Creating saint nick

A visit from St. Nicholas is a poem by Clement Clarke Moore that was composed in 1822. Thanks to Moore’s poem, the image of Santa Claus as a fat, “jolly old elf” became popularised during the 19th century and is what we know today. One of Moore’s inspirations was Saint Nicholas and he supposedly composed the poem while on a sleigh on a snowy day.

The poem redefined the traditions of Christmas gift giving as Father Christmas was depicted flying from house to house on 24 December, magically entering each one through the chimney. Until this point, Santa had always been portrayed as arriving on Christmas Day.