There was not a single thing stirring, not even a mouse. On December 23, 1823, the poem was first published anonymously in The Troy Sentinel. It soon became popular as part of the annual Christmas literary season.
The first line has become one of the most familiar in English literature: "The night before Christmas, when children pray/Moves slowly, like the night," which has been interpreted by many writers and artists.
Charles Dickens included it in A Child's History of England (1869). Mark Twain referred to it in Life on the Mississippi (1883) and Walt Whitman included it in His Complete Poetry (1954). More recently, it has appeared in several books about Christmas including Alice LaPlante's Night Before Christmas (1998), Janet Wong's The Night Before Christmas (2000), and Susan Wiggs' The Night Before Christmas Cookbook (2008).
It has also been used as an opening line for poems written about Christmas.
Though the poem's authorship has been debated over the years, with the poem being assigned to both Clement Clarke Moore and Henry Livingston Jr., it was undoubtedly originally published on December 23, 1823 in the Troy Sentinel newspaper in upstate New York. It is also known as "The Night Before Christmas" or "A Visit From St. Nicholas."
Moore claimed authorship after he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, but evidence suggests that he may have been inspired by another writer named William Dean Howells.
Livingston was a friend of Moore's who had recently died. The poem was probably intended as a tribute to him.
It's interesting to note that Moore changed some details about Livingston in his own mind after he wrote the poem. For example, he made his friend die on Christmas Day instead of Christmas Eve. He also said his friend came from Pennsylvania not New York. Perhaps because Livingston had been so close to him they had discussed many things together and sometimes talked about ideas for poems or stories. This could have been what happened with this one.
In any case, it's clear that the poem was a major inspiration for Walt Disney when he created his famous cartoon character. In fact, one of the characters in the film Fantasia is based on the poem (and its author) - Saint Nicholás. He appears singing songs written by Albert Hay Malley and accompanied by Mickey Mouse playing the piano.
The poem The Night Before Christmas, or 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, after its opening line, was published anonymously in 1823 and then credited to Clement Clarke Moore, who claimed authorship in 1837. It is known that he based it on a story his son told him about Santa Claus.
The poem has become one of the most popular in the English language. It has been translated into many languages, including Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish.
In North America, the poem is usually called "The Night Before Christmas" or simply "Christmas Eve". In England and Wales, it is usually called "The Night Before Christmas".
During the holiday season, people all over the world celebrate Christmas. They do this by visiting family and friends, eating special meals, listening to carols, and giving gifts.
Christmas Day is the day Jesus Christ was born. It is a public holiday in many countries, including the United States, Canada, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Africa, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the UK.
December 25th is when Christians believe Jesus Christ returned to heaven after being crucified by the Roman army.
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