SATURDAY: 'Twas the Night Before the Night Before Christmas

"Tonight, Tonight..."

Or the previous night, as the story goes. Clement Clarke Moore’s “’TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS” was published in 1823, and it launched the modern Santa Claus myth. Before that, Santa was just St. Nicholas, patron saint of children, not a jolly fat dude with a penchant for monochromatic red outfits and worldwide sleigh travel and a ginormous sack of toys. So you could say that Moore was responsible for kick-starting the mass commercialization of the holidays, but we’d rather not blame it on a writer. Denial is a wonderful thing, and so is being read to: you and yours can listen to the tale of Father Christmas this evening. (Kids should feel free to wear their PJs.) But don’t brush your teeth beforehand — there’ll be candy to spare at the Boston University Barnes & Noble | 660 Beacon St, Boston | 4 pm | free | 617.267.8484.

Holy Fug this is hilarious:

Happy Chrismakwanzukkah from Word Up!