In 1823, a poem entitled A Visit from St. Nicholas was first published anonymously. Four years later it was attributed to Clement Clarke Moore and is most commonly known as `Twas the Night Before Christmas. It was one of the first times that impressions and traits of St. Nickolas were written in a way that allowed the reader to visualize what `Santa Claus' looked like. The poem has become synonymous with the Christmas season and has been immortalized in song, spoken word, comics, literature, and film. In more recent years, the poem has been attributed to Henry Livingston by some scholars. The authorship of this poem continues to be a source of debate, although a recent analysis is pointing to Livingston as the likely true author. Regardless, [Dave Bossert has] vivid memories of my father reading the poem on Christmas Eve every year while [he] was growing up with my siblings in New York.
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