The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas

From Tea. Toast. & Trivia. by Rebecca Budd

December 24, 2025 · 8 min · Season 7 · Episode 10

About this episode

A Christmas Eve reflection on Clement Clarke Moore's poem that transformed the perception of Christmas.

S7 E10: The Night Before Christmas Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia. Thank you for listening in to a Christmas Eve reflection on the poem that changed how we see Christmas. Christmas Eve brings us once more to words that have shaped the wonder of generations. Tonight, we return to Clement Clarke Moore’s beloved poem, a story that reminds us that imagination, generosity, and joy are timeless companions. Clement Clarke Moore, born July 15, 1799, was a writer and American Professor of Oriental and Greek Literature, Divinity and Biblical Learning at the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church in New York City. Clement Moore had strong ties to the seminary, for it was his generosity that led him to donate land — his private apple orchard — upon which the seminary was built. The Seminary remains on that same parcel of land, located at Ninth Avenue between 20th and 21st Streets, in an area known as Chelsea Square. Clement Moore accomplished a great deal in his lifetime. He was a writer and a poet, a professor and scholar. He served twice as President of Columbia College (now Columbia University) and as a board member of the New York Institution for the Blind…

People in this episode

Host: Rebecca

Topics covered

  • Christmas
  • poetry
  • Clement Clarke Moore

Keywords

  • imagination
  • generosity
  • joy
  • tradition

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Night Before Christmas, A Compendious Lexicon of the Hebrew Language, A Visit from St. Nicholas

Places: New York City

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