“When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.”

Like a toy a child tires of playing with after Christmas, most of the year we take for granted the role the arts play in our lives. However, once the holidays arrive, the arts are the first gift we reach for. 

One example of this is a story poem, written not for the literati but for average readers, that overnight claimed its place in the canon of Christmas stories. This 540-word poem is Clement C. Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas,” originally titled “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” published Dec. 23, 1823, in the Troy Sentinel in upstate New York.

Its ear-catching rhyme scheme and imaginative storyline offered a welcomed, fresh take on the appearance and persona of Santa Claus and encouraged readers to see Christmas as a time focused on childhood and presents magically delivered to children all over the world.

Not to leave the literati out in the cold, a century later, other Christmas literature was penned, like, “Journey of the Magi” by T.S. Eliot, “The Gift” by William Carlos Williams, and, in 1957, a story poem written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. 

Unlike Moore’s poem, Grinch suggests that those closest to us and our priceless relationships with them are more important than wished-for Christmas presents.

Like “The Night Before Christmas,” Grinch was written for the ear to be listened to by children and those young at heart. 

Another popular Christmas narrative is the novella by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, which was published Dec. 19, 1843. In less than a week, its first edition sold out, and since then it has been revised for generations of stage, film and television audiences. 

Its dual theme that love is more valuable than wealth and love’s redemptive power can alter the course of our lives gives the story its ongoing popularity.

Another example of how the arts enhearten us each holiday season is Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker. Since its 1892 premier in St. Petersburg, Russia, it has become the best-known, most widely performed ballet in the world. 

Similar to “The Night Before Christmas,” The Nutcracker enthralls us by taking us back to the magical, dreamlike time of childhood. With its signature blend of classical music and ballet, it has become a staple of stage and television productions during the holiday season.

Likewise, Christmas songs we hear this time of year add to our celebration of the holidays. Some include “Jingle Bells,” “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “White Christmas,” “Drummer Boy,” “The First Noel,” “Silent Night” and the song popularized by Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” 

Notably, written during World War II, this song’s lyrics were partly revised by Garland prior to its recording. Similar to many forms of art this time of year, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” gives voice to the quintessential theme of Christmas, that hope, kindled by the human spirit, can triumph over despair even in the most hopeless of circumstances.

Along with its sing-along songs and carols, the holiday season is also known for the release of the year’s most anticipated movies and rebroadcasts of classic films that add their own storied chapters to America’s collective Christmas story.  

Some of these iconic motion pictures include It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

Yes, Virginia, it is the gift of the arts that helps us unwrap the warmth and wonder of Christmas.

William Tecku was a Lake Superior Writers Contest winner in 2017. He writes about the human condition and shares his reflections with Northland radio listeners.