A Visit from Saint Nicholas was First Published on December 23

A Visit from Saint Nicholas was published anonymously on December 23, 1823 in the Troy, New York, Sentinel. A friend of Clement Clarke Moore submitted the poem, which we all know of now as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. At the time there was much controversy over who was the real author of the poem but on December 25, 1837, in the Pennsylvania Inquirer and Daily Courier Moore in finally confirmed.

Moore’s conception for Santa Claus came from some of the works of Washington Irving.

He was a graduate of Columbia College and held an BA and MA. Moore worked as a professor Biblical learning at the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Diocese of New York until 1850. He often became wrapped up in politics, so when he wrote the poem he felt it was best to remain anonymous. It was not the normal work he published, and didn’t fit in with the academic work he had published previously.

This is a great story to read to your kids before they go to bed on Christmas Eve. My mother read it to my brother and I. Before you go with you children to their room to read to them you can set out food for Santa Claus so he can have a snack. Your children probably will have a hard time sleeping, awaiting the excitement for Santa Claus to come. Then you can tell them the story and they will listen for the reindeer on the roof, and no matter where you live, you can tell your children, Santa will not forget to come and visit. He knows where you live and he is thinking of you.

Here is Lorne Greene with Twas The Night Before Christmas or A Visit From St Nicholas.

Reference
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Visit_from_St._Nicholas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_Clarke_Moore

Cassandra