One of the most familiar popular poems and stories for children is Clement C. Moore's 1823 work A Visit From St Nicholas, which begins:
'Twas the night before Christmas
When all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, Not even a mouse.
. . . and it is so familiar that phrases from it -- like "visions of sugar plums danced in their heads" have become part of our shared memories of warm holidays of the past.
