The poem “The Night Before Christmas” is an enduring American Christmas tradition, but few know its history or realize its impact on how we celebrate Christmas. Many of the present day views of St. Nicholas or Santa Claus have their roots in the poem. It even popularize the notion that it was on Christmas Eve that St. Nicholas traveled on a sleigh pulled by reindeer and came down the chimney delivering gifts.
The poem which first appeared in print in 1823 was originally titled “A Visit from St Nicholas.” It is usually credited to Clement Clarke Moore of New York. Its popularity grew in the 1830s but the earliest publication I have seen in Mississippi was in the Woodville Republican on December 23, 1851, under the heading of “A Happy Christmas to All!”
Regional newspaper views of Christmas often took from or made parodies of Moore’s poem. An 1866 advertisement by Rueff’s in the Oxford Falcon advised that stockings should be well stuffed so Children could find what all “the good man Santa Claus” had placed in their stockings after coming down the chimney on Christmas Eve. And of course Rueff’s Store had all that Santa needed to buy.
The January 18, 1874, Memphis Daily Appeal, even had a post Christmas version of “The Night Before Christmas” but with a message about Christmas revelry:
“Twas the night before Christmas and out in the street,
I’d be hailed by each friend that I’d happen to meet
With ‘Just who I wanted, come let’s take a drink.’
And take it I would without stopping to think…
I drank to a friend and his beautiful charmer,
Bless her dear heart, I’d say nothing to harm her.
I drank him success in this lottery of life,
But greater success in getting a wife…
I drank until night had finished its duty,
I drank until morn op’ed in all of its beauty.
I drank–well, of more I am not very certain,
So over the rest draw charity’s curtain.
Twas the morrn after Christmas and over in bed
I restlessly turned with a bad aching head.
And I thought with regret of the night that had passed,
And swore with a vim that that spree was my last.”
Another take off of “The Night Before Christmas” appeared in the December 22, 1906, Greenville, Mississippi Times. It began:
Twas the night before Christmas ‘goodnight’ had been said
And Annie and Willie had crept into bed;
There were tears on their pillows, and tears in their eyes,
And each little bosom was heaving with sighs;
For tonight, their stern father’s command had been given
that they should retire precisely at seven
instead of eight.”
Divelbiss’ Bookstore in Columbus also found the poem to make good advertising copy and published in the December 11, 1921, Columbus Dispatch:
“Twas the night before Christmas and all through the store
the book shelves were empty from ceiling to floor
with a smile on his on his face lay the dealer in bed
as he thought of the joy all his books were to spread
Spread Joy by making this a book Christmas
and get them at Divelbiss’.”
And a book given little Elizabeth Govan Garth for Christmas in 1896 was probably from Divelbiss’. The book was “The Night Before Christmas or a Visit of St Nicholas.”
Rufus Ward is a local historian. Email your questions about local history to him at [email protected].
Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].
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