Archive for December, 2011

Happy New Year!

With only a few hours left, I wanted to wish all our DailyLit readers, families and friends a happy, happy new year.

I hope this year brings you health, happiness and lots of lit!

A Visit from St. Nicholas soon will be here

We here at DailyLit would like to wish you all the best during the holidays.

Did you know that Clement Clarke Moore’s famous Christmas poem, commonly called “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”, is actually titled A Visit from St. Nicholas? Due to its extreme popularity during the holidays, its first line is generally taken as the title, though this is technically incorrect — we just learned that!

If you have a spare minute, you may want to click on over to our current Creative Challenge to take the first line of the famous poem and make the rest  – or at least a few lines — your own.  To refresh your memory, here’s the poem in its entirety (by Clement C. Moore) — then hop over here and see what other readers have come up with.  Happy holidays!

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 rose 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 mid-day to objects below;
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it 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! Dunder and Blitzen–
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall!
Now, dash away, dash away, dash away all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So, up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With a 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 peddler 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 month 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,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Reads for the Holiday Season

The following was written by Bailey Thomas, DailyLit’s Editorial Intern:

For years, my parents made it a habit to read ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas with my brother and me before they sent us off to bed on Christmas Eve. Even though there are ten years between the two of us, we loved spending the evening with the family. This is one of the reasons I love holiday literary tradition so much–words continue to bring families together.

Another reason I always loved the holidays while I was in school was that I had a few short but interrupted weeks in which I could read whatever I chose. I was always that person who saved up novels over the semester to read over the break (although I usually picked up more books than I could read in two or three weeks). I guess that’s part of why I got an English degree, right?

As we step into winter, though, it’s easy to let the chill melt away with stories like A Christmas Carol or The Gift of the Magi at your fingertips. Whether you plan to stick with timeless classics like those in our Holiday Reads category or you prefer more contemporary reads, tales of holiday cheer are a great way to keep yourself in the spirit of the season.

Do you have any books you make a habit of reading during the holidays? Or, on the other hand, do you have any books you’ve set aside for the holidays so you’ll have more time to read?

DailyLit News: Flown in by Eight Tiny Reindeer

  • Note from the Founder
  • Holiday Reads
  • Vacation Pauses
  • 2012 Literary Resolutions
  • Twas the Night Before Christmas Challenge

    • Note from the Founder

    It’s hard to believe that the holidays are fast approaching. If you’re like me, your “To Do” list seems insurmountable. Just when you’ve tackled your holiday shopping list, decorated your tree, and planned your celebrations, suddenly the tooth fairy needs to make an appearance! I suppose it’s time to take a deep breath, sneak in a few DailyLit installments — hint, hint — and at least try to enjoy these last few weeks of the year.
    Cheers — to happy holidays and a happy new year!
    -Susan

    Susan Danziger
    Founder and CEO, DailyLit
    sdanziger[at]dailylit[dot]com
    Twitter: @susandanziger, @dailylit

    Holiday Reads

    Here are a few classic holiday tales to sneak in during a coffee break or while waiting in line:
    -The Gift of the Magi by O.Henry
    -Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
    -A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
    You can also check out the Holiday section of DailyLit for more holiday reads.
    You may even want to send one of these holiday books to a friend for the holidays, together with a personalized note. You can do that on the sign-up box found on any book page where you’ll find a tab that reads “Gift this book”.

    Vacation Pauses

    If you’re traveling this holiday season or just need a break, remember you can suspend your books and have them automatically resume for when you return. Just click on the link at the bottom of any book installment that reads: “Need a break? Suspend delivery of this book”. You can also suspend your book (or multiple books) by going to “Your Settings” after logging in to DailyLit.

    2012 Literary Resolutions

    Which book would you like to read as part of your 2012 New Year’s resolution? That’s our recent Question of the Week. Anyone up for tackling War and Peace?

    If you missed this holiday question, I asked which have been your favorite literary gifts (I’m try to get some last minute ideas); you can still answer it here.

    Twas the Night Before Christmas Challenge

    Whenever I read A Visit from St. Nicholas I think of my old, worn out pop-up book version of this poem that I loved reading and re-reading as a child. This new creative challenge asks you to finish the line “Twas the night before Christmas…” and come up with your own verse. Here’s the entire poem by Clement C. Moore; I hope it brings back your own magical memories:



    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 rose 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 mid-day to objects below;

    When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

    But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny rein-deer,

    With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

    I knew in a moment it 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! Dunder and Blitzen–

    To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall!

    Now, dash away, dash away, dash away all!”

    As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

    When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

    So, up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

    With a 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 peddler 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 month 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,

    “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

    —-

    DailyLit is the leading publisher of serialized books in digital form. Selected the #1 Book Website by The Sunday Times, DailyLit has sent over 47 million book installments. DailyLit’s books and series are all free and feature bestselling and award-winning titles. Installments can be read in fewer than 5 minutes wherever you receive email, including on any computer, Blackberry, tablet or iPhone.

    Welcome Bailey Thomas!

    I wanted to welcome Bailey Thomas who will be helping out here at DailyLit for the next few months. Bailey was an intern at DailyLit in the summer of 2009, and now that she’s graduated from university in Oklahoma, she’s returned to New York. We’re lucky to have her (at least for now), and I hope you’ll join me in welcoming Bailey back to New York.

    —-

    DailyLit is the leading publisher of serialized books in digital form. Selected to be the #1 Book Website by the Sunday Times, DailyLit has sent over 47 million book installments. DailyLit’s books and series are all free and feature bestselling and award-winning titles. Installments can be read in fewer than 5 minutes and can be read wherever you receive email, including on any computer, Blackberry, or iPhone.

    Any Favorite Literary Gifts?

    I’m trying to get inspiration for the holidays (as I suppose are many of you) so this week’s question here at DailyLit is: what’s been your favorite literary gift? And while you’re at it, which books make great gifts?

    You can share your suggestions here.

    —-

    DailyLit is the leading publisher of serialized books in digital form. Selected to be the #1 Book Website by the Sunday Times, DailyLit has sent over 47 million book installments. DailyLit’s books and series are all free and feature bestselling and award-winning titles. Installments can be read in fewer than 5 minutes and can be read wherever you receive email, including on any computer, Blackberry, or iPhone.