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Santa Claus and Christmas trees decorations, 1935
Santa Claus and Christmas trees were the inspiration for Moore's poem

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Clement Moore Is Believed to Have Written "A Visit from St. Nicholas"
December 24, 1822

Perhaps you have read these famous words: "'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse." 'Twas the day before Christmas, December 24, the day in 1822 that Clement Moore is thought to have composed the classic poem that was then called "A Visit from St. Nicholas." You probably know it as "The Night Before Christmas." While traveling home from Greenwich Village, in Manhattan, where he had bought a turkey for his family's Christmas dinner, Moore penned the story for the amusement of his six children, with whom he shared the poem that evening.
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