father saw a stout, fat man with a silver beard. The stout man was seated on a sleigh pulled by reindeer. As the father looked, he saw that the sled was filled with toys and it went swiftly from one rooftop to another. And soon enough, the father heard footsteps on the roof. He ran downstairs and found St. Nicholas putting toys in the stockings.

You may also like to read, All Through The Night Hymn.

When the silver-bearded man saw the father, he merely winked and asked him to keep quiet. And before the father knew it, the man was gone. Up the chimney went St. Nicolas, with his bag on his shoulder. Hopping onto the sleigh, he left for the night. “A Merry Christmas to all and a good night!” was all the father could hear.