'Twas the night before Christman, 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.

He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook, when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Christmas is, of course, the time to be home - in heart as well as body."

They're all getting a Christmas card from me this year,

It is the one season of the year when we can lay aside all gnawing worry, indulge in sentiment without censure, assume the carefree faith of childhood, and just plain "have fun." Whether they call it Yuletide, Noel, Weinachten, or Christmas, people around the earth thirst for its refreshment as the desert traveller for the oasis.