Hello and welcome back to the Daily Poem here on the Close Rees Podcast Network.

I'm David Kern.

Today is Christmas Eve, so Merry Christmas to everyone.

Thank you for joining me.

Hopefully you are doing some baking or perhaps you just got in the car and you're headed over to your

grandparents' house or your to your grandparents' house

or your children's grandparents' house.

Hopefully you are having a great time celebrating and thank you for bringing us along for the ride.

Now, I've been reading a lot of serious Christmas poems minus Phyllis McGinley, I suppose.

But today I'm going to read, a classic, is a classic,

but it's not necessarily serious. It's lengthy, though, so I'm going to dive right in. I

probably won't say too much about it, but I think you'll see why here in a moment. It goes

something like this. 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 sugarplums danced through

their heads, and to Mama and her kerchief and I and my cap

had just settled her reins 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 luster of midday to objects below,

when once in my wondering eyes did appear,

...