Jest 'Fore Christmas Comments
Father calls me William, sister calls me Will,
Mother calls me Willie, but the fellers call me Bill!
Mighty glad I ain't a girl - ruther be a boy,
Without them sashes, curls, an' things that's worn by Fauntleroy!
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When I was in first grade, my mother made me memorize this poem and present it on stage at a Christmas program in front of the whole school, grades K through 12.
This was read to me in grade school. I hadn't though about it for years, but I like it.
read this in grade school...sometime between 1956 and 1959. I memorized the 'grandma/oldest brother Dan/Ceylon stanza and would intone it, time to time, over 60 years. THEN, Walter Slezak speaks the 'prospect pleases. man is vile' part in Born to Kill..a 1947 film noir.
When I was teaching I would read this poem 3 weeks before Christmas and at least once a week. Used this as a lesson on progression of some of our language and the use of idioms. What great memories.
We would read this and other poems on Christmas Eve and still do.
That was a fun read! It sparked memories even though I wasn't a boy- girls can be tom boys, you know, I have never read him before and look forward to more like this.
Have enjoyed this poem since I was a child. Thanks, Poem Hunter, for including it here today.
I really enjoyed this poem. It reminds me of myself before Christmas
After all the typical boy games, swimming in lake n climbing trees, just for Christmas being as good as he could be..enjoyed reading.
My grandmother, who's been gone almost 40 years, used to recite this to us when we were children. Brings back some wonderful momories
My grandmother, who's been gone almost 40 years, used to recite this to us when we were children. Brings back some wonderful momories
I find the most joy in the poetry that my father read/recited to me as a child. And this was one of them, along with 'The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, ' The Song of Hiawatha, ' and many others Poetry gives me the comfort of returning to the carefree days of my childhood, have grown up when childhood was really carefree in the 50's.
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7/19/2025 2:40:53 AM # 1.0.0
My parents used to read this to us every Christmas. It was in our set of Childcraft books. it became a tradition in our family. Sure brings back wonderful memories.