A Christmas tradition, 2 centuries and counting

Dec. 24—NORTH POLE

It's the 200th anniversary of "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Where are all the big celebrations?

On Christmas Day we'll have a celebration of sorts. But will "Twas the Night Before Christmas" even be mentioned?

The poem originated when Clement Moore wrote it for his children's enjoyment during the Christmas season in 1822. It was strictly a family affair. But the following year, it was published anonymously in the upstate New York newspaper The Troy Sentinel with the title "A Visit from St. Nicholas."

The paper published the poem each year during the Christmas season, and eventually it began to appear in other newspapers, magazines and books. Moore was named as the author in 1837, although he did not admit writing it until 1844.

The poem gave a detailed description of Santa Claus that differed from images of the English Father Christmas (associated mainly with drinking and merry-making), the Dutch Sinterklaas (rides a white horse, no reindeer) and the fourth-century bishop Saint Nicholas (the patron saint of children, the sick and the poor; okay, that fits!). This new Santa Claus had a red nose and white whiskers and a "belly that shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly."

And he had eight reindeer, each with a name.

During the Civil War, political cartoonist Thomas Nast extended that verbal image into a visual image. He depicted Santa Claus distributing presents to Union soldiers. And over the next few years he contributed numerous images of Santa Claus at his task of distributing gifts at Christmas. Nast also revealed that Santa lives at the North Pole and is assisted by elves.

And so "Twas the night before Christmas" became a much loved part of Americana — and of much of the world.

In the mid-20th century the verbal and the visual became the aural, as the poem was set to music by Oscar-winning song writer Ken Darby and performed most famously by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians.

It's a theme that has been elaborated on many times, with such musical efforts as "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "Up on the Housetop," cowboy singer Gene Autry's "Here Comes Santa Claus," Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" and many more.

But they owe their origin to Clement Moore and the poem he wrote for his children 200 years ago.

And since that time, holiday goers have wished friends and loved ones some variation on "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night."