The exact words
“'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”“Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas,” Troy Sentinel, December 23, 1823 (printed without an author's name)
✓ VerifiedFound in a primary source: the original book, speech transcript, letter or recording.
What people get wrong
Common reading
Everyone agrees Clement Clarke Moore wrote it.
Everyone agrees Clement Clarke Moore wrote it.
Closer to the original
Moore is the traditional author and the one who claimed it, but his authorship has been disputed for over a century. Also, the earliest printing names two reindeer “Dunder and Blixem,” Dutch for thunder and lightning. “Donder and Blitzen” came later.
Moore is the traditional author and the one who claimed it, but his authorship has been disputed for over a century. Also, the earliest printing names two reindeer “Dunder and Blixem,” Dutch for thunder and lightning. “Donder and Blitzen” came later.
Timeline
- December 23, 1823The poem appears anonymously in the Troy Sentinel, sent in by a friend of the Moore family. Newspapers reprint it for years with no author named.
- 1837The poem is first credited to Clement Clarke Moore in print. Moore includes it in his own collection of poems in 1844.
- 1800s onwardDescendants of Henry Livingston Jr., a poet from upstate New York who died in 1828, claim family tradition says he wrote it. No printing with his name has ever been found.
- 2000 and 2016Scholars Don Foster and MacDonald P. Jackson use style analysis to argue for Livingston. Other historians defend Moore, and the question remains open.
Use it in a speech
'Twas the night before Christmas, and for once in this house, not a creature was stirring, not even the kids. Let's enjoy it while it lasts.
~8 secondsto say aloud
Pauseafter “not even the kids”
Best spotthe Christmas Eve toast
Questions people ask
Who wrote “'Twas the night before Christmas”?
It is traditionally credited to Clement Clarke Moore, who claimed it, but it was first printed anonymously in 1823 and some scholars believe Henry Livingston Jr. wrote it.
What is the poem's real title?
“A Visit from St. Nicholas.” It was first printed as “Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas.”
What were the reindeer originally called?
In 1823 the last two were “Dunder and Blixem.” Later versions changed them to “Donder and Blitzen,” and eventually “Donner and Blitzen.”
Cite this quote
These cite the original source directly, so you can use them in an essay or paper. Always check your teacher's required style.
MLAMoore, Clement Clarke. ““A Visit from St. Nicholas,” first published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel.” December 23, 1823. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Visit_from_St._Nicholas.
APAMoore, C. C. (1823). “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” first published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Visit_from_St._Nicholas
CHICAGOClement Clarke Moore, ““A Visit from St. Nicholas,” first published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel,” December 23, 1823.
IN TEXT (APA)(Moore, 1823)