A Visit from St. Nicholas

A Visit from St. Nicholas

By Clement Clarke Moore via The Poetry Foundation

A Visit from St. Nicholas(2 versions)
‘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 sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.
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!”
As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the housetop the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too—
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.
His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

This Is The Fun Part

“The writing process for me is pretty much always the same – it’s a solitary experience.” -Sheryl Crow

What’s wild about this quote is that the solitary part of the process may not change, but it’s also not getting old. Even after all these years, there are so many new things for me to learn. It’s challenging every single day. There are aspects of my writing that flow better than when I started, but there are also thresholds I’m still crossing and disciplines that I just need to return to.

How do you feel about the solitary aspect of writing?

The Writing Process

“No need to force yourself to do something the “right way” if it’s not your right way. Your job is to honor your process.” —Andi Cumbo

When it comes to the entire process of being a writer, there’s a lot I’m still learning about my own process. I think a good chunk of it is facing my fears. The other part is just figuring out what works for me, and that comes with experience. I’m going to go through it all over again at least a dozen more times. Hopefully, I will have a better understanding of my own process by then.

What have you learned about your writing process?

    The Story ‘IS’ in You

    “If a story is in you, it has to come out.” -William Faulkner

    I don’t think people understand how deep storytelling goes. Storytelling isn’t just writing novels and spending time sharing fish tales by the fire. Even though those two are my favorites, storytelling is so much more vast. It’s teaching, it’s learning, it’s recording history, sales, and everything in between. Once you understand that this life is built on stories, you can learn to live. Not just stories you hear or share but the stories you tell yourself.

    What’s your favorite type of story? Mine are definitely fish tales.

      Just Keep Writing

      “I don’t think the writing life is like deciding you’re going to be a lawyer or a dentist, it’s not that kind of decision. I think it’s something that you already—you’re already on that path before you know it—and you discover it, but I think that if you have to stand back and say, “should I be a writer or should I not be a writer?” If you’re doing that, then the answer is probably, “I should not be.” -Margaret Atwood

      This is an interesting quote. Choosing to be a writer feels different than being a lawyer or a dentist because it’s not as socially accepted as those two jobs. I think writing is something that has levels to it. There’s the casual writer and there’s a committed writer who works daily to improve their craft. Both are deeply valuable to this world. I think it’s normal to question whether this is the path for you. I don’t think uncertainty is a reason to stop writing. If we stopped the minute we questioned ourselves, we wouldn’t have any writers. Just keep writing. That’s really all that matters.

      What on of your favorite parts of writing?

      My favorite part is the part where the writing makes me feel like I’m sitting with someone I love.

      The Chair is Yours

      “In all seriousness, people think that it’s the ideas that are important. Well, everyone has ideas, all the time. I tend to write mine down and remember them, but at some point you have to apply the bum to the seat and knock out about sixty five thousand words – that’s how long a novel is.” -Terry Pratchett

      I’m the type to wrap my day up by working on a novel. I don’t always know what story is in me that needs to come out, but at this point, not knowing isn’t an acceptable excuse. I sit in my chair with my tea and my journal. What helps me to keep going is to leave off in a place where I know what will come next. If I don’t like the story, it’s a pain in the butt to get me to write it.

      I like this story I’m currently working on. It feels better, more free than my first novel. The first novel was all about keeping me going; this one is about doing something daily that brings me joy. I’m going to keep going until I can sling stories left and right.

      Has your writing changed you?

      Anime Marathon -Dragon Ball Z

      This marks Day 4 for my Anime Marathon and let me tell you if you haven’t done this, you should. It’s a soul cleanse. I understand why people love Anime.

      Today I got to watch Dragon Ball Z. I wasn’t sure where to start, but I found DRAGON BALL – EPISODE 1 TO 13 – MOVIE CUT – PILAF SAGA on YouTube. I’ll add a link to it on my blog.

      I did laugh a couple of times out loud at the gym when I watched Son Goku meet a girl for the first time. That was interesting. I love how he saved a turtle. #classic But I had a hard time getting into this show.

      Hey, 3 out of 4 anime isn’t bad!

      Feature Photo from https://dragonballforums.com/

      Anime Marathon -Naruto

      We are on Day 3 of my Anime marathon

      So far I’ve watched Seven Deadly Sins, One Piece, and now Naruto. These shows really have a lot to give.

      Today I started Naruto. I can see why it’s so popular, I was absolutely glued to it. Over the past three days, I have been watching while I cleaned the house. Today I stopped a lot to enjoy the show a bunch of times. There’s so much to learn along with the characters in the show. Even though the characters are young, they are learning deep and profound concepts when it comes to chakras, spiritual energy vs. physical energy. The art in how they wove these concepts into an adventurous cartoon is fascinating. I’m telling you what, a gentle study of one of these a day would be a great way to increase mental health. “Naruto a day keeps the therapist away” or something like that.

      I don’t want to spoil too much, but episode 4 is The Survival Test was my favorite. I… was… watching! I needed to see what happened.

      Fan Art by TakasuXaisaka on Reddit

      How do you feel about Chakras?

      Anime Marathon -One Piece

      “No matter how hard or how impossible it is, never lose sight of your goal.” Luffy from One Piece

      I’m on day two of my anime marathon. Yesterday was Seven Deadly Sins, and today I got to watch One Piece.

      I don’t have a favorite character in One Piece, but one of my favorite things about One Piece is how they include restaurant work as an important part of the series. The cook’s name is Sanji, and he’s pretty badass.

      One thing I did learn was that it’s not an easy transition from a full day of Seven Deadly Sins to One Piece. They require two different types of attention. One Piece required me to sit down and watch it to really gather the information I needed to understand what was going on. Seven Deadly Sins has well-rounded dialogue and deeper concepts. I think One Piece is also deep at times, but it’s far less frequent. To sum it up, One Piece is more light and easygoing. And the one thing I loved was that my little one was able to join me for a couple of episodes.

      Today’s lesson that I took away from One Piece is to keep following your dreams and not give up. Also, sometimes it’s your duty to support others’ dreams on the way to your own.

      What are you life dreams?

      Fan Art Credit Link https://www.deviantart.com/go/journal/Fan-Art-Feature-One-Piece-730052763