Season 2 Episode 61: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
I am you host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.
Clement Clarke Moore, born July 15, 1799 was a writer and American Professor of Oriental and Greek Literature, Divinity and Biblical Learning at the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in New York City. Clement Moore had strong ties to the seminary for I understand that it was his generosity that led him to donate land, which was his private apple orchard, upon which the seminary was built. The Seminary remains on the same parcel of land, which is located at Ninth Avenue between 20th and 21st streets, in an area known as Chelsea Square
Clement Moore became a wealthy man through the ownership of the estate “Chelsea,” an inheritance he received from the passing of his mother and grandfather. Fast forward to present day, the “Chelsea” area is located on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between 14th Street to the south, the Hudson River and West Street to the west and Sixth Avenue to the east, with its northern boundary variously described as near the upper 20s or 34th Street.
Clement Moore accomplished a great deal in his lifetime. He was a writer and a poet, a professor and scholar. He served twice in the position of President of Columbia College (now Columbia University) and served as a board member on the New York Institution for the Blind.
But what he is most known for is how he changed the way we see Christmas.
He called the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” It was published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel in 1823. He had second thoughts in 1837 when eventually he told everyone that he had penned the poem. Many believe that it is the most well-known and beloved poem written by an American poet. We read it every Christmas, most generally on Christmas Eve, and then reflect on Christmases past when we were young and heard the familiar words read by our parents and grandparents. Santa and the tradition of Christmas gift-giving was transformed by this poem
Clement Moore published several academic works, including A Compendious Lexicon of the Hebrew Language (Collins & Perkins, 1809), but “A Visit from St. Nicholas” more commonly known as “The Night Before Christmas” and “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” captured the hearts of children young and old.
