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Show Santa Claus Born In Famous Poem By Clement Moore Santa Claus was born in New York on a snowy December night 120 years ago. He sprang full grown, clad in red and white, with eight reindeer and a sleigh, from the mind of Dr. Clement Clarke Moore when he wrote his famous poem, "A Visit From St. Nicholas." The legend of St. Nicholas had come to the New world with the Dutch settlers in the Seventeenth century. Gradually the name of that figure became San Niklaas and later Santa Claus. There are several explanations of how Santa Claus happened to be born. One story tells that on Christmas Christ-mas eve, 1822, Dr. Moore was being driven to his New York home in a sleigh, and the tinkling of the bells on the horse's harness gave him inspiration in-spiration for the verses. Another story tells that Dr. and Mrs. Moore were packing Christmas baskets for the needy and found they were one turkey short. Though It was late, Dr. Moore went out to buy another. On his way home with the turkey under his arm he is said to have composed the poem. Dr. Moore read his poem to his children on Christmas morning. When a friend had the verses printed print-ed in a Troy, N. Y., newspaper, he denied writing them, but later admitted ad-mitted their authorship. The poem gained rapidly in popularity, pop-ularity, and the picture it painted of old Santa has endured to this day. "His eyes, how they twinkled; his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow; He had a broad face and a little round belly That shook, when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed, when I saw him, In spite of myself." |