The Night Before Christmas, As Told By Cats

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

And mamma in her 'kerchief

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

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

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

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

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

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 cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

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.

That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

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,