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JEST 'FORE CHRISTMAS by Eugene Field

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A playful boy named Bill confesses that he spends most of the year creating joyful chaos — teasing the cat, riding on grocery carts, and avoiding castor oil — but straightens up every December when Christmas gifts are at stake.

Poet
Eugene Field
Themes
childhood, family, hope
The PoemFull text

JEST 'FORE CHRISTMAS

Eugene Field

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! Love to chawnk green apples an' go swimmin' in the lake-- Hate to take the castor-ile they give for bellyache! 'Most all the time, the whole year round, there ain't no flies on me, But jest 'fore Christmas I'm as good as I kin be! Got a yeller dog named Sport, sick him on the cat; First thing she knows she doesn't know where she is at! Got a clipper sled, an' when us kids goes out to slide, 'Long comes the grocery cart, an' we all hook a ride! But sometimes when the grocery man is worrited an' cross, He reaches at us with his whip, an' larrups up his hoss, An' then I laff an' holler, "Oh, ye never teched me!" But jest 'fore Christmas I'm as good as I kin be! Gran'ma says she hopes that when I git to be a man, I'll be a missionarer like her oldest brother, Dan, As was et up by the cannibuls that lives in Ceylon's Isle, Where every prospeck pleases, an' only man is vile! But gran'ma she has never been to see a Wild West show, Nor read the Life of Daniel Boone, or else I guess she'd know That Buff'lo Bill an' cow-boys is good enough for me! Excep' jest 'fore Christmas, when I'm good as I kin be! And then old Sport he hangs around, so solemn-like an' still, His eyes they seem a-sayin': "What's the matter, little Bill?" The old cat sneaks down off her perch an' wonders what's become Of them two enemies of hern that used to make things hum! But I am so perlite an' 'tend so earnestly to biz, That mother says to father: "How improved our Willie is!" But father, havin' been a boy hisself, suspicions me When, jest 'fore Christmas, I'm as good as I kin be! For Christmas, with its lots an' lots of candies, cakes, an' toys, Was made, they say, for proper kids an' not for naughty boys; So wash yer face an' bresh yer hair, an' mind yer p's and q's, An' don't bust out yer pantaloons, and don't wear out yer shoes; Say "Yessum" to the ladies, an' "Yessur" to the men, An' when they's company, don't pass yer plate for pie again; But, thinkin' of the things yer'd like to see upon that tree, Jest 'fore Christmas be as good as yer kin be!

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A playful boy named Bill confesses that he spends most of the year creating joyful chaos — teasing the cat, riding on grocery carts, and avoiding castor oil — but straightens up every December when Christmas gifts are at stake. The poem humorously nudges at how kids act when there’s something to gain. By the end, Bill looks at the reader and essentially suggests: you might want to do the same.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Father calls me William, sister calls me Will, / Mother calls me Willie, but the fellers call me Bill!

    Editor's note

    The poem starts by painting a picture of Bill's world through the various names people call him — a smart and quick way to reveal his entire social landscape at once. "William" from his father carries a sense of formality and authority; "Willie" from his mother feels soft and loving; while "Bill," the name he actually prefers, comes from his friends. Right away, he makes it clear he's just a regular kid who wants nothing to do with the fussy, lace-collar life of Little Lord Fauntleroy, the well-known wealthy child of that time. The refrain hits for the first time: he's a rascal all year, *except* just before Christmas.

  2. Got a yeller dog named Sport, sick him on the cat; / First thing she knows she doesn't know where she is at!

    Editor's note

    This stanza captures Bill's greatest hits of mischief: letting the dog chase the cat, sneaking rides on the grocery cart, and teasing the furious grocer when he can't keep up. The sight of the grocer whipping his horse to hurry while Bill yells is a fantastic comic moment—it's pure childhood chaos. The refrain repeats, and the contrast between this wildness and his good behavior leading up to Christmas becomes even funnier the second time.

  3. Gran'ma says she hopes that when I git to be a man, / I'll be a missionarer like her oldest brother, Dan,

    Editor's note

    Gran'ma wants Bill to follow in the footsteps of her brother Dan, who tragically met his end at the hands of cannibals in Ceylon. The seriousness of her ambition is what makes it so funny. Bill argues that figures like Buffalo Bill and cowboys are far better role models than someone who was eaten. The phrase "where every prospeck pleases, an' only man is vile" comes from the hymn "From Greenland's Icy Mountains," which would have been instantly recognized by a Victorian audience, adding to the humor of the cannibalism contrast. It's Bill's good deeds during the Christmas season that momentarily dampen Gran'ma's aspirations for him.

  4. And then old Sport he hangs around, so solemn-like an' still, / His eyes they seem a-sayin': "What's the matter, little Bill?"

    Editor's note

    This stanza of the poem radiates warmth. Even the dog and cat seem puzzled by Bill's unexpected politeness—his usual targets are left wondering about this sudden truce. Mother is truly impressed, while father, having been a boy once, sees right through it. His subtle skepticism is the poem's most insightful line, adding a layer of generational wisdom to the humor: it's a cycle that plays out year after year in every family.

  5. For Christmas, with its lots an' lots of candies, cakes, an' toys, / Was made, they say, for proper kids an' not for naughty boys;

    Editor's note

    The final stanza breaks the fourth wall. Bill shifts from narrating his own story to speaking directly to the reader, outlining practical rules for good behavior before Christmas: wash your face, mind your manners, and don't request a second slice of pie. The tone changes from confessional to conspiratorial—he's sharing wisdom he's gained through experience. The poem concludes not with a moral lesson but with a practical one: be good *because the tree is coming*, and that's reason enough.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone feels warm, rowdy, and conspiratorial — like a kid sharing a secret with a friend. Field writes entirely in Bill's voice, packed with dropped g's, frontier slang, and an infectious energy that runs wild. There’s no moral lecturing to be found; the humor springs from the contrast between how Bill *ought* to act and how he really does, as well as the fact that his Christmas-season change of heart is purely self-serving. The poem doesn’t criticize Bill — it revels in his character.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The different names (William / Will / Willie / Bill)
Each name represents a unique relationship and set of expectations. "William" embodies the formal, compliant child that adults envision; "Bill," on the other hand, reflects his true self. The poem subtly explores the divide between these two identities.
Sport the dog and the cat
These two animals are Bill's typical accomplices in mischief, and their perplexed calmness during his pre-Christmas cheer is the most amusing indication of how out of character his transformation is. They serve as a humorous reflection of his usual antics.
The Christmas tree
The tree at the end represents the full promise of Christmas — gifts, sweets, and rewards. It’s what fuels the entire joke of the poem: the only thing strong enough to make a boy like Bill behave.
Father's suspicion
Father is the adult who recognizes the act because he has played the same role in the past. He symbolizes the repeating cycle through generations — every boy goes through this, and every father is aware of it.
Castor oil
A classic symbol of unwanted adult authority and the indignities of childhood. Bill hates it just like he hates everything else forced upon him — it represents every rule he never chose.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Eugene Field penned this poem in 1889, and it quickly became one of the most beloved children's poems in America for many years. Field, a newspaper columnist in Chicago, was often called the "poet of childhood" for his knack for depicting the inner lives of boys in a way that resonated deeply instead of feeling overly sentimental. The poem is firmly rooted in the Gilded Age, a time when "Little Lord Fauntleroy," published in 1886, represented an ideal — the well-dressed, well-mannered boy that many real boys were expected to imitate but often resented. At the same time, Buffalo Bill's Wild West show was traveling across the nation, offering boys a very different kind of hero. Field skillfully contrasts these two images. His use of vernacular spelling and dialect was a purposeful stylistic choice, typical of American humor writing of that period, aimed at conveying a sense of authenticity and the warmth of working-class life.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

The poem delivers a humorous and straightforward message: children act nicely before Christmas not out of true goodness but because they’re hoping for gifts. Field doesn’t preach about this — instead, he finds it amusing and relatable, and by the final stanza, he’s essentially supporting the idea.

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