Anonymous Author: The poem was originally published anonymously in 1823. After several years Clement Clarke Moore (1779–1863) identified himself as the author, and this is still widely accepted. However, a longstanding claim by the descendants of Major Henry Livingston Jr. (1748–1828) suggests that he actually wrote it years earlier. Wikipedia devotes an entire section to the controversy. Draw your own conclusions.
"On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen!" Only it isn't. The original poem retained the Dutch names Dunder and Blixem, as was suitable to the old Dutch settlers of New York who introduced Santa Claus to America. Later re-printings Retconned the names into their more familiar German forms. However, while this was most likely unintentional, the name "Donner" could hold some additional significance, depending on how you look at it; in French, the verb "donner" means "to give," which is quite faithful to the spirit of Christmas, indeed.
The original final line is "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!".
Magnum Opus Dissonance: Clement Clarke Moore was an Episcopalian seminary professor of ancient literature, who quickly dashed off the poem to amuse his children. It was first published anonymously, so as not to damage his reputation as an author of serious academic works and erudite verse. Yet, guess what's Moore's only literary work that anybody remembers today?
Word of Dante: Quite a bit of the contemporary Santa Claus mythos originates with this poem, particularly the number and names of his reindeer.
The Rankin/Bass special:
Channel Hop: CBS held the broadcast rights to the special for two decades before it moved to ABC Family and then AMC.
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