You know, This episode of Christmas past discusses Santa Claus, but not in a way that younger listeners could appreciate.

So if there are little ones within earshot, save this one for later, or at least put in

your headphones now. Thanks.

In the first decades of the 19th century, the world received a new Christmas poem, one as influential as it was

delightful. It described a jolly, gift-bringing visitor who rode a reindeer-powered sleigh

visiting houses on Christmas Eve. The poem describes his doings, such as filling stockings

with gifts and traveling over chimney tops. That giftbringer, of course,

was Santa Claus. And the poem, of course, was Old Santa Claus with much delight, which probably

wasn't what you were expecting to hear. It was published anonymously in New York in 1821 as a small

illustrated paperback titled The Child's Friend, a New Year's

present to the little ones from five to twelve. If you've never heard of that poem, don't worry,

I'm going to read it to you at the end of this episode. And these days, there aren't many people

who have heard of it. But it was an important, if largely forgotten, step in the evolution of the Santa Claus legend.

It was the first publication to mention Santa's reindeer and sleigh. It was also the first

to describe Santa arriving on Christmas Eve. Previously, he arrived on Christmas Day. And before that,

he arrived on St. Nicholas Day, on December 6th, but that's a whole other story.

And the book included the earliest published depictions of Santa Claus and showed him wearing a red fur suit.

And almost certainly it provided necessary inspiration for another poem,

also published anonymously and also published in New York just two years later.

One that would go on to become not only one of the

best-known and best-loved poems in the English language, but also one that taught us a lot of what we

currently picture when we picture Santa Claus. That poem, of course, was a visit from St. Nicholas,

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