Middletown transcript., 1868-12-19
CHfR1sTMAs.


Before another issue Of our paper this
season Of JOY and festivity will have come.
We therefore, little in advance Of the
time, wish all our patrons !" Merry
Christmas. " We like this old-fashioned
greeting, and we like the old-fashioned
observance Of the day, barring its excess
es.
At each recurrence Of this time-honored
festival, when all are cheerful and happy,
our thoughts naturally revert to the home,
the scenes, and the friends of our youth.
Again, in imagination, we take our place
in the family circle, and join the happy
group around the blazing hearth. Again
we hear the voices of an honored father, a
fond and doting mother, and the merry
laughter Of brothers and sisters in the
fullness Of their innocent levity. We Wis
it again the scenes of cur Juvenile sports
and pastimes, and call up in our recollec-
ton thousand incidents and circumstan-
ces that gave zest to life, not the least
among which was the return Of Christmas.
Well do we remember the joy with which
We hailed its coming; and the rich array
of cakes. comfts, and other good cheer,
which il brought in its train. Who does
not cherish the recollection of g Merry
Christmas" in days lang syne, when with
the early dawn the family assembled to-
gether, the fire blazed brightly upon the
hearth, the nut and the joke were cracked,
and the generous bowl of egg-nog and ap-
ple-toddy went round. But the tempe
rance societies have made sad innovations
upon the customs four fathers, and Christ
mas now finds us as staid and sober as
puritan.
As appropriate to the occasion, we pre-
sent to our Juvenile readers the following
familiar lines, which will be lisped by our
children's children, as long as Christmas
shall have its appropriate observance:
A visit from st. Nicholas.
Twas the night before Christmas when all thro the house
Not creature was stirring, not mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that st. Nicholas would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of sugarpums danced through their heads
And mamma in her kerchief and in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for long winters nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such catter,
sprang from the bed to see what the natter
Away to the window few like flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash,
The moon on the breast Of the new fallen snow
Gave the iustre Of midday to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,
With little old driver, SO lively and quick,
knew in moment II must be st. Nick
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled and shouted and called them by
"Now Dasheri now Dancer now Pranceri now vixenl
On Comet, oni Cupid, oni Donder and Bxen
To the top Of the porchl to the top Of the wall
Now dash away, dash away, dash away ALL"
As leaves, that before the wild hurricane fy
When they meet with obstacle, mount to the sky.
So, up to the housc-top the coursers they few,
with sleigh full of ioys-and st. Nicholas too,
And then, in a twinkling, heard the roof
The prancing and paving Of each little hoof
As drew in my head and was turning around,
u
He was dressed all in fur, from his head his foot
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot
bundle Of toys he had flung his back
And he looked liked pedlar just opening his pack:
His eyes, how they twnkled His dimpies how merry
His cheeks were like roses, his like cherry;
His droll little mouth was drawn up like bow,
And the beard on his chin white as the snow.
The stump Of pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, u encircled his head like wreath;
He had broad face and little round belly
That shook, when he laughed like bowl full Of Jelly
He was chubby and plump; right jolly old elf;
And laughed when him, in spite of myself
wink Of his eye, and twist of his head
Soon gave me to know had nothing to dread.
He spoke not word, but went straight to his work.
And filled all the stockings, then turned with jerk
And laying his finger aside Of his nose,
And giving nod, up the chimney he rose
He sprang to his sleigh, to his gave a whistle
And away they all few like the down Of a thistle;
But heard him exclaim he drove out of sight
Happy Christmas to all, and to all good nightp,