A Visit From St. Nicholas or The Night Before Christmas
On Christmas Eve, 1822, Clement Clarke Moore's house is not as quiet as a mouse—in fact, everyone is stirring. The three children await the arrival of St. Nicholas. Mother and Father arise thinking they hear intruders. Cousin Harriet enlists the children to copy the poem their father has just written for them, which she hopes to have published for all young people to enjoy. But Father, as a distinguished professor who fears being known as a poet for children, burns the poem so it can never leave the house. At first heartbroken, the children unite to save the poem for posterity by improvising it through a riotous enactment. How they convince their father that his verses should be shared with children everywhere brings about the hilarious, happy ending.