The Music of Betsy Lee Bailey
  • Home
  • My Musical Musings Blog
  • Songs by Title - List
  • Easy 2-Part Mixed Chorus
  • Choral Anthems and Hymn Arrangements
    • Choral Anthems and Octavos
    • Sacred Original Chorals
    • Hymn Arrangements
  • Patriotic Anthems and Pioneer Songs
  • Praise and Thanksgiving
  • Christmas and Easter
    • Easter - Sacred Chorals
    • Christmas - Sacred Chorals
    • Christmas Choir Scripts
    • Christmas Novelty Songs
  • Easy Piano Solos and Duets
    • Easy Piano Duets - Hymns >
      • Arise, O God and Shine - easy piano duet
      • Choose the Right - Easy Piano Duet
      • Come Follow Me Easy Piano Duet
      • Count Your Blessings - Piano Duet
      • Did You Think to Pray? - Easy Piano Duet
      • Hope of Israel Easy Piano Duet
      • I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go - easy piano duet
      • Kind Words of Love - easy piano duet
      • More Holiness Give Me Easy Piano Duet
      • Praise to the Man - easy piano duet
    • Pop Christmas Easy Duets
    • Easy Piano Solo Disney Songs
    • Beatles Songs Easy Piano Solos
  • Sacred Solo Song Collections
    • The Praiseworthy Singer Vol. 14
    • The Praiseworthy Singer Vol. 15
  • More Solos and Duets
  • Women's, Youth and Men's Chorus
    • Women's Chorus
    • Youth Chorus
    • Men's Chorus
  • Music for Home and Family
    • Songs of Home and Family
    • Family Choir Arrangements
  • Fun Tongue Twister Vocalises
  • Fun and Easy Warm-up Songs for Choir
  • Echo Songs, Rounds and Partner Songs
  • Sacred Songs for Children
  • Fun Songs for Kids
  • Visual Aids and Strategies for Teaching Primary Songs
    • I'm a New Music Leader in Primary...Now What?
    • Song Leader's Bag of Tricks
    • Fun With Music - Nursery and Jr. Primary
    • Pop-Up Books, Word Strips, and Melody Maps
    • Puzzles
    • Dress-Ups and Costumes
    • Examples of Visual Aids
  • Electrical Conduit Chimes
  • Instrumentals
    • Easy Instrument Solos
  • Janie Thompson Songs
  • Contact Info
  • About Me

Don't Wait 'til the Night Before Christmas to Be Good

Words and Music by Samuel Lewis and Abel Baer (published in 1938)
Arranged by Betsy Lee Bailey (2002)
Picture
        When I was a little girl, my aunt Janie Thompson taught me this song, "Don't Wait 'til the Night Before Christmas to Be Good."  She had me singing in a Kids Trio when I was five years old.  This was just one of many songs we learned to sing for her traveling shows at Christmas time.  I just accepted that she wrote it.  Many years later, I found out that not only did she NOT write it, but it had been written way back in 1938!  And, it had been recorded many times by various singers including Rosemary Clooney, who was a popular actress and singer from the 1940's through the 1990's.
        It was always our family song.  I had never seen any actual sheet music. My aunt and my mom just played it from memory.  My mom taught it to her children and we sang it every Christmas through the 1960-1970's, when enough of us were old enough to actually sing the parts, in harmony of course with the solos.  In the 1980's, I taught it to my children and my school chorus.  Then, in 2002, I was asked to actually write it out so a chorus could sing it for a Holiday Show at the elementary school.  Adorable kids always made this song a delight for the audience!

Picture