Did you grow up with the traditional reading of Clement Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas”?
In our house, the Family Singers did it one better — we sang it! My mother was a piano teacher, and spent many an hour practicing Ken Darby’s wicked score that set Moore’s immortal poem to song. Every Christmas Eve our family would gather around the piano and sing our hearts out.
This year, when my family gathered for Thanksmas, we didn’t have a piano player that could tackle this score. My mom is in a wheelchair and none of the rest of us have had the time to practice this bear of an accompaniment. Thankfully, we now have the magical invention called YouTube, so here’s Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians singing it in 1955. We were able to sing along with the computer, and so can you. I highly recommend that you add this tradition to your Christmas Eve.
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What a wonderful tradition to have!
Visiting from Mama Kats.
Now this is something my girls would love to do! That is there favorite holiday storybook and they love to sing. Thanks so much for sharing your tradition…it may just become one of ours.
What a sweet tradition! We do always read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, but have never sung it.
We did read the book, but I can’t imagine anything better than your tradition of singing it. That your mom is still able to see this tradition is heartwarming. And yes, where would our lives be w/out the magic and wonder that is the Internets.
That is the first time I have ever heard of someone singing that great book. Too bad it had to be different this year, but it sounds like you handled it REALLY well.
Blessings, peace and joy to you this Christmas!
That’s awesome! We’re all so very off key in our house that we embrace it. I can see a video of us making it to youtube and going viral (or getting way more thumbs down than ups.)
Thanks to all of you for commenting on this post. Unfortunately, we lost mother in June and it was a very different Thanksmas this year. We didn’t sing The Night Before Christmas. Maybe next year we can teach it to the new generation.