The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
Illustrated by James Marshall
Published by Scholastic
2004

     In case you didn't know it by now, I did not grow up in the United States.  I spent most of my childhood in Venezuela and a couple of years in Spain.  Christmas in Caracas, Venezuela was really different;  It has become a lot more Americanized now, but when I was a kid, we didn't really talk about Santa Claus...for us it was Baby Jesus who brought the presents (how did a new born child manage to deliver the presents? don't ask...we didn't question it at all).
     I'm now an American citizen, and Santa has become a big part of our Christmas, especially because I have a 4 and a 2 year old at home.  We've developed some traditions around this time and one of them is reading The Night Before Christmas. I know there are many editions out there, but I love this one because of Marshall's illustrations.  It brings a whole cast of droll characters into the story: cat, bulldogs, chickens...
     I'm off to enjoy my Christmas Eve, so I leave you with:

But I heard him exclaim,

ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all,

And to all a good night."