Not Even A Mouse

It is Christmas Eve and across the English-speaking nations perhaps the most popular poem to be read on this day will be that most commonly known as ’’Twas the Night Before Christmas’ from its first line.

The poem was first published under the title A Visit From St. Nicholas on 23 December 1823 in the Troy, New York, Sentinel newspaper. It was published anonymously having been sent to the newspaper by a friend of Clement Clark Moore who is generally thought to be its author. The poem is considered to be largely responsible for the invention of Santa Claus as he is thought of today: his appearance, his mode of transport and the names and number of the deer, the night of his visit and the idea that he brings toys to children.

So, in keeping with the season, Happy Christmas!

A Visit from St. Nicholas

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ 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 ...’
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Happy Christmas!

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One of my all-time favourite films at this time of the year is the 1947 film, ‘Miracle on 34th Street’.

A departmental store’s Santa, who believes himself to be the real Santa Claus, is subjected to a court hearing to test his sanity. The defence attorney gets the prosecutor to agree that the US Federal Government, as embodied in the Postal Service, recognises Santa Claus to be real. The postmen then bring in dozens of sacks of mail addressed to Santa and deliver them to the man in the dock. Ergo, the man in the dock is the real Santa!

It’s a lovely film and one I enjoy every year.

So it is interesting that North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has been tracking Santa for over 50 years, and this year will be no different. According to NORAD, the system works because Rudolph the reindeer's famous red nose gives off an infrared signature similar to a missile launch. Children can follow Santa’s progress across the globe as he passes 24 ‘Santa cams’ starting at 1100 GMT on 24 December.

There you go. If NORAD can track Santa, then he must exist!

Happy Christmas!
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Has Mikulas Had The Jab?

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Bored with reading and hearing about all the dire things going on in the world this morning, I cast around for something to lift the spirits.

I failed dismally.

The best I could find to raise an eyebrow was the news that in Hungary Santa Claus, known there as Mikulas, is being told to get a flu jab to minimise the risk of spreading infection. He has also been told not to kiss the children he meets or to hold their hands.

If some busybody in our government cottons on to this idea, there won’t be any Santas around this year. Especially if some of them fail their CRB checks!
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How Very Sad!

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For some years as part of fundraising efforts for my local service club, I used to write personalised letters to children who sent their Christmas wishes to Santa Claus. A number of service clubs still do this, and the letters received from innocent children are an absolute delight to read.

But, alas, the dark shadow of paedophilia has fallen across the town of North Pole in Alaska, for the US Postal Service are no longer sending them mail addressed to Santa Claus at the North Pole.

Why? Because a registered sex offender was found to have been working on the programme last year. and, as a result, the US Postal Service now prohibits volunteers from having access to children;s names and addresses.

Volunteers in North Pole used to ensure each child got a reply signed by a Santa elf and bearing the crucial North Pole postmark. But no longer.

The town’s Mayor has agreed that caution is necessary, but has compared the action of the US Postal Service as akin to the Grinch trying to steal Christmas.

How right he is. And how very sad!
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