A Visit from St. Nicholas is a classic poem. It is also called The Night Before Christmas and '​Twas the Night Before Christmas The story of the poem concerns a home that is being visited on Christmas Eve by St. Nicholas in his sleigh being pulled by reindeer. It is responsible for many of the conceptions of the character that persists today. The first two lines are: 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.