Twas the Night Before Christmas

Did you know that one of the world's most famous poems, Twas the Night Before Christmas, was written by Clement Clark Moore, (1779-1863), a professor of Oriental and Greek literature at Columbia College (now Columbia University. 

He wrote "A Visit from St. Nicholas" to read to his six children on Christmas Eve of 1822.  The inspiration came to him during a sleigh-ride home from Greenwich Village.  His sleigh driver was a roly-poly Dutchman with a pot belly and he used that description for Santa in his poem.


Everyone who read the poem loved it.  He argued that it was beneath his dignity.   But somehow, the following Christmas, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" suspiciously appeared in an out-of-town newspaper, likely smuggled out of his home by a family member. 

Of course, much to Clement's chagrin, the poem became immediately popular and became a resounding success.  Embarassed, Moore would not take credit for the poem.  But the poem gained momentum year after year.  Fifteen years later, Moore reluctantly but finally admitted authorship by including it in a volume of collected works.   He always referred to the poem as "a mere trifle."

Here is a copy of the original handwritten piece and I've followed it with a a 1946 video of the re-enactment.