The origin story of one of the most well-known Christmas poems sparks many questions. 

On December 23, 1823, a famous poem, then known as "A Visit from St. Nicholas" was anonymously published in the Troy, New York, Sentinel. 

"The Night before Chrismas" also known as 'T'was the Night Before Christmas' made quite the splash when it was first published. 

In 1837, the poem was credited to Clement Clarke Moore whose friend reportedly dropped off the poem to the publication. 

Moore originally did not want to be associated with the poem because he thought it would not fit his reputation as an intellectual professor. 

The story of its creation is reportedly based on real-life interaction. Moore, on a snowy winter's day during a shopping trip on a sleigh, was inspired to write the poem. His inspiration for the character of Saint Nicholas was a local Dutch handyman as well as the historical Saint Nicholas.

However, despite the supposed inspiration story, to this day, there is still a debate about who wrote the beloved poem. 

In 1900, family members of Major Henry Livingston Jr., a Dutch Hudson Valley gentleman farmer, and poet believed Livingston was the author of the poem. This claim, started a controversy around the poem.

In 2000, the Encyclopaedia Brittannica, wrote that based on computer-aided analysis, scholars agreed that the poem had more in common with poetry written by Livingston than with poetry by Moore.

The poem is now 196 years old and a staple in many Christmas traditions despite the unknown author.