Tuesday, December 24, 2019

The Night Before Christmas



“'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;’

This is one of my favorite Christmas poems and it is a popular piece for all ages. I realized that I didn’t know very much about the poet and wanted to learn more. I want to share with you what I learned.

Clement Clarke Moore was born in New York city in 1779. He was an only child and tutored by his father. He graduated from Columbia College in 1798. He married Catharine Taylor in 1813 and had nine children. He died in 1863.

He wrote on many different subjects and claimed he wrote the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas for his own children and read it to them on Christmas Eve in 1822. It was published anonymously the next year and became very popular. For many years, many people tried to take credit for writing it. Not until 1844, when his book of Poems was published, did he get credit for being the writer of the poem.

I’m impressed that this poem is almost 200 years old and it is still popular. What a wonderful piece of history that is carried on through the ages.

What is your favorite Christmas poem? Please share.

Photo by Anderson W Rangel on Unsplash



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