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Stourbridge author brings Christmas classic home with Black Country retelling

A much-loved Christmas poem has been given a proudly local twist by Stourbridge author Katie Victoria, whose new book ’Twas the Night Afore Christmas reimagines the festive classic entirely in authentic Black Country dialect.

By contributor Action Productions
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Drawing on the warmth, humour and rhythm of local speech, Victoria’s version follows the familiar journey of Saint Nick on Christmas Eve, arriving belly shaking, beard glistening and brimming with jolliness. While the structure of the original poem remains recognisable, the language transforms it into something distinctly rooted in the Black Country.

The book is designed to be read aloud, embracing the musicality of dialect storytelling. Its playful rhyme and cosy atmosphere make it ideal for sharing with children at bedtime, reading in classrooms, or enjoying at Christmas gatherings, where the words invite laughter and recognition in equal measure.

Beyond its festive charm, the book also carries cultural significance. By presenting a well-known poem in regional dialect, Victoria celebrates local identity and helps preserve a voice that is rarely represented in children’s publishing. For younger readers, it offers the joy of seeing their own way of speaking reflected on the page; for older readers, it provides a nostalgic connection to home.

The cover artwork places Saint Nick in a winter Black Country landscape, setting the tone for this regional retelling of a Christmas classic.
The cover artwork places Saint Nick in a winter Black Country landscape, setting the tone for this regional retelling of a Christmas classic.

Speaking through her work, Victoria highlights the importance of embracing regional language as something to be celebrated rather than softened or lost. The result is a story that feels both comfortingly familiar and refreshingly original.

Warm-hearted, humorous and full of bostin’ Black Country spirit, ’Twas the Night Afore Christmas is a festive keepsake as much as a storybook.

Saint Nick flying through the frosty Black Country sky, over Dudley Castle, as Christmas Eve settles in.
Saint Nick flying through the frosty Black Country sky, over Dudley Castle, as Christmas Eve settles in.
An illustration of Saint Nick soaring over the Black Country Living Museum as Christmas Eve settles across the region.
An illustration of Saint Nick soaring over the Black Country Living Museum as Christmas Eve settles across the region.
Saint Nick soaring through the winter sky, passing over Stourbridge’s iconic red glass cone, blending Christmas magic with the town’s rich glassmaking heritage.
Saint Nick soaring through the winter sky, passing over Stourbridge’s iconic red glass cone, blending Christmas magic with the town’s rich glassmaking heritage.