A Visit from St. Nicholas
"A Visit from St. Nicholas", routinely referred to as "The Night Before Christmas" and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously under the title Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas in 1823 and later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, who claimed authorship in 1837.
| A Visit from St. Nicholas | |
|---|---|
| by Clement Clarke Moore | |
Text from the original publication of the poem in the Troy Sentinel, with the spellings "Dunder" and "Blixem". | |
| Original title | Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas |
| Written | 1823 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject(s) | Santa Claus, Christmas |
| Genre(s) | Children's poetry |
| Meter | Anapestic tetrameter |
| Rhyme scheme | Couplets |
| Publisher | Troy Sentinel |
| Publication date | 23 December 1823 |
| Media type | Newspaper |
| Lines | 56 |
| Full text | |
| A Visit from St. Nicholas at Wikisource | |
The poem has been called "arguably the best-known verses ever written by an American" and is largely responsible for some of the conceptions of Santa Claus from the mid-19th century to today. It has had a massive effect on the history of Christmas gift-giving. Before the poem gained wide popularity, American ideas had varied considerably about Saint Nicholas and other Christmastide visitors. "A Visit from St. Nicholas" eventually was set to music and has been recorded by several artists.