The Very First King Size Bed

Away in a Manger 
First published in 1885 in a Lutheran Sunday school book, the poem is often mistakenly attributed to  Martin Luther himself, but in actuality the author is unknown. In 1895 William J. Kirkpatrick put the words to music:

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus, lay down his sweet head. The stars in the sky looked down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.

Simple and sweet, this song takes me back to my own childhood Christmases. My parents didn't have a lot of money, but I felt rich and full of joyful anticipation. On Christmas Eve night, during the car trip home from my Great Aunt Josie's cozy little Cape Cod, my four sisters and I would sing carols. We knew a ton of them, but Away in a Manger was probably on our list of top ten favorites. Ahh, the memories.