Discover Christmas poem enduring legacy: Santa's modern image
A Jolly Giant's Genesis: How One Poem Completely Changed Our Image of Santa Claus Before 1823, the image of Santa Claus was far from standardized. Different regional traditions and folklore painted wildly disparate pictures—sometimes jolly, sometimes austere, sometimes even frightening. Then, Clement Clarke Moore's anonymously published "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (better known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas") irrevocably altered this ambiguity. This seemingly simple poem didn't merely describe Santa; it invented the iconic image we recognize today....