“’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” These words come from the first two lines of immensely popular poem “A Visit from St.

Editor’s Note: Clement Clarke Moore (1779 – 1863) wrote the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” also known as “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” in 1822. It is believed that a family friend sent a copy ...

It is one of the most famous poems in the English language—almost as famous as Christmas itself. A single word is enough to get going: “‘Twas”. You know the rest, or probably quite a bit of it.

In 1906, a new carol appeared in “The English Hymnal,” an influential collection of British church music. With words by British poet Christina Rossetti, set to a tune by composer Gustav Holst, it ...