It’s Christmas Eve, a family is sleeping, stockings hung expectantly above the fireplace, when a noise outside announces a night-time visitor… One of the most recognisable and best-loved Christmas tales, The Night Before Christmas has been read to, and read by, excited children for 200 years. Written by New York clergyman, Clement C. Moore, the poem perfectly captures the anticipation and wonder of Christmas Eve, and it shaped our image of the festive season, including the idea of St. Nicholas arriving on a sleigh pulled by reindeer.