“Twas the Night Before..”
Today, in 1823, a newspaper published what some now call the most well-known poem ever written by an American.
But who REALLY wrote it?
“We know not who we are indebted for the following description of that unwearied patron of children – that homely but delightful personification of parental kindness – Santa Claus…but, from whomever it may have come, we give thanks for it.”
Clement Moore
- Born into a prominent New York family.
- Reportedly penned the poem on Christmas Eve in 1822, while on the way home to see his 6 children.
- Clue: Said to have a Dutch sleigh driver the night he composed the poem.
- A professor & scholar, some suggest he was embarrassed by the playful poem, which is why he stayed anonymous.
- Published poem under his own name in 1844 – 20 years after first published.
Henry Livingston, Jr.
- Prominent Dutch farmer in upstate New York, served in Revolutionary War.
- His family (children), and others, say they heard him recite the poem YEARS before it was published.
- Clue: Original reindeer names “Dunder & Blixem” translate to “Thunder” & “Lightening” in Dutch. Later edits changed to German “Donder & Blixen.”
- Never took credit for the poem; Died 5 yrs after the poem was first published.
Why It Matters
“Though legend has it that Santa Claus hails from the North Pole, he was actually a New Yorker…”
The poem’s author solidified the image of Santa and his reindeer for the newly formed United States (& beyond), and has continued to do so for the last *nearly* 200 years.
How did the paper get the poem? Another mystery. The paper wrote on that day: "We hope our little patrons, both lads and lasses, will accept it as proof of our unfeigned good will toward them—as a token of our warmest wish that they may have many a merry Christmas."
Sources
- See original published poem – second column from right about halfway down the page: https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031777/1823-12-23/ed-1/seq-3.pdf
- Exhibit: Revisiting “A Visit from St. Nicholas”
http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/collections/stnick/ - Time for a Visit from St. Nicholas
https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/december-24 - FUN READ: How ‘Night Before Christmas’ creator also spawned NYC’s Chelsea
https://nypost.com/2019/12/18/how-night-before-christmas-creator-also-spawned-nycs-chelsea/ - Though legend has it that Santa Claus hails from the North Pole, he was actually a New Yorker who came into the world on West 23rd Street in what is now the trendy Chelsea neighborhood.
https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/it-happened-here-invention-santa-claus