On this day in 1823, the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement C. Moore was published.

This poem by Clement Moore is still popular after almost 200 years. You probably know it best by the first line: “‘Twas the night before Christmas . . .” A lot of what we think about Santa Claus and the reindeer comes from it. If you were asked to name Santa’s reindeer, for example, you’d probably answer, “Donder, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid,” and so forth—right out of the poem. And everyone can identify with the children “nestled” in their beds, dreaming of Christmas day. But what’s the deal with the “visions of sugar plums”?

Christmas Eve, the night before Christmas, is an exciting time for everyone in the family, especially children. They can hardly get to sleep for all the excitement, wondering what Santa will bring. No wonder they have such weird dreams.

Anticipation. Expectation. Nothing’s quite like it as we eagerly wait for the wonderful event. Besides Christmas, we eagerly anticipate birthdays, vacations, other celebrations and holidays, and incredible reunions with loved ones.

But the greatest event could come at any moment—and it’s also a reunion—the Second Coming of Jesus. That’s right. One of these days Jesus will return, to judge the world and to bring his people home.

The Bible says that we should watch for Christ’s return—sort of like kids on Christmas Eve. This doesn’t mean spending our time looking to the clouds (the Bible also says that no one knows the timing of this great event). Instead, it means that we should be ready. Here’s a question that can help. We can ask: “Is this something I would want to be doing if Jesus were to return today?” We might live differently if we expected Christ to arrive at any moment.

Are you excited and ready? It’ll be better than Christmas!

What I say to you I say to everyone: Watch for his return! (Mark 13:37).

To Do

Get out a copy of Clement Moore’s famous poem and read it aloud for the whole family. If you have a big and cooperative family, you could even act it out together.

Also on this day

In Mexico, this is Night of the Radishes.

1888—Following a quarrel with Paul Gauguin (another painter), Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh cut off part of his own earlobe. Gogh figure!

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.