The Night Before Christmas : A Visit from St. Nicholas

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

               -From The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas, originally published as A Visit from St. Nicholas on December 23, 1823, in the Troy Sentinel, became America’s favorite Christmas poem.  After the poem was published anonymously, it was attributed to CLEMENT CLARK MOORE in 1837. However, scholars have debated the identity of the author of this poem and some believe it was written by Henry Livingston, Jr., (1748–1828), a New York farmer who also wrote poetry.

The Night Before Christmas has had a great influence on the American notion of Santa Claus and on its tradition of Christmas gift-giving, which, before the poem, had been inspired by the Dutch figure of St. Nicholas. This unique edition of the famed Christmas poem, features the original engravings, from 1849, by T.C. Boyd.

This American classic is a great gift for the Christmas season as well as for collectors of traditional American literature.