Library of Congress
Today in History - December 24

Today in History - December 24

'Tis December 24, the day before Christmas, and all through the land, families send excited children to bed with a reading of Clement Moore's classic poem, "A Visit from St Nicholas".  Continue reading.

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Poetry 180: Poem 071 - "Smoking"

Poem 071 - "Smoking"

A poem by Elton Glaser from the Library's Poetry 180 Project.

 

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A Blast from the Mumming Past: The 2009 American Folklife Center Mummers Play

12/24/2025 12:19 PM EST

The American Folklife Center has a tradition of performing a mummers’ play, a traditional form of folk drama, each holiday season. This year we reach back into the vaults to present our very first mummers’ play from 2009. The characters included Mother Christmas, Doctor Brown, Bold Slasher, and Little Saucy Jack. The lines of the script were adapted by Jennifer Cutting and Stephen Winick from scripts in the James Madison Carpenter Collection. Happy Holidays!

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