The Real First Night of Christmas

‘Twas the first night of Christmas a long time ago
The hillside was peaceful, the moon was aglow.
The world couldn’t know from what happened before
That men would remember this night evermore.
The sheep on the hillside–their days journey over
Were dreaming sweet dreams of a field full of clover. Read more

Twas The Night Before Christmas

by Clement C. Moore

‘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; Read more

The Christmas Dog

by Brian Skinner

Bo was a dog, a different sort of dog, but still a dog. With his black pug nose, he sniffed around the room. He smelled Christmas cookies. That made sense, it was Christmas time, the perfect time for Christmas cookies. Of course, it was always Christmas-like around here, here being Santa’s village, but Christmas cookies are only really Christmas cookies at Christmastime. Well, at least they seem to taste better at Christmastime thought Bo, and that’s what mattered most. Read more

Rudolph – That Amazing Reindeer

On a December night in Chicago several years ago, a little girl climbed onto her father’s lap and asked a question. It was a simple question, asked in children’s curiosity, yet it had a heart-rending effect on Robert May. Read more

The Elves & The Shoemaker

by the brothers Grimm

Once upon a time there was a poor shoemaker. He made excellent shoes and worked quite diligently, but even so he could not earn enough to support himself and his family. He became so poor that he could not even afford to buy the leather he needed to make shoes; finally he had only enough to make one last pair. He cut them out with great care and put the pieces on his workbench, so that he could sew them together the following morning. Read more

Christmas ABC

A is for angels
from Heaven above.B is for bells, ringing
news of God’s love. Read more

Gift of the Magi

By O. Henry

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty- seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas. There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating. Read more

Santa’s Prayer

 Warren Jennings

On Christmas Eve
The sleigh was all packed,
the reindeer were fed
But Santa still knelt
by the side of his bed.
“Dear Father,” he prayed
“Be with me tonight.
There’s much work to do
and my schedule is tight.
I must jump in my sleigh
and streak through the sky,
Knowing full well
that a reindeer can’t fly.
I will visit each household
before the first light,
I’ll cover the world
and all in one night.
With sleighbells a-ringing,
I’ll land on each roof,
Amid the soft clatter
of each little hoof.
To get in the house
is the difficult part,
So I’ll slide down the chimney
of each child’s heart.
My sack will hold toys
to grant all their wishes.
The supply will be endless
like the loaves and the fishes.
I will fill all the stockings
and not leave a track.
I’ll eat every cookie
that is left for my snack.
I can do all these things, Lord,
Only Through You!
I just need your blessing,
then it’s easy to do.
All this to honor the birth of the ONE,
That was sent to redeem us,
Your most Holy Son.
So, to all of my friends,
least Your glory I rob,
Please Lord, remind them
who gave me this job.”