A Child's Christmas Eve Dream

Last night I had a lovely dream, but strange as it could be,
For on the hill beside our house, stood a great Christmas tree.
It glowed with lighted candles, right at the top a lighted star,
And round it dancing in a ring, children from lands afar.
Polite little English girls, Swiss boy's with funny skis,
Dutch children in queer wooden shoes. joined hands with shy Chinese.
Turkish lads is tassled fez, tots from France, Greece and Poland.
Laughing as the children do, in the safety of a free land,
Perhaps my dream's a prophecy, of Christmas to be,
When little children everywhere, can sing because they are free.
I surely wish with all my heart, this day of Jesus birth,
That peace and love and happiness, soon cover all the earth.

I would like to wish all my blogging friends==A very Merry Christmas and may all your dreams come true, love=Margaret.

The Night Before Christmas

Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863), wrote the poem "The Night Before Christmas" also called "a visit from St. Nicholas" in 1822. It is now the tradition in many American families to read the poem every Christmas eve. The poem has redefined our image of Christmas and Santa Claus. Prior to the creation of the story of Twas the night before Christmas St. Nicholas the patron of children had never been associated with sleigh or reindeer's.

Clement Moore the author of the poem, The Night Before Christmas was a reticent man and it is believed that a family friend, Miss H. Butler sent a copy of the poem to the New York Sentinel, who published the poem. The condition of publication was that the author of The Night Before Christmas was to remain anonymous. The first publication date was December 26, 1823 and it was an immediate success.

It was not until 1844 that Clement Clarke Moore claimed ownership when the work was included in a book of his poetry. Clement Clarke Moore came from a prominent family and his father-Benjamin Moore was the Bishop of New York, who was famous for officiating at the inauguration of George Washington. The tradition of reading The Night Before Christmas on Christmas eve is now a world wide institution and tradition.