One of the all-time greatest poems about Christmas is of course, Twas the night before Christmas, by Clement C. Moore. In case you need a reminder of its verse:
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.
An Ma in her kerchief and I in my cap
had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.
The night before any great life event can be daunting, exciting, and even dreadful. Sleep could be elusive, or our dream coming true could help us snuggle in with contentment and hope.
Prompt: What’s a “night before” experience – whether holiday or not – that you’d like to write a brief memoir, story or poem about? Whether you stop and write the story today or not, capture the idea now.
Change the World
Moore was also the first to name Santa’s reindeer, later eclipsed by another famous reindeer, Rudolph.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, and he whistled and shouted and called them by name:
“Now, Dasher! Now Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now, dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”
Prompt: How might your creations change the world? Imagine your characters out in the world, and write the imagined future.
The Gift of Audience
So many of those images have served to shape our collective Christmas experience, even though most of us have never had a sugarplum. Moore wrote the beloved poem for his own children. He may not have realized it at the time, but he had given himself the gift of an audience that he knew well, and cherished.
Tip: When you want to write, consider not the scary large audience, or the critical eye of a would-be editor, write as if you’re writing only for yourself, or for someone you love and trust. One Christmas we each drew names out of a hat and wrote a book for that person. The gift of an intimate audience helped the story flow, helped each of the writers take responsibility for leading a specific reader through the tale.
The Gift of Perspective
How we each perceive and share our experiences is our unique gift to the world. Milt Gross, a renowned Yiddish dialect humorist from the 1920’s gives us “De Night in De Front From Chreesmas”
‘Twas de night befurr Chreesmas und hall troo de houze, not a critchure was slipping – not ivvin de souze,
Wot he leeved in de bazement hig-het like a Tsenator, Tree gasses whooeezit – dot’s right – it’s de jenitor!
Gross goes on to tell a hilarious Christmas eve story of life in a tenement, with a wedding happening downstairs and an unfortunate plumbing accident, ending with:
On December two fife witt jost wan ivvning privvious, was gung on dere gungs-on extimmingly grivvious – By mine enimizz woist shouldn’t be sotch a plight – Und we closing witt bast Yooltite weeshes – Goot nite!
Prompt: retell a famous story from your own point of view or from the point of view of a character.
I’ve enjoyed developing this “Writing the Holidays” event for you. Next year, I hope to take it a little further. Thanks for reading and thinking about your own holidays with the perspective of a writer. For those of you who want to start the New Year out right, with a great new plan for how to market your stuff, your way, please take a look at this:
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