The poem has a similar style to Clement Clarke Moore’s “`Twas the Night Before Christmas”.

‘Tis the week before Christmas and every night
As soon as the children are snuggled up tight
And have sleepily murmured their wishes and prayers,
Such fun as goes on in the parlour downstairs!
For Father, Big Brother, and Grandfather too,
Start in with great vigour their youth to renew.
The Grown-ups are having great fun – all is well;
And they play till it’s long past their hour for bed.

They try to solve puzzles and each one enjoys
The magical thrill of mechanical toys,
Even Mother must play with a doll that can talk,
And if you assist it, it’s able to walk.
It’s really no matter if paint may be scratched,
Or a cogwheel, a nut, or a bolt gets detached;
The grown-ups are having great fun – all is well;
The children don’t know it, and Santa won’t tell.

- Author unknown

The poem was first published in “Young People’s New Pictorial Library of Poetry and Prose”, by the Northwestern Publishing Co., in 1888. It was also included in the book “Twilight Stories”, a collection of short children’s stories by various authors, which is believed to have been first published in 1905.

The Christmas chimes are pealing high
Beneath the solemn Christmas sky,
And blowing winds their notes prolong
Like echoes from an angel’s song;
Good will and peace, peace and good will
Ring out the carols glad and gay,
Telling the heavenly message still
That Christ the Child was born to-day.

In lowly hut and palace hall
Peasant and king keep festival,
And childhood wears a fairer guise,
And tenderer shine all mother-eyes;
The aged man forgets his years,
The mirthful heart is doubly gay,
The sad are cheated of their tears,
For Christ the Lord was born to-day.

- By Susan Coolidge

Winds through the olive trees
Softly did blow,
’Round little Bethlehem
Long, long ago.

Sheep on the hillside lay
Whiter than snow;
Shepherds were watching them,
Long, long ago.

Then from the happy sky,
Angels bent low,
Singin their songs of joy,
Long, long ago.

For in a manger bed,
Cradled we know,
Christ came to Bethlehem,
Long, long ago.

- Author Unknown

The poem was printed in “The Night Before Christmas and Other Popular Stories For Children”, a beautiful illustrated children’s book published in 1903 by W. B. Conkey Company, Chicago. Amongst other poems and stories, the book contains the less well known poem “The Night After Christmas”.

We are a band of carollers,
We march through frost and snow,
But care not for the weather
As on our way we go.

At every hall or cottage
That stands upon our way,
We stop to give the people
Best wishes for the day.

We pray a merry Christmas,
Made bright by Christmas cheer,
With peace, and hope, and gladness
And all they may hold dear.

And for all those that happen
To pass us on our way
We have a smile, and wish them
A merry Christmas-day.

The tradition of “carolling” is particularly popular in the United States, where participants are often dressed up in Dickensian-style clothing. Since many people do this every year, carollers can sound and look very professional!

The first words of the lines are the numbers one to five. You could draw little pictures to accompany this poem and use them to help your child learn how to count to five. If you have a model Nativity stable with the same number of figures as mentioned in the poem, you could use that as a learning aid instead.

One is for the manger where Baby Jesus lay.
Two is for Mary and Joseph on that Christmas Day.
Three is for the wise men who brought three gifts of love.
Four is for the shepherds and angel songs above.
Five is for the animals who stood guard in the shed
Over Baby Jesus in His manger bed.

- Author Unknown

Sing we all merrily
Christmas is here,
The day that we love best
Of days in the year.

Bring forth the holly,
The box, and the bay,
Deck out our cottage
For glad Christmas-day.

Sing we all merrily,
Draw round the fire,
Sister and brother,
Grandson and sire.

- Author unknown

Anyone feeling the need to diet and “detox” after Christmas may find this poem inspiring!

‘Twas the month after Christmas and all through the house,
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I’d nibbled, the eggnog I’d taste.
All the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).
I’d remember the marvelous meals I’d prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,

The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I’d never said, “No thank you, please.”
As I dressed myself in my husband’s old shirt,
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt—
I said to myself, as I only can,
“You can’t spend a winter disguised as a man!”

So, away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip,
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished,
Till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won’t have a cookie–not even a lick.
I’ll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won’t have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I’ll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I’m hungry, I’m lonesome, and life is a bore—
But isn’t that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

- Author unknown

Reading this to your children may help them realise that they are not the only ones who can’t wait for him to come!

A good time is coming, I wish it were here,
The very best time in the whole of the year;
I’m counting each day on my fingers and thumbs-
The weeks that must pass before Santa Claus comes.

Then when the first snowflakes begin to come down,
And the wind whistles sharp and the branches are brown,
I’ll not mind the cold, though my fingers it numbs,
For it brings the time nearer when Santa Claus comes.

- Author unknown

A is for Angels
With halos so bright
Whose carols were heard
On that first Christmas Night

B is for Bells
So merrily ringing
Joy to the world
Is the message they’re bringing

C is for Candles
That so brightly shine
To give a warm welcome
To your friends and mine

D is for Doorway
With garlands of green
To make Christmas merry
As far as they’re seen

E is for Evergreens
With fragrance so rare
So plentiful at Christmas
Their scent fills the air

F is for Fun
The whole season long
From trimming the tree
To singing a song

G is for Greetings
A merry “hello”
With a heart full of love
For people we know

H is for Holly
With berries so red
To make into wreaths
To hang overhead

I is for Ice
On snow covered hills
Where sledding is fun
Along with the spills

J is for Jesus
The Christ child so dear
We honor his birth
On Christmas each year

K is for Kris Kringle
So merrily he stands
He is who they call Santa
In so many lands

L is for Lanterns
I am sure that their light
Helped Mary and Joseph
That first Christmas Night

M is for Mary
Her heart full of love
For her little son Jesus
Who came from above

N is for Noel
The angels did sing
To herald the birth
of Jesus, our King

O is for Ornaments
So shining and bright
With lights on the tree
To sparkle at night

P is for Packages
With ribbons so gay
All ’round the tree
For our Christmas Day

Q is for Quiet
Christmas Eve Night
With snow covered hills
Glistening so bright

R is for Reindeer
Who pull Santa’s sleigh
To your house, to my house
They know the way

S is for Shepherds
Who first saw the star
Over Bethlehem’s manger
And followed it far

T is for Trees
We decorate so gay
Then wait for ole Santa
To hurry our way

U is for Universe
Where Christmas brings joy
To all in the world
To each girl and each boy

V is for Visiting
Friends near and far
We travel by plane
Or by bus, or by car

W is for Wise Men
Who brought gifts so rare
And knelt down and worshiped
The child they found there

X is for X-mas
Or Christmas by full name
No matter the language
It all means the same

Y is for Yule Logs
Whose bright sparks fly high
To give a warm welcome
To friends passing by

Z is for Zeal
We show at this time
In giving to others
And loving mankind

- Author unknown