A Visit from Saint Nicholas

A Visit from St. Nicholas was written in 1822 by Clement Clarke Moore. The poem is more commonly known today as Twas the Night before Christmas. Clement Clarke Moore was born on July 15, 1779 in Manhattan, New York. He was a very successful and respected author and was a professor of Oriental and Greek Literature at Columbia University. He came from a very wealthy family and was the only child. His parents were Benjamin Moore, a president at Columbia University and bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, and Charity Clarke. He wrote A Visit from St. Nicholas in 1823, but it was first published anonymously. Then in 1844 the poem attached the name of Clement Clarke Moore as the author. In writing this poem, he is very much known for introducing the definite idea of Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas to the world. Before this poem was written, there was no universal idea, there were multiple beliefs. It was him who introduced the image of what Santa looks like, his mode of transportation, the number and name of his reindeer, the tradition of bringing toys to children etc. However, due to his success with this poem, all of his other works have been overshadowed which he was not very fond of. Clement Clarke Moore died on July 10, 1863 in Newport, Rhode Island living a long and fulfilling life.


Sources
"The Night Before Christmas - About Clement Clarke Moore." The Night Before Christmas - A Descriptive Bibliography of Clement Clarke Moore's Immortal Poem - Nancy H. Marshall. Web. 07 Dec. 2009. .

"A Visit from St. Nicholas -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 07 Dec. 2009. .