Jo Stafford - ’Twas The Night Before Christmas lyrics

T'was the night before Christmas and
All through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse
The stockings were hung by
The chimney with care
In the hopes that St nicholas
Soon would be there

The children were nestled all
Snug in their beds
While visions of sugar plums
Danced in their heads
Mom in her kerchief and I in my cap
Had just settled down for
A long winter's nap

When out on the lawn there
Arose such a clatter i sprang from my bed to
See what was the matter
Away to the window I flew with a flash
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow
Gave a luster of mid day to objects below
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a miniature sleigh and
Eight tiny reindeer

With a little old driver so lively and quick
Well I knew in a moment, it must be St nick
More rapid than eagles
His coursers they came
And he whistled and he shouted and
He called them by name

"On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen
On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch
To the top of the wall
Now, dash away, dash away, dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before
The wild hurricane fly
When they meet to an obstacle
Mount to the sky
So up to the rooftop the coursers they flew
With a sleigh full of toys
And St nicholas too

And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing, the pawing of each little hoof
As I drew in my head and was turning around
Down the chimney St nicholas
Came with a bound

He was dressed all in fur from
His head to his foot
And his clothes were all tarnished
With ashes and soot
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back
And he looked like a peddler
Just op'ning his pack

His eyes, how they twinkled, his dimples
How merry his cheeks were like roses
His nose like a cherry
His droll little mouth was drawn up in a bow
And the beard on his chin was
As white as the snow

The stump of a pipe
He held tight in his teeth and the smoke
It encircled his head like a wreath
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when laughed
(ho, ho, ho, ho) like a bowl full of jelly
(ho, ho, ho, ho)

He was chubby and plump
A right jolly old elf
And I laughed when I saw
Him in spite of myself
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread

He spoke not a word but
Went straight to his work
And filled all the stockings and
Turned with a jerk
And laying a finger to the side of his nose
And giving a nod up the chimney he rose

He sprang to his sleigh
And to his team gave a whistle
And away they all flew like
The down of a thistle
But I heard him exclaim as
He drove out of sight
"Merry Christmas to all and to allgoodnight

Goodnight