Like the rest of us, Cirque du Soleil aerialist Tuedon Ariri knows the opening lines of the classic holiday poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” which first appeared in a New York newspaper 196 years ago.
 
"But I didn't know how long it was and how much it continued," she told us.
 
The rest of the poem actually helped to create much of the Christmas imagery surrounding the holiday today, like Santa on a sleigh bearing gifts on Christmas Eve. Director James Hadley mined many of those little-known lyrics to create Cirque du Soleil's new Christmas show, "Twas the Night Before."

"One of my favorite lines in rereading and rediscovering the poem was ‘The moon in the breast of the new fallen snow gives a luster of midday to objects below.’ And what we've done is incorporated that into this beautiful aerial act where Alexi, the father character, on this chord, he balances and flies all around the stage," Hadley explained.

After a successful run in Chicago, the show moved to the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. We caught a rehearsal and saw firsthand the challenges of bringing such a production to a new venue.
 
"You really have to be on and focused all the time to follow what has changed in the show, what's different. So, just the fact that we're changing spaces — the stage is a different size, the height is different, so we have to stay alert," Ariri told us at rehearsals, which she said went hours behind schedule.
 
Jinge Wang plays a reindeer and says this is the most difficult show he’s ever done. But with fine-tuning on the mechanics and the lighting, it all comes together.
 
“[I’m] so excited. I think [I’m] more excited than the audience, because I did it," Wang told us.
 
Of course, the reindeer aren't just any reindeer — they're Santa's reindeer. And even the names — Dancer and Prancer and all the rest — come from the poem, too. It began so many happy traditions. Those involved hope this show creates some good feelings as well.
 
"Christmas is a really happy time and people who come to the show will come with their families and I think that's something so special and you remember for your whole life," Ariri said.
 
The show runs through December 29th. As the poem says,” Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”