Christmas Carol Origins

Phillip Brooks was an Episcopalian preacher, he earned a Doctorate of Divinity from the University of Oxford, and taught at Yale University. During 1865, he rode on horseback from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, where he participated in the Church of the Nativity's five-hour long Christmas Eve celebration. After returning home he wrote "O Little Town of Bethlehem." Its first public performance was held three years later, performed by the children's choir of his church.

Clement Clark Moore was a professor of Divinity and Literature at a New York Episcopal college when, in 1822, he sat down to write a Christmas poem for his family. Moore never intended for the poem to be published. It was only at his family’s begging that it was published a year later. "The Night Before Christmas", poem became an immediate success. Moore created much of our Christmas mythology. He named the reindeer, was the first to call St. Nicolas an “elf,” the idea of Santa going from rooftop to rooftop, and codified most every concept about Santa entering your home to leave gifts. Much about the current legend of Santa was influenced by his poem.