Jody Victor: "Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house..." How often have we heard, read and loved those words - the beginning of one of the most loved and most printed, poems in the world. Almost every family has read or listedned to that poem at some time during the Christmas season. It is, of course, "Twas The Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore. Here is his story.
Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863) wrote the poem Twas the night before Christmas also called "A Visit from St. Nicholas" in 1822. It is now the tradition in many American families to read the poem every Christmas Eve. The poem Twas the night before Christmas has redefined our image of Christmas and Santa Claus. Prior to the creation of the story of Twas the night vefore Christmas, St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, had never been associated with a sleigh or reindeer! The author of the poem was a reticent man and it is believed that a family friend, Miss H. Butler, sent a copy of the poem to the New York Sentinel who published the poem. The condition of publication was that the author of Twas the night befor Christmas was to remain anonymous. The first publication date was December 23rd, 1823 and it was an immediate success. It was not until 1844 that Clement C. Moore claimed ownership when the work was included in a book of his poetry. Clement Moore came from a prominent family and his father Benjamin Moore was the Bishop of New York who was famous for officiating at the inauguration of George Washington. The tradition of reading Twas the night before Christmas poem on Christmas Eve is now a Worldwide institution.