The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, December 25, 2025

On this day in 1666, Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary:

25. Christmas day. Lay pretty long in bed. And then rise, leaving my wife desirous to sleep, having sat up till 4 this morning seeing her maids make mince-pies. I go to church, where our parson Mills made a good sermon. Then home, and dine well on some good ribs of beef roasted and mince pies; only my wife, brother, and Barker, and plenty of good wine of my own; and my heart full of true joy and thanks to God Almighty for the goodness of my condition at this day.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Today is Christmas Eve. And a very famous poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” takes place on this night. It was published anonymously in 1823. The author was thought to be Clement Clarke Moore, but recently, many scholars have questioned that and think it might have been written by Henry Livingston Jr.

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, December 23, 2025

It’s the birthday of the poet Robert Bly, born in Madison, Minnesota, in 1926. He said, “I think a poem is a dream, a dream which you are willing to share with the community. It happens a writer often doesn’t understand a poem until some months after he’s written it.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, December 22, 2025

It’s the week of Christmas, and this week we’re celebrating Christmas literature and movies. The most famous Christmas story is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It was a huge success when it came out in December of 1843 — it sold more than 6,000 copies during its first week in print.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, December 21, 2025

It’s the birthday of conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, born in Hollywood (1944). His grandparents, the Thomashefskys, were famous Yiddish theatrical stars. He graduated from the school of music at the University of Southern California and then got a fellowship conducting at Tanglewood, in the Berkshires.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, December 20, 2025

It’s the birthday of the Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne, the lifelong muse of poet W.B. Yeats, born in Surrey, England (1865). She and Yeats first met when they were both 25 years old. He fell in love with her immediately and remained in love for the rest of his life.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, December 19, 2025

It was on this day in 1843 that Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, whom Dickens described as “a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, December 18, 2025

It’s the birthday of American dramatist Ossie Davis, born Raiford Chatman Davis in Cogdell, Georgia (1917). He acquired the name “Ossie” after a county clerk misheard his mother pronounce his initials, “R.C.” His father was a railroad engineer, an unusual career for a black man in the Deep South at the time, and Davis said that he was inspired to be a writer when he found out that his father was harassed by white colleagues.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, December 17, 2025

It’s the birthday of New York Times political columnist William Safire, born in New York City (1929). He once wrote a list called “William Safire’s Rules for Writers.” The rules included: “Remember to never split an infinitive,” “The passive voice should never be used,” and, “Last, but not least, avoid clichés like the plague.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, December 16, 2025

It’s the birthday of Jane Austen, born in Hampshire, England (1775). Today, members of Jane Austen Societies all over the world are celebrating her birthday with a tea or luncheon.