The Night Before Christmas

The story and history behind The Night Before Christmas, the famous 1823 Christmas poem that helped shape the modern image of Santa Claus.

A Visit from St. Nicholas, much better known as The Night Before Christmas, first appeared anonymously in 1823. Its imagery became enormously influential: a miniature sleigh, eight reindeer, stockings, a chimney entrance and a cheerful St. Nicholas arriving while the household sleeps.

It is short enough to become a ritual. Read aloud, it has the rhythm of something designed to be remembered by children who have heard it every December for years.

A Christmas Eve tradition

Read it after the lights are low and before the final trip to bed. That is the correct technology for this poem. No app required.

Filed under: Christmas Eve · Santa Claus · Christmas poem · family tradition