A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore | Poetry Foundation A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore A Visit from St. Nicholas Related Poem Content Details 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds; While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap, When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, Gave a lustre of midday to objects below, When what to my wondering eyes did appear, But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer, With a little old driver so lively and quick, I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name: "Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!" As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky; So up to the housetop the coursers they flew With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too— And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head, and was turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack. His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow; The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath; He had a broad face and a little round belly That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk, And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight— “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” Source: The Random House Book of Poetry for Children (Random House Inc., 1983) Discover this poem's context and related poetry, articles, and media. Poet Clement Clarke Moore | Poetry Foundation Clement Clarke Moore Poet Details 1779–1863 Clement Clarke Moore was born in New York City, the son of the Reverend Benjamin Moore and Charity Clarke Moore. An only child, Clement was capably tutored at home by his father until he entered Columbia College; according to his biographer. Samuel White Patterson, he graduated in 1798 "at the head of his class, as his father had, thirty years earlier." In 1801 he earned his MA from Columbia University: he was awarded an LLD in 1829. In 1813 Clement Moore married 19-year-old Catharine Elizabeth Taylor, with whom he eventually had nine children.

A very religious man, he gave a large portion of the land that he had inherited, part of his Chelsea estate and now called Chelsea Square, to the General Theological Seminary, where he was a professor of oriental and Greek literature from 1823 until he retired in 1850. At his retirement he purchased a house in Newport, Rhode Island, where he died on July 10, 1863. During his lifetime Moore wrote on a variety of subjects. He produced a two-volume A Compendious Lexicon of the Hebrew Language (1809), a translation from the French of A Complete Treatise on Merinos and Other Sheep (1811), and the historical biography George Castriot, Surnamed Scanderbeg, King of Albania (1850). Throughout his life he also wrote poetry, which was published in the Portfolio and similar periodicals. Moore claimed to have been the author of " A Visit from St. Nicholas ," asserting that he wrote the poem for his own children and recited it to them on Christmas Eve 1822.

After it was published anonymously the following year, it became increasingly popular, appearing in newspapers, school readers, other anthologies, and in many different single editions. The New-York Book of Poetry (1837), an anthology of works by New York poets, contained some written by Moore, including "A Visit from St. Nicholas," although "Anonymous" was still listed as the author. Not until 1844, when Moore's collection Poems was published, was "A Visit from St. Nicholas" acknowledged in print as having been written by Clement C. Moore, LLD. Because the poem was published anonymously and became very popular, other people tried to claim authorship. Authorship is typically attibuted now to Major Henry Livingston , Jr., whose great-grandson spent many years trying to establish Major Livingston as the author. Livingston had also written verses for his children, but he made no written mention of " A Visit from St. Nicholas " during his lifetime, nor had his friends heard of his connection with the verses. They were said to have been published in a Poughkeepsie newspaper long before they appeared in the Troy Sentinel, but no copies of the paper containing the poem have ever turned up.

Several magazine and newspaper articles appeared, especially during the 1940s, questioning the authorship, but scholars today give the credit to Livingston. Discover this poet's context and related poetry, articles, and media. Poems by Clement Clarke Moore 'Twas The Night Before Christmas' Story: Read Full Text, Original Poem By Clement Clarke Moore 'Twas The Night Before Christmas' Story: Read Full Text, Original Poem By Clement Clarke Moore 12/24/14 AT 11:52 AM Close Santa Claus at the Santa Claus' Village at the Arctic Circle near Rovaniemi, Finland, in 2007. Photo: Reuters With just hours to go until Christmas 2014, now is the perfect time to catch up on an old holiday classic, “'Twas The Night Before Christmas.” The famous holiday story was originally written as a poem by Clement Clarke Moore and titled, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Moore wrote the poem just for his own children in the 1820s, but it has become universal. Below is the full text from the popular Christmas tale.

The text is courtesy of the Poetry Foundation via “The Random House Book of Poetry for Children” (1983). "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clarke Moore: 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads. And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap, had just settled our brains for a long winter nap. When out on the law there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon, on the breast of the new-fallen snow, gave a luster of midday to objects below, when, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer, with a little old driver so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick!

More rapid than eagles his courses they came, and he whistled and shouted and called them by name: "Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall, now, dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!" As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky, so up to the housetop the coursers they flew, with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too. And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof the prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head, and was turning around, down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound. Related Stories Last-Minute Tech Deals At Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, Apple He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot, and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; a bundle of toys he had flung on his back, and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes- how they twinkled! His dimples-- how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry. His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow. The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath. He had a broad face and a little round belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself. A wink of his eye and a twist of his head soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread. He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk. Laying his finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose. He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight… "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" Twas the Night Before Christmas: Recited From Memory - YouTube Twas the Night Before Christmas: Recited From Memory Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Dec 26, 2013 Verbatim recitation of the famous poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas", written in 1822 by Clement Clarke Moore. Clement initially titled the poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas", though we recognize it today by the first line of the poem after which it was popularized. The poem is 540 words in length and takes just under 4 minutes to recite. Yesterday on Christmas morning, I resolved to and was successful in committing the poem to memory in just under an hour.

I recited it as a Christmas gift to my family having nothing more to offer than the kindness and generosity that was expressed through the deed. The inspiration and well meaning intentions coming from my love for them; the good will toward my kin expressed in my own particular way, has moved me to this end and as I brought that good will to my kinsman I now offer that same good will of tidings and joy to my fellow man. Category The Night Before Christmas - A Descriptive Bibliography of Clement Clarke Moore's Immortal Poem - Nancy H. Marshall Click on Painting to Enlarge According to legend, Clement Clarke Moore wrote his immortal poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, also known as The Night Before Christmas, for his family on Christmas Eve 1822. He never intended that it be published, but a family friend, Miss Harriet Butler, learned of the poem sometime later from Moore's children. She copied it into her album, and submitted it to the editor of the Troy (New York) Sentinel where it made its first appearance in print on December 23, 1823.

Soon, the poem began to be reprinted in other newspapers, almanacs and magazines, with the first appearance in a book in The New York Book of Poetry , edited by Charles Fenno Hoffman, in 1837. It was not until 1844, however, that Moore himself acknowledged authorship in a volume of his poetry entitled Poems , published at the request of his children. One hundred and eighty years later it is the most-published, most-read, most-memorized and most-collected book in all of Christmas literature. Twas the Night Before Christmas.html By Laura Twas the night before Christmas and other famous tales ‘Twas the night before Christmas is a classic poem that was originally titled “A Visit from St. Nicholas”. ‘Twas the night before Christmas and other tales from Laura Legend… “‘Twas the night before Christmas” is the opening line of a poem believed to have been written by Clement C. Moore in 1822. The poem was actually titled “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, but the opening line has caught on and is used by many as the title of the poem.

There have been some claims that the infamous poem was not written by Moore, but was rather penned by Major Henry Livingston, Jr. Still, Moore is widely recognized as the author. In the poem, ‘Twas the night before Christmas, Moore describes events of Christmas Eve referring to stockings, visions of sugarplums, Santa, his sleigh and his reindeer. He says that St. Nick whistled and called the reindeer by name and introduces the names of Santa’s eight reindeer (excluding Rudolph). Though in the poem Santa was called St. Nick, “‘Twas the night before Christmas” is credited for creating our modern day vision of Santa Claus. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer… Like ‘Twas the night before Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a classic Christmas tale. In 1939 the original tale of Rudolph was written by Robert L. May as a promotional item for Montgomery Ward department stores. The first song about Rudolph was written by May’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, and was sung by Gene Autry. Cartoons have been produced based on the Rudolph character as well.

However, the original story of Rudolph, written by May, is quite different from the song or the shows. Did you know? In the original Rudolph story, Rudolph and his parents were not Santa’s reindeer. Christmas story traditions… Reading original stories, such as May’s version of Rudolph, the original story of The Grinch by Dr. Seuss and other Christmas tales is a wonderful Christmas tradition for families. ‘Twas the night before Christmas is a wonderful bedtime story to share with children on Christmas Eve. The Poems (We Think) We Know: “The Night Before Christmas” - Los Angeles Review of Books The Poems (We Think) We Know: “The Night Before Christmas” For Nate I. I SHOULD START by saying that I don’t mean to ruin anyone’s Christmas. I like Christmas as much as the next person, and I’ve got two little boys who like it even more. We put up a tree (a real one, the kind that smells like Christmas), keep apple cider warm on the stove top for days, and lay out cookies and milk for Santa.

I still use the stocking from my childhood (yes, in my house grown ups get presents in their stockings, too) and although I’ve never been a practicing Christian, I still remember fondly the year I was cast as Mary in the local nativity play. (I rode a real donkey down the aisle!) So it’s not my intention to take anything away from the holiday, or from our memories of it. In fact, having kids has allowed me to indulge in the holiday all over again, and now I live inside Christmas for far longer, existing on the momentum, and the aftermath, of their excitement. This year, my 6-year-old started really early with the anticipation. As soon as Halloween was over, this child with the biggest sweet tooth ever declared that Halloween was no longer his favorite holiday; now it is Christmas, because there is Santa Claus. And so, almost two months before Santa Claus would make his way down our Missouri chimney, Nate asked me to read him “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Every night. I don’t know why it had never occurred to me to think about the author of this poem, about when it was written, about how it came to be.

I think I had always assumed it was a British poem (something about the “kerchief” and the “cap”?) and it seemed kind of timeless to me; I couldn’t have guessed if it was an 18th-, 19th-, or 20th-century poem. Also, it was a book, not really a poem, in my head, even though I knew it was filled with all those galloping anapests. I had owned it in “pop-up” form when I was a child, and those moveable illustrations were as much a part of its story as anything else. So when I turned my attention to this poem, which was written by Clement C. Moore in 1822 in New York City and was originally titled “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” I was shocked by all the stories embedded within it that I had never known — stories about slavery, about Ninth Avenue, about Washington Irving and Thomas Jefferson, about long pipes and short pipes. II. The story goes something like this: right around Christmas time in 1822, Clement Moore went out in a carriage to buy presents for his family.

His wife, Catherine, and his six children (all between the ages of 8 months and 7 years old) waited for him to return so that they could carve the turkey and celebrate the holiday together. Before he left on his shopping expedition, his 6- year-old daughter, Charity, asked him to write “something special” for Christmas and so, with the snow starting to fall and the carriage loaded up with presents, Moore wrote “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” a long poem that he would read to his family later that evening and that, according to legend, they absolutely loved. It was not until the following Christmastime that the poem was printed, so for a whole year those lines were the private property of the Moore family. Then one day Charity showed the poem to Harriet Butler, who was a friend of Moore’s and the daughter of the Reverend David Butler of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Troy, New York. Harriet Butler made a copy and sent it to Orville L. Holley, the editor of the Troy Sentinel, with no author’s name attached. And that is how it came to be printed on December 23, 1823, in the Troy Sentinel.

Moore’s name would not be associated with the poem until 1837, when his friend, the editor Charles Fenno Hoffman, printed it in the New York Book of Poetry. Moore eventually printed it himself in his first and only book of poems, which wasn’t published until 1844, over two decades after its original printing. In many ways this is a typical story of 19th-century verse composition and circulation. Poems were often published anonymously, and often this anonymity gave rise to much-desired readerly speculation and rumor. (There are some, I should say, who will still make the case that Moore was not the author of this poem, but that’s another story entirely and not the one I am going to tell here.) But why did this particular version of Santa Claus’s Christmas Eve visitation get more attention than others, since others were circulating at the time? And why was Moore so slow to deny authorship of it? What lies behind the myth of Moore’s now almost two-century-old composition of this poem for his daughter?

It’s hard to read the poem as anything other than a utopian, feel-good fantasy of holiday giving and magical surprise, written, as the story above tells us, by a father for the entertainment of his family. If you like, go ahead and read them that way one last time, before I complicate the situation: ’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And mamma in her ’kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap, When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below, When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name; “Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!” As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky; So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too. And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head, and was turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes — how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow; The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath; He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk, And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle, But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.” The poem seems straight forward enough: in 28 rhyming couplets of anapestic tetrameter, it tells the story of Santa Claus’s Christmas Eve visit to one particular family’s home. Because the man of the house hears Santa’s approach, he gets to observe his arrival, reindeer, attire, manner, actions, and departure. Each of these elements of the narrative is given significant attention and the poem nicely renders the whole incident as both real and magical.

It is just detailed enough to be easy to render visually (the first illustrated edition was published in 1848 and since then there have been hundreds, if not thousands; the first film version appeared as early as 1905) and just suggestive enough of other worlds to have made its way into generations of children’s imaginations. In short, it was, and continues to be, the perfect Christmas poem for a nation that values quasi-historical myths, the home as a place of warmth and safety, and unanticipated acts of benevolence. And what’s interesting is that Moore is really the person who brought all of this to bear on Christmas. Granted, he had multiple sources off which to build when creating his version of Christmastime and Santa Claus — some details came from the Dutch version, some from religious documents, some from Norse legend, and some from his friend (and fellow New Yorker) Washington Irving’s 1809 A History of New York. Irving as source text is probably the most potent, given that Irving’s book (which, ironically, is a send up of the very Dutch customs that Moore seems to be drawing on) at times feels a little too close for comfort.

For instance, of that moment right before Santa’s departure, Irving writes, “And when St. Nicholas had smoked his pipe, he twisted it in his hatband, and laying his finger beside his nose, gave the astonished Van Kortlandt a very significant look; then, mounting his wagon, he returned over the tree-tops and disappeared.” Regardless, Moore’s rendering of Santa’s particular appearance, the number and specific names of his reindeer, the bringing of gifts to children, his mode of transport, and his arrival on Christmas Eve are all now well-known elements of the story of Santa Claus that didn’t exist in the form we know them today before Moore’s poem. (It’s also worth noting that certain details have morphed away from Moore’s poem, such as Santa’s now-large stature — in this poem he is an elf himself! — and the idea that Santa and his reindeer ride in through the sky, where here they clearly are land-based creatures that fly up to the roof.) Because Moore was a highly educated man, he would have been completely capable of faithfully rendering the Dutch story of Sinterklaas if that had been his point. But it wasn’t.

Moore was creating an American Santa Claus for his American people, and it’s only from our historical distance that we think of Moore’s version of the story as either wholly derivative or original. III. I’m not normally one to think that we should care too much about how an artist chooses to live his or her life, or about what that artist chooses to believe. If we based our assessments of art on those things, I think we all know we would never have the pleasure of looking at another Picasso painting or of reading another poem by Ezra Pound again. So I’m not saying that, just because Clement Moore had what I consider to be abhorrent politics, we shouldn’t read this poem to a whole new generation of Santa Claus–crazy children. What I am saying is that once you know about them, it’s hard not to see them all over the poem. Moore was what today we would call part of the 1 percent. What that means circa 1822 in New York City is that he owned a huge amount of ancestral land (in what today is the neighborhood of Chelsea) and was inordinately wealthy because of it.

Because he was an academic (his primary post was as American Professor of Oriental and Greek Literature as well as Divinity and Biblical Learning at the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church), we might assume he used all that money and power to do good things for the people of New York. But no. Moore was incredibly disdainful (and, I would argue, fearful) of the lower classes and of any form of social good or charity that was meant to make their lives better. And he held slaves. The historical record shows that, in 1822, when he wrote “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” Moore owned five slaves. What’s interesting about this data is not that he ever owned them (lots of people, including Thomas Jefferson, of whom, interestingly, Moore was a rabid critic, owned slaves), but that he owned them so late. In 1799, New York had passed a gradual emancipation act that freed all children born into slavery and that ensured freedom for all slaves by 1827. Moore held onto his slaves until the bitter end and was an outspoken opponent of abolition until his death in 1863.

Are slaves in “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”? No, but the poem is drenched in Moore’s sense of the hierarchies of race and class. The first eight lines of the poem describe the domestic scene of evening, with everyone settling into their beds for the night, when all of a sudden the first action of the poem occurs: “When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, / I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.” Any history of Christmas — and I suggest Stephen Nissenbaum’s excellent one, The Battle for Christmas: A Social and Cultural History of Christmas that Shows How It Was Transformed from an Unruly Carnival Season into the Quintessential American Family Holiday — will tell you that the ways in which people celebrated Christmas in the early 19th century was a highly controversial topic. Some people treated it as a sacred holiday to be celebrated in church and then in privacy, with family; others thought of it as a type of Carnival, taking the opportunity to get drunk and party in the streets with strangers.

In light of this, the “clatter” that is heard on the lawn might not be read as Santa Claus, but instead as evidence of the working people’s Bacchanalian revelries. What the man in the poem thinks is the “matter” — in other words, what the threat is to this scene of domestic tranquility — is drunk, poor people. But instead of seeing them, his “wondering eyes” (and here is where the poem shifts from realism to fantasy) land on “a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, / With a little old driver, so lively and quick, / I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.” Instead of the threatening men of the street, he is met with the man of Dutch legend. And in one fell swoop, Moore imagines a world in which the problems of class with which he is surrounded daily are transformed into something magical and good. Twelve years before Moore wrote this poem, the landscape and demographics of New York City had begun to shift in ways that would affect him personally. The city had begun implementing a plan to make a grid system of streets up in the neighborhood in which Moore resided.

In particular, the plan would make what would become Ninth Avenue run straight through his estate. Moore was incensed, and wrote a pamphlet entitled “Proprietors of Real Estate,” which, among other things, protested paying taxes for the upkeep of new streets and more generally opposed the development of the city because, he felt, development was meant to appease the working class and, by extension, such acts were a sign that the city was being run by and for its laborers. But then, in 1818, Ninth Avenue was dug straight through his estate. By the time Moore wrote his Christmastime poem, then, he was not living in a pastoral wonderland, and he was mighty pissed off about this. How does this manifest in his poem? Moore paints Santa, in no uncertain terms, as the very kind of person — a dirty peddler! — whom he wouldn’t want in his own house.

Between the clothes that are “all tarnished with ashes and soot,” the “pack” on his back, and the “stump of a pipe” in his mouth, Santa is marked multiple times as working class, The pipe is a particularly interesting marker given that in 1820s in American cities, it was so accepted that the rich smoked long pipes and the poor smoked short pipes that upon purchasing a long pipe, those of the lower classes would often cut them down. We only learn late in the scene that the man who is observing Santa Claus is quite wary of him. It is not until Santa produces “a wink of his eye and a twist of his head” that the onlooker realizes he has “nothing to dread.” The implication is, of course, that under normal circumstances, having a working man intrude upon your house would be cause for concern. In order to counterbalance the fact that he has rendered Santa as a peddler who has just entered the house uninvited, Moore uses playful and positive similes to describe him.

Santa’s cheeks are “like roses,” his nose “like a cherry.” The hair on his chin is “as white as the snow” and the smoke coming out of his mouth is “like a wreath.” His round belly is “like a bowl full of jelly.” All of these comparisons are to beautiful, delicious, or festive images, and in this way the peddler, although still quite dirty (and, by extension, dark), is transformed. Might we read this, then, as Moore’s single act of generosity to the class that he actively oppressed? By making Santa Claus one of them might he have been valuing the peddler anew? Maybe, but I doubt it. These descriptions of Santa are manipulative in the same way that depictions of happy slaves from the same period are meant not to compliment blacks but to appease the guilt of those who were oppressing them. When Moore writes that Santa “spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,” I think what we can see most clearly is Moore’s fantasy of the silent underclass that should work hard, provide goods and services for others, and not ask for anything in exchange. IV.

My son Nate is the same age now that Charity was when she asked her father to write “something special” for the Christmas holidays. Six year olds know how to make excellent requests. For Charity, it must have been quite something to make such a request and have this poem produced within a matter of hours for her enjoyment. And because Moore did not claim authorship of the poem for so long (there is lots of speculation that his elitism kept him from wanting to be associated with popular, children’s verse of the time), there must have been something very special about watching this poem go viral (for lack of a better phrase), and knowing that it had been privately written just for you. Despite all the internal politics that I hope to have elucidated here, I do find myself liking the fact that this is a poem about New York because that’s the city of my own childhood. Identification is a funny thing.

Even though I am skeptical of the legend that turns Moore himself into a kind of Santa Claus figure (in his carriage with all those presents for his kids!), and I am quick to complicate what others might read as his positive depiction of Santa the lower-class jolly peddler, I am happy to embrace the idea that the streets and parks of my girlhood (Clement Clarke Moore Park is on 22nd Street and 10th Avenue) somehow played a role in where our modern American sense of Christmas comes from. If the people of that dirty, industrial, ever-developing city hadn’t thought to build the streets and avenues the way it did, Moore’s sense of authority may never have been called into question, and that filthy man who so many children now dream about might never have come down the chimney. ¤ All About "A Visit from St. Nicholas" - Collaborative Essays and Articles - Geneseo Wiki Collaborative Essays and Articles All About "A Visit from St. Nicholas" Browse pages Go to start of metadata Neither this page nor the pages linked to it were written by Paul Schacht. "All About 'A Visit from St.

Nicholas'" is a collaborative essay written by students in Paul Schacht's fall, 2005 section of Intd 105 , "The Battle for Christmas." It was part of the original Collaborative Writing Project and was moved to its present site in fall, 2007. Its page history did not survive the move. Contents: The History of "A Visit from St. Nicholas" "A Visit from St. Nicholas" was first published in the Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823 by Mr. Orville Holley. Given to Mr. Holley anonymously, the poem immediately became a Christmas favorite. Only nine days after its debut in the Troy Sentinel, it appeared in the New York Spectator. Two years later it reappeared in New Jersey and Pennsylvania almanacs. In 1826, it appeared in the literary magazine The Casket. It also appeared in the Poughkeepsie Journal in 1828, which came just six weeks before the death of Henry Livingston Jr. Although the poem continued to be reprinted, the authorship was unknown for quite some time. It is commonly believed that Clement Clarke Moore wrote " A Visit from St.

Nicholas " on December 24, 1822, while doing some Christmas shopping. When he arrived home, he copied the poem down and recited it at the Christmas feast. A guest who heard the poem then copied it and delivered it to Mr. Orville Holley. This story may be fact or fiction, for Mr. Holley never confirmed who delivered the poem, although Moore did finally take credit for the poem in 1844. Controversy Behind "A Visit from St. Nicholas" The well-known poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," or what has also become known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", has became a Christmas tradition, yet it also has created a controversy that many people are unaware of. The true authorship of the poem has been disputed since the 19th century. Years after the poem was published, Clement Clarke Moore took credit as the author, yet some believe that the true author was none other than Henry Livingston Jr. .

In order to investigate the credibility of the authorship of these two men, writers like Joe Nickell (The Case of the Christmas Poem) and Don Foster (Author Unknown), have analyzed the poem and created theories that attempt to prove one of the men as the true author. Their theories and the investigation behind the authorship of "A Visit from St. Nicholas" rely heavily upon the changing view of Santa Claus . Potential Authors of "A Visit From St. Nicholas" By means of its many publications, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" quickly grasped the American public's attention and soon spread to papers and journals across the United States. The poem was originally published anonymously and no credit was taken for its authorship until 1844. Almost 20 years after the original publication of the poem, Clement Clarke Moore took credit for the beloved holiday work, and became known as both the creator of the poem and the "founder of modern Christmas". It is widely accepted that Moore wrote the poem; however, discrepancies have arisen between Moore's acceptance of credit for the poem and outside claims that say Livingston might be the author. Heading the argument against Moore are the descendents of Henry Livingston Jr.

, who claim that Moore did not write the poem, but that it is Henry Livingston Jr. who deserves the credit. Clement Clarke Moore An old-style country gentleman and scholarly professor of Hebrew, Clement Clarke Moore is credited with the authorship of "A Visit from St. Nicholas". As a great Manhattan landowner, Moore played a key role in the emergence of New York landscape. Although much of his work reflects serious pious issues, it is suggested that Moore wrote the poem for his children. Though it is enthusiastically accepted by all of those who read it, Clement Clarke Moore refused to have "A Visit from St. Nicholas" published on the grounds that it was "beneath his dignity". A year after the poem was written, however, the poem resurfaced and became what is commonly known as an "overnight sensation". Apparently, a family member had secretly submitted the poem to an out-of-town newspaper. Despite its success, Moore refused to accept credit for his work until over a decade later (1844) in a volume of his collected works. Even then, Moore attempted to belittle the piece as one of his "mere trifles". Ironically, "A Visit from St.

Nicholas" is the work Professor Clement Clarke Moore is most remembered for today. Henry Livingston Jr. Livingston never personally accepted credit for writing "A Visit from St. Nicholas". It was Livingston's daughters who made the claim to their father's authorship 20 years after his death. Don Foster, in his book Author Unknown , wrote one of the first persuasive essays to support Henry Livingston Jr. as the true author of "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Unlike the man who has been recognized by most people as the true author of "A Visit From St. Nicholas", Clement Clarke Moore, Henry Livingston Jr. is not very well known. Most of his poetry was written for himself and his family and therefore was not published. His published works are clever, amusing, funny, and good natured. Unlike Moore, Livingston's style and personality perfectly match the way in which "A Visit from St. Nicholas" was written. Livingston's personality constitutes a large part of Don Foster's argument in Author Unknown in which he lays his argument that Henry Livingston Jr. is the true author of "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Although Henry Livingston Jr. never accepted credit for "A Visit From St.

Nicholas", many of his decendants, such as [ Mary Van Deusen| are determined to prove that he wrote the poem. Some of Livingston's other works have been promoted by those who want to prove his authorship. The Controversy: Don Foster's Author Unknown Don Foster 's Author Unknown dedicates a chapter, titled "Yes, Virginia, There Was a Santa Claus", to the justification of the belief that Henry Livingston Jr. is the true author of the poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas". The idea came to him when Mrs. Van Deusen contacted Foster in hopes of gaining some help towards a website she was building to defend Livingston. Hearing that Van Deusen's distant cousin (fourth-cousin-twice-removed), Stephen Livingston Thomas, had in his possession many original documents and manuscripts of Livingston's works which would support the case, Foster was persuaded to take on the project. After reviewing many of his works, Foster was convinced that Livingston had written the piece. Although the authorship of the famous poem is still uncertain, Foster helps to shed light on the complex controversy surrounding the issue. The Usual Suspects: Henry Livingston Jr. Henry Livingston Jr.

was always known for creating charming and clever poems for his children. He had published many articles and poems long before "A Visit from St. Nicholas". His works were always known to be "witty, sometimes hilarious, never sarcastic; full of love for humanity and driven by and irrepressible joie de vivre..." (Foster, 237). Being that he was a naturally joyful person, one could easily infer that he wrote the poem. Foster also uses ancedotal evidence to argue that Livingston may have indeed written "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Other evidence came in the form of his structure as well as his vocabulary in other pieces. For example, his eldest daughter, Eliza, states that her father would, "entertain us on winter evenings by getting down the paint-box, we seated around the table. First he would portray something very pathetic, which would melt us to tears. The next thing would be so comic that we would be almost wild with laughter. And this dear, good, man was your great-great-grandfather" (Foster, 236). The Usual Suspects: Clement Clarke Moore Clement Clarke Moore is the man depicted as the thief of "A Visit from St.

Nicholas" in Foster's book. For now, he is the credited author of the poem, however many of Livingston's Poughkeepsie, NY descendants wish to correct this "lie." Foster describes Moore as a cold and critical scrooge that could not possibly have written a warm, lighthearted, family-oriented poem like "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Furthermore, a plethora of Moore's works, such as his book of poetry, Poems, depict children as annoyances, and he was known for advocating strict morals over human indulgences. Foster's claim is based strongly on this idea that Moore's character must have held him back from ever being able to write a poem with the tone and theme of "A Visit from St. Nicholas". The Historical Record There is evidence both for and against each author's claim to "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Livingston's relatives claim that Moore stole the poem from a governess, who was one of the nieces of Livingston, in 1801. Moore, however, didn't have children until 1815.

Moore was considered a "crotchety" man, and advocates for Livingston say that Moore could never have written such a good-natured poem. In the early twentieth century, the first article was published to raise the argument of authorship by a niece of Henry Livingston Jr. Since then, numerous historians have written articles supporting Livingston as the author. The Moore supporters simply deny this, since Moore is the long time accredited author (Foster, 231). Manuscript Evidence An analysis of many of the syntactic and other literary aspects of each poet's writings is used by Foster to support Livingston's authorship. For example, the use of the word "all" in the famous poem holds more significance than the average reader would guess. "All" can be used as either a pronoun or an adverb, and the majority of writers use it as a pronoun rather than an adverb. However, the author of the poem in this case does not. Furthermore, Foster found that, "in Livingston's early verse, and in Livingston's late verse, and in his verse in between, the pronouns and adverbs are about evenly divided.

In Moore's poetry, the the pronouns outnumber the adverbs 10 to 1 (and in Moore's prose by more than 100 to 1)" (Foster, 259). Additionally, the use of the term "snug" to mean cozy or comfortable, is first used by Christopher Anstey in The New Bath Guide (1776). This poem was, "a major influence on both Henry Livingston and on the author of 'A Visit from St. Nicholas'". The "second earliest instance" of the use of this term was located in The Highland Reel (1789) by John O'Keeffe. Foster notes that the "two latest items in Henry Livingston's music book (1776-1784) are from John O'Keeffe" (Foster, 260). Clearly, Foster is suggesting that Henry Livingston and the author of "A Visit from St. Nicholas" had much in common, and are thus one in the same.

Furthermore, the phrase "Happy Christmas" was used in the original version of the poem, through a closing line that reads, "Happy Christmas to all." During the questionable time period in which the poem was created, Foster contends that the use of the term "Happy Christmas" was "rare" (Foster, 261). At one time Livingston wrote, "A happy Christmas to my dear Sally Welles" in one of his many writings. However, there is no avaliable evidence to prove that Moore ever used the "rare" term "Happy Christmas" (Foster, 260). The Santa Context Who is the real "Santa Claus"? We may never know the true author of this famous poem. Evidence can be found both supporting and contradicting Foster's Author Unknown. The only certainties are that there will be strong and determined advocates in both corners, and that no matter who the author is, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" will always be a significant part of many children's fondest Christmas memories. The Controversy: Joe Nickell's The Case of the Christmas Poem The Usual Suspects: Henry Livingston Jr. Joe Nickell views Henry Livingston Jr.

(1748-1828) as a relatively obscure figure who lacks much formal recognition for his works. Never stating claim himself for the authorship of "A Visit from St. Nicholas", it has been Livingston's family members who have assumed the responsibility of promoting his life and its accomplishments. The Usual Suspects: Clement Clarke Moore Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863) is described in this portion of Nickell's book as both a pious and creative man. Moore was a biblical study professor as well as a father. Moore's claim to the authorship of the poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas", is that he wrote it for his children at Christmas time. Those who argue against Moore, and therefore against Joe Nickell's thesis in The Case of The Christmas Poem, often use the argument that Moore's religious background would have prevented him from ever writing such a secular poem. Others defend Moore's position as a father and also use the apparent religious connections to "A Visit from St. Nicholas". The Historical Record Looking at the history of the poem strongly helps to prove that Clement Clarke Moore was the author of "A Visit from St.

Nicholas" in Nickell's The Case of the Christmas Poem. Nickell raises several interesting points to help disprove that Henry Livingston Jr. had any connection to the poem and its publication. Nickell states that Livingston's family have neither an exact date of writing, a copy of the poem, or a record of when it was published (Nickell 295). Nickell also questions why Livingston's family did not accept credit for the poem before the death of Henry Livingston Jr. (Nickell 296). Finally, it becomes apparent in The Case of the Christmas Poem that Livingston had no connection to the original publication of "A Visit from St. Nicholas" in New York City in 1823, while Moore has several possible connections. Manuscript Evidence The controversy over who authored "A Visit from St. Nicholas" continues due to the "disappearance" of the original manuscript. A librarian of the General Theological Seminary, Dr. Neil Sonne, is convinced Clement Clarke Moore is the author due to a manuscript he distinctively wrote himself. There is no copy or proof of the original manuscript, but there are a few theories as to where it may have ended up if written by Moore.

One idea is it could have been ruined by his three young daughters in the course of their playtime, as he had written a poem just for their pleasure before. Another possibility is that the manuscript was used for the larger manuscript of his Poems, and sent to his New York publishers, never to be reclaimed. Moore later created four autographed copies of the manuscript in 1853, 1856, 1860, and 1862. These copies are owned and kept by Strong Museum and Huntington Library, privately-owned by Kaller's America Gallery and the New York Historical Society. In addition to these four copies, his daughter also calligraphed a copy in 1855. With this being the only existing proof, the evidence is strongly against Livingston. His only piece of evidence is a claim made by a relative after the supposed copy had been burned long before, to which Don Foster responded with "Word of this injustice passed from the major's children to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, none of whom, however, were able to prove that the attribution to Moore was indeed erroneous. It was more a matter of faith." This claim was made by Elizabeth Brewer, Livingston's daughter-in-law.

She supposedly read the poem and told a descendent: "Some one has made a mistake! Clement Moore did not write 'The Night Before Christmas'. Your grandfather, Henry Livingston wrote it." Having been written in 1918 by yet another descendent, even this ancedotal evidence is both distant and trivial. The fire in which the original manuscript was supposedly destroyed occurred circa 1847 in the Wisconsin home of Livingston's oldest daughter, Susan. The Santa Context Who is the real "Santa Claus"? In the controversy of who wrote "A Visit from St. Nicholas", no one knows exactly who wrote the poem. In The Case of the Christmas Poem, Joe Nickell states that the author of the poem used certain cultural contexts in order to create the image of St. Nicholas. This evidence helps to prove whether the poem was more likely written by Livingston in the preiod between 1780 and 1810 or by Moore in the year of 1822. By examining the changing view of Santa Claus , Nickell explains how Clement Clarke Moore is the better candidate for the true authorship of the poem. Before writing "A Visit from St.

Nicholas", Moore wrote the first poem in the style of a letter to Santa Claus entitled, "From Saint Nicholas". This poem, written for his daughter and in the same material form as "A Visit", proves that Clement Clarke Moore may actually be the true author of "A Visit from St. Nicholas". The Significance of "A Visit from St. Nicholas" in The Changing View of Santa Claus Prior to the publication of "A Visit from St. Nicholas", St. Nicholas was often represented as an individual of both great authority and great charity. He had a majestic, yet serious, fashion depicted by authors such as John Pintard. However, this serious depiction of St. Nicholas changed in the context of "A Visit from St. Nicholas". In this poem, St. Nicholas is portrayed as a jolly and cheerful old fellow. He takes on the character of the Santa Claus that millions of children know and love today. "A Visit from St. Nicholas" not only created the current Christmas tradition, but the current image of Santa Claus as well. With his "bowl full of jelly" stomach and rosy cheeks, Santa Claus was born.

He was finally introduced and placed in the public eye where all of society fell in love with him. The spirit of Christmas, as well as the spirit of Santa, is what makes "A Visit from St. Nicholas" such a significant poem. Stephen Nissenbaum's The Battle for Christmas Author Stephen Nissenbaum (The Battle for Christmas), analyzes "A Visit From St. Nicholas" with the assumption that Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem. He uses the poem to explain its significance and how it has shaped past and present Christmas traditions. In "Revisiting 'A Visit from St. Nicholas'", chapter two of the book The Battle for Christmas by Stephen Nissenbaum, Nissenbaum uses the assumption that Moore wrote "A Visit from St. Nicholas" to discuss the poem's significance. Rather than discuss the poem's authorship controversy, he places his focus on understanding the poem's meaning and its role in transforming the holiday. The reader is enlightened by the information that Moore chose to omit a longstanding characteristic that St. Nicholas previously possessed. According to Nissenbaum, Moore's poem only states that there is a pleasant Christmas for everybody who celebrates the holiday season, and neglects to add the "prospect of judgement".

Nissenbaum concludes that St. Nicholas lost his "authority, his majesty, even his patrician dignity" in this poem by straying from the actions of God on "Doomsday" and rewarding some individuals for a virtuous life, while punishing others for their lack of faith. Nissenbaum thinks that Moore "defrocked St. Nicholas and declassed him". Through much evidence from "A Visit from St. Nicholas", Nissenbaum establishes the view that Moore is calling St. Nicholas a peddler. In Nissenbaum's eyes, a peddler is similar to a beggar or a tradesman. Through an in-depth understanding of the historical context, it can be assumed that prior to "A Visit from St. Nicholas". the characterization of a peddler was an individual who "knocked" on the door of wealthy New York residents, making a loud "clatter," and then rudely invited himself into the home. Moore is virtually calling St. Nicholas a "plebeian", but with better intentions and more respectable actions. Nissenbaum believes that Moore degraded the image of St. Nicholas with his choice of the wording used throughout his poem.

Considering the fact that Moore was a Manhattan landowner, Nissenbaum concludes that Moore's views on St. Nicholas are coming from a wealthy perspective and he therefore characterizes St. Nicholas as a "lower" figure. Nissenbaum emphasizes the fact that "A Visit from St. Nicholas" was the product of Moore's distrust and dislike for the lower class in a developing New York City society. The poem served as a means by which to control the lower class' misbehavior around the holidays. Had Livingston written the poem, or if Livingston did write the poem, Nissenbaum's views on the societal read and what the poem meant would have drastically been altered and proved to be irrelevant. Nissembaum not only analyzes the history and core meaning of the poem, but also discusses its important role in helping to shape Christmas. The Knickerbockers were looking to make Christmas more of a family tradition and less of a pagan festival. After "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" was published in the Troy Sentinel, many newspapers began printing the poem. Thousands of people read this poem and felt its influence in their lives.

Toward the later half of the 1800's, parents began to focus more on their children during this time of year. As a result, the poem was now being published in numerous childrens books, and was given as presents during the holiday season. Children were then given a more definite idea of who Santa Clause was and what he did every year. Essentially, this poem presented the world with a more definite idea of the Santa Claus known today. What The Critics Have To Say X.J. Kennedy didn't leave anyone guessing about his viewpoints of "A Visit from St. Nicholas" in his December 1993 'New York Times' book review. In his article, "The Man Who Hitched the Reindeer to Santa Claus's Sleigh", he not only gives Clement Clarke Moore credit for the poem but ranks it alongside other American classics such as " The Raven ", " Casey at the Bat ", and " Daddy ". X.J. Kennedy starts his article with a personal touch, with the memory of him listening to "A Visit from St. Nicholas" on his mother's lap right before he would retire to bed on Christmas Eve night.

After that, it was pure praise of Clement Clarke Moore's ingenious mind and his immortal poem. Kennedy first goes into detail about Moore's invention of eight reindeer being the mode of transportation for St. Nicholas. Kennedy was not only impressed that Moore disregarded the Norwegian lore that Kriss Kringle was the chauffeur of St. Nick, but that he named each one of his eight reindeer. What also fascinates Kennedy is the choice of features he gives St. Nick. "Moore removes St. Nick's bishop's miter, decks him out in fur, gives him a ruddy face and a pot belly, hands him a sack of toys and calls him an elf." Kennedy is so boastful in his praises that he dares his readers to compare Moore's version of St. Nicholas to Washington Irving 's in "Knickerbocker's History of New York". While not a "myth maker", Moore is described by X.J. Kennedy as being "a great myth refiner". He celebrates Moore's ability to create this figure by altering and merging old models. Not only does X.J. Kennedy rave about Clement Clarke Moore's imagination of St. Nicholas, but how action packed his poem is.

From an elf who storms down the chimney, assembles gifts with no sign of fatigue, and commands a rather loud team of reindeer, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" is no lullaby. But what Kennedy thinks separates "A Visit from St. Nicholas" from all other poems is Moore's "skill in music making". Moore goes where few poets dare, according to Kennedy. While some poets shy away from "obvious rhythms" and alliteration, Moore highlights his poem with them. Not only is it hard to ignore the clattering and pounding of eight reindeer on a rooftop, but it is impossible to find yourself not taken away with Moore's poem. After reading X.J. Kennedy's article on "A Visit from St. Nicholas", you're ready to give Clement Clarke Moore the keys to the city. Kennedy's praises may seem a little over the top, but you can't argue what "A Visit from St. Nicholas" does for a boy on his mother's lap. WORKS CITED Foster, Don. "Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous." New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2000. Kennedy, X.J.

"The Man Who Hitched the Reindeer to Santa Claus's Sleigh." The New York Times Book Review 5 Dec. 1993. Nickell, Joe. "The Case of the Christmas Poem." Manuscripts 54.4 (2002): 293-308. Nissenbaum, Stephen. "The Battle for Christmas." New York: Vintage Books, 1996. No labels A Visit From St. Nicholas - Attributed to Clement Clarke Moore A Visit From St. Nicholas Attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, ca. 1822 Vocal Recording by Douglas D. Anderson: MP3 / OGG . 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St.

Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled down for a long winter's nap, When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below, When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name; "Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away!

dash away all!" As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky, So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too. And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my hand, and was turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow; The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath; He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk, And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night." Artwork by John A. Hows from Christmas In Art And Song. New York: The Arundel Printing and Publishing Company, 1879. "The Visit of Saint Nicholas" Issued by John H. Wolff, Stationer, Philadelphia "A Visit from St. Nicholas" Illustrated by F.O.C. Darley (New York: James G.

Gregory, 1862) Public Domain Recordings: In addition, this poem was recorded by nine other readers from LibriVox; see T'was The Night Before Christmas . Here is a ZIP of these nine recordings: Twas The Night Before Christmas . Notes: In the early 1800s, several publications published poems about Santa Claus, including The Spectator (1815), and The Childrenï¿½s Friend. In 1821, a small, sixteen-page booklet appeared, titled A New Yearï¿½s Present for the Little Ones from Five to Twelve, Part III. It was about Christmas, and was the first to picture Santa Claus in a sleigh drawn by a reindeer (see right). It isnï¿½t known whether Dr. Clement Clarke Moore had read any of these, but Dr. Moore did know of Washington Irving or at least of his work, including Knickerbocker's History of New York , which contained descriptions of the Dutch Santa Claus. Irvingï¿½s phrase "laying his finger beside his nose" was used in the poem by Dr. Clement Clarke Moore, "A Visit from St.

Nicholas," more commonly known as "The Night Before Christmas." Dr. Moore gathered elements of European lore, deities and folk-characters, added to them contemporary lore and Washington Irving, and created a poem that was to become the gospel of Santa Claus. His verse expanded the mode of transport from a single reindeer to a team of eight. And it is Moore's description of Santa that we most often think of today: "He had a broad face, and a little round belly, that shook, when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly." Moore added such details as the names of the reindeer (Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder ï¿½ not Donner -- and Blitzen); Santa Claus's laughs, winks, and nods; and the method by which Saint Nicholas, referred to as an elf, returns up the chimney. By the way, "Donder" got changed to "Donner" in the Robert L. May childrenï¿½s book, "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1939). Dr.

Moore purportedly composed the poem in 1822, to read to his then six children on Christmas Eve. The poem might have remained privately in the Moore family if a friend, Miss Harriet Butler of Troy, New York, had not send a copy of it ï¿½ without permission ï¿½ to Orville L. Holly, editor of a newspaper. It was published for the first time in the Troy (New York) Sentinel on December 23, 1823, without attribution. Although it was reprinted numerous times in the next few years, Moore did not allow his name to be associated with it until 1844 when he included it in a volume of his poetry. The poem was printed in the 1837 New York Book of Poetry, but did not cite Moore as author. However, the Troy Budget acknowledged Mooreï¿½s authorship on December 25, 1838. For more information about Moore, see S. W. Patterson, The Poet of Christmas Eve (1956). The original manuscript by Dr. Moore has been lost, however, he did produce other long-hand versions of his now famous poem.

One of these hand-written, signed copies of the poem was sold for $255,500 at a Christieï¿½s auction in 1994. Dr. Moore wrote the facsimile that reproduced on a separate page . There were subsequently many different publications, each illustrated according to the characteristics dictated by the poem, published from 1823 onwards. One of the first illustrated copies was the reprint by the Troy Sentinel in 1830; the engraving by Myron B. King showed Santa with sleigh and eight reindeer on a roof. A copy is reproduced left. There is a dispute concerning the authorship of this poem. For more information, see A Quandary - Part 1 of 2 . If you would like to help support Hymns and Carols of Christmas, please click on the button below and make a donation. Related Hymns and Carols

Question: Which poem written by Clement Moore was originally titled A Visit from Saint Nicholas?
Answer: The Night Before Christmas