We love to celebrate Christmas! There’s a notorious poem that was acclaimed to have been written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1837, “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” I changed the words to inspire us to look to God’s gift of Jesus rather than Santa Claus. As we share in the wonders of Christmas, let’s encourage each other to rejoice in the Lord Jesus, our Savior and King, whose birth we celebrate!

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Every creature was praising, even the mouse.
The Bibles were open to the pages with care
And showed us so clearly that Jesus was near.

The children were singing and clapping their hands
With visions of a baby being born in the land.
Mamma with her bonnet and me with my cap
Were in the mood for praising; not a long winter’s nap.

Then out on the lawn, there arose such a ringing
And there on our sidewalk were carolers singing.
We opened the door, and our eyes bestowed
The big white flakes of the Christmas snow.

The moon shone brightly on the singers around
As they sang in unison their glorious sound.
When, what to my praising heart should I feel?
But the presence of Jesus that became so real.

With voices of praise, they were all in accord,
And our hearts were delighted as we envisioned our Lord.
In the glory of Heaven, His presence came
With the angels about Him who praised His name!

“Wonderful, Counsellor and Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Savior, and Lord!
Prince of Peace, Healer, and Son of God,
Creator, Advisor, and King of the world!”

With a gentle breeze, the caroler’s scarves danced
And their voices grew louder as we were caught in their trance.
We joined in their singing and praising aloud.
What an inspiring few minutes we spent with this crowd!

But soon they moved on to bless the next home
And we went inside so we could carry on
With our praises to God for His gift, we would sing;
The gift of Jesus who was born to be King!

So, we’ll sing and praise God forevermore;
Jesus our Messiah, our King, and Savior!
We give Him the praise as we sing with delight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!”