Like New Hardcover Book (2014) Everyone knows the famous beginning to this beloved holiday poem: “’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house . . .” Clement Moore’s poem was written in 1822 and has been a holiday classic ever since. This edition, with gorgeous illustrations by Jessie Willcox Smith, was first published in 1912 and is considered by many to be the definitive version of the story.