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Writing articles intended for publication in
magazines is a rather unique business. You see, the
editor of an issue intended for distribution, for
example in December, starts preparing that issue
perhaps in October, therefore the writers that
might author a piece on a Christmas related subject
sometimes find themselves writing about that winter
holiday in late summer. So how does a writer
visualize Christmas trees, Holly, Mistletoe,
Chestnuts roasting on a roaring fire, and stockings
hung by the chimney with care, how does he find
inspiration, when he is still sweating from the
heat of summer and drinking lemonade while setting
out on the front porch?
Writing
for an electronically distributed periodical such
as The Message Tree, is a little bit different as
there is no time lag involved such as there is in
the process of printing, but we still must prepare
our articles well in advance of the release of the
material.
With
that said, here I am writing about Christmas with
the knowledge that Halloween was just two weeks
ago, the month of November is only half over and
the staff of The Message Tree has yet to purchase
the ubiquitous Thanksgiving Turkey. Now I am
setting here scratching my male pattern baldness
afflicted head trying to drum up one of my famous
epiphanies, trying to put behind me my innermost
persona which is more like Ebenezer Scrooge at this
point than anything, and come up with some ideas
for a holiday related article. Finally, just like
in some cartoon strip, that little light bulb above
my head starts to glow, although rather dimly, and
it occurs to me to write something related to that
famous poem that has come to be a holiday
tradition, A Visit From St. Nicholas. But wait, I
ask myself why would any self-respecting editor
write a letter to the beloved readers of the
publication he is entrusted with, when that poem
has been wrote on so many times? Humm, there must
be some sort of different angle to this topic that
I can discover, if only I take time to search the
'net…….
I
clicked on my computer's favorites folder, opening
a Google page, typed the title of the poem into the
search window, hit enter, and a second or two
later, what did I see, but the first ten of ten
thousand nine hundred and ninety nine search
results. There were several hundred "hits" listing
web pages with the poem attributed to Clement C.
Moore, just as many listings of that same poem but
attributing the authorship to Major Henry
Livingston, Jr. I then discovered that there were
many pages whose authors commented both pro and con
on Don Foster, an English professor that has
researched the writing styles of both Moore and
Livingston and arrived at the conclusion that
Livingston was the actual author.
I
was both shocked and amazed to learn that the most
favorite poem that exemplifies the magic and
fantasy of the holiday season is itself the target
of scandal! The web pages in my search that
included parodies of that beloved poem, I expected
and even chuckled at, but the claims that Moore
whom we have always credited for "inventing" the
American vision of that jolly old elf may not have
actually have been responsible for that tradition
was certainly disconcerting.
Moore
was Professor of Oriental and Greek Literature at
the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal
Church from 1823 through 1850. His Compendious
Lexicon of the Hebrew Language published in 1809,
was his best known work outside of A visit From St.
Nicholas.
Among
the first to enlist in the Revolutionary Army,
Major Henry Livingston was a farmer known for his
knowledge and love for literature. He was also a
surveyor and Justice of the Peace. After the death
of his first wife Sarah, in 1783, that Major
Livingston published most of his poems and prose,
anonymously or under the pseudonym of R.
The
poem appeared in a newspaper in 1823 as written by
anonymous. It seems that in those days, the well
educated thought that newspapers were beneath them,
often publishing their works anonymously to prevent
embarrassment. After Livingston's death in1828,
Moore would publish A Visit From St. Nicholas with
his collected poems in 1844, then in 2000 Dr Foster
would publish his book, Author Unknown: On the
Trail of Anonymous, in which Foster takes a
comparative look at the styles of the two men and
through his research reaches the conclusion that it
was Livinston and not Moore that was responsible
for creating that image of a jolly old fat man that
brings Christmas joy to good little girls and
boys.
In
his book Folklore on the American Land, Duncan
Emrich, (under the assumption that it was Moore
that was the anonymous author) suggests that Moore
took inspiration from the details he had read in
other works and Emrich goes on to say
From
Irving and the Dutch tradition he drew St.
Nicholas, the traditional St. Nicholas. But from
his past reading of the Knickerbocker History,
Moore remembered most vividly the descriptions of
the fat and jolly Dutch burghers with their white
beards, red cloaks, wide leather belts, and leather
boots. So, when he came to write a poem for his
children, the traditional and somewhat austere St.
Nicholas was transformed into a fat and jolly
Dutchman. Also, from "The Children's Friend" of the
year before, which he had probably purchased for
his own youngsters, he drew not one lone reindeer,
but created the new immortal and fanciful
eight.
It
should be noted that Moore's vision of Santa in a
red suit is distinctly different that say that of
the Dutch myth of Sinter Klass, a stern, ascetic
personage traditionally clothed in dark
robes.
Foster,
who pioneered the technique of studying a text's
wording and syntax to establish authorship,
utilizing computers to search for comparisons, is
best known for identifying Shakespeare as the
author of the anonymous poem "Funeral Elegy" and
the journalist Joe Klein as author of the novel
"Primary Colors." But is he right? Or should we
even question the authenticity of Moore's claim,
being a respected man of God and a bible professor?
Regardless of who the author was, Moore or
Livingston, that person has played an pivotal role
in creating that image of Christmas that so many of
us hold as a tradition and a part of our American
culture.
So
what do you think, was it Livingston or Moore that
we have to thank for our Santa Claus? Why not pull
up your favorite Internet Search engine, run a
search and plod through 10,999 returns and develop
your own opinion? Should you take the time to dig
through all these web pages, you might even find
references that claim that two of our presidents
can trace their roots back to the Livingston clan,
the presidents Bush.
As
for me, although I am still in the Ebenezer Scrooge
mode, I'll hang onto the notion that Moore was the
correct author if only out of tradition. Now about
those parodies of A Visit From St. Nicholas. As you
shop during the hustle and bustle of the hectic
season, when the news media constantly reminds you
the number of shopping days remaining until
Christmas, when shopping at the Mall entails a
shuttle bus from the far reaches of the parking lot
to the door, when every store has every imaginable
toy except for the one that your little girl or boy
craves, think of this rendition of the classic
poem;
'Twas The Month Before
Christmas
'Twas the month before
Christmas, and all through the store, Each
department was dripping with Yuletide décor.
The Muzak was blaring an out-of-tune carol, And the
fake snow was falling on "Ladies' Apparel."
I'd flown many miles from the
North Pole this day, To check on reports which had
caused me dismay. I'd come to this store for but
one special reason, To see for myself what went on
this Season.
I hid in a corner and in a
short while, I saw the Store President march down
the aisle. He shouted an order to "Turn the store
tree on!" And also the "NOEL" in blinking pink
neon.
Up high, grandly hanging from
twin gold supports, Four hundred pink angels flew
over "Men's Shorts." And towering over the Rear
Mezzanine, A 90-foot Day Glo "Nativity
Scene."
The clock on the wall said
two minutes to Nine, The floorwalkers proudly all
stood in line. I watched while the President
smelled their carnations, Then called out his final
command - "Man Your Stations!"
When out on the street there
arose such a roar, It rang to the rafters and
boomed through the store. It sounded exactly like
street-repair drilling, Or maybe another big Mafia
killing.
I looked to the doors, and
there banging glass, Was a clamoring, shrieking,
hysterical mass. And I felt from the tone of each
scream and each curse, That the "Spirit Of
Christmas" had changed for the worse.
The clock it struck Nine, and
the door opened wide, And that great human
avalanche thundered inside. More fearsome than
Sherman attacking Atlanta Came parents and kiddies
with just one goal - "Santa!!"
In front stormed the mothers,
all brandishing handbags, As heavy and deadly as 20
pound sandbags. With gusto they swung them, the
better to smash ears, Of innocent floorwalkers,
buyers, and cashiers.
Egged on by their parents,
the kids had one aim, To get to the man who was
using my name. They mobbed him and mauled him, the
better to plead, For the presents they sought in
their hour of greed.
The President watched with a
gleam in his eye, As he thought of the toys that
the parents would buy. Of all Christmas come-ons,
this crowd would attest, That a visit to "Santa"
was clearly the best.
It was all too much for my
soul to condone, And I let out a most
unprofessional moan. The crowd turned around, and
I'll say for their sake, That they knew in an
instant I wasn't fake.
"I've had it," I told them,
"with fast-buck promoting, With gimmicks and
come-ons and businessmen gloating. This garish
display of commercialized greed, Is so very
UN-Christmas, it makes my heart bleed!"
As soon as I have had my post
Thanksgiving dinner dose of Zantac and Malox, I'll
escape my Ebenezer Scrooge persona and get with the
sprit of Christmas. And as I go about my shopping
this year, no doubt the parody above will go
through my mind from time to time, but I will
strive to practice what I preach, that of
remembering what the season is all about, that very
special gift from God, of a very special child who
grew up to change the world, our Lord Jesus
Christ.
The Message Tree staff would
like to take this opportunity to wish you and
yours, a very sincere Merry Christmas and a happy
New Year.
Check out these web
sites;
Twas' The Month Before Christmas
http://www.dwarfnet.com/christmas/parodies/month.shtml
Representative Poetry
Online
(1)Major Henry Livingston, Jr. (1748-1828)
http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem1312.html
(2) Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863)
http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem1485.html
NY TIMES
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/featured_
articles/001027friday.html
ABOUT.COM
Clement Clarke Moore: The Reluctant Mythmaker
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/weekly/aa121097.htm
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