
Twas the Night before Christmas
- First published
- 1862
- Reading level
- Plain English
- Price
- Free
About the book
"'Twas the Night before Christmas: A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement Clarke Moore is a poem first published anonymously in 1823. On Christmas Eve, a father witnesses a magical visitor arrive by sleigh and reindeer, bounding down the chimney to deliver presents and fill stockings. This beloved work transformed American ideas about Santa Claus and Christmas gift-giving, though its authorship sparked controversy between Moore and Henry Livingston Jr. The poem has been called "arguably the best-known verses ever written by an American."
- Santa Claus
- Christmas
- Narrative poetry
- Children's poetry, American
Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #17135. Twas the Night before Christmas on Wikipedia.


