There are few holiday stories as well-known as the flight of fancy told in A Visit from St. Nicholas. Most of our modern ideas of Santa are based on the first-person account described in the 56 lines of the classic tale. From the names of his trusty reindeer to the appearance of the jolly elf himself, Mr. Claus can thank the poem for launching him from a Dutch folktale into an international sensation.*

The story starts in the Netherlands with the legend of St. Nicholas, also known as Sinterklaas (“sinter” meaning “saint” and “Klaas” the Dutch shortened form of “Nicholas”). While the celebration of St. Nicholas fell in popularity throughout much of Europe, the tradition remained strong in the Dutch community. Sinterklaas was said to pass judgment and award candy to the good children, leaving coal for the unfavorable. Children would set their shoes out to collect his gifts as he moved through the town.* Compare this with the modern tale, and you can see striking similarities. While the original story didn’t include a flying sled pulled by reindeer, a few of Santa’s team members bear names pointing to the legend's roots. The pair Donner and Blitzen were originally named Dunder and Blixem — Dutch for thunder and lightning.**

On December 23rd, 1823, A Visit was first published anonymously in a New York newspaper called The Sentinel, with the authorship of the poem contested to this day. Many credit Clement Clarke Moore for penning the iconic lines, but the Dutch ties and similarities in wording lead some to believe Henry Livingston Jr. wrote the piece. Unfortunately, he died in 1828 without taking credit. Nine years after Livingston’s death, Moore was suggested as the poet, but it wasn’t until 1844 that he accepted authorship. It was at that time that Livingston’s family objected.**

Even though Livingston never came forward as the author, his family claimed they heard him read the piece at a gathering before the poem’s publication, but stories from his descendants aren’t the only evidence in Livingston’s favor. Linguistic forensics performed in 1999 by Vassar professor Don Foster indicates the writing style of A Visit more closely resembles other works from Livingston, rather than Moore’s writing, which is “stuffy” by comparison. The subject matter further fortifies this theory; Sinterklaas wasn’t well-known outside the Dutch community. The whimsical writing — coupled with the origins of the story — points toward Livingston, who was of Dutch descent and knew the language.**

Four handwritten copies exist today, and despite the claims from Livingston’s family, handwriting sampled from one of the copies favors Moore as the author. The analysis performed in 1997 by an appraiser of historical documents indicates penmanship belonging to Moore, but what about Sinterklaas’s cultural origins?  While Moore wasn’t Dutch, he had friends in the community and likely knew about the legend of St. Nicholas through those ties.**

Regardless of who wrote the piece, the classic tale created a pop culture sensation that stands to this day. A Visit remains one of the most famous pieces of the Christmas season and continues its legacy as the younger generation learns about Santa Claus’ yearly flight.

Poem***

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ’kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.
His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle,
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

Sources:

*History.com

**Columbia.edu

***Poets.org