THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 4, 1995 TAG: 9512040073
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Guy Friddell
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
To set the mood for Christmas you may wish to peruse in Williamsburg more than 200 editions of `` 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,'' Clement C. Moore's poem about a visit from Santa Claus.
The 56 lines delineating the jolly old elf rival in popularity Charles Dickens' ``Christmas Carol.''
It will be on view until January 12 in the Earl Greg Swem Library at the College of William and Mary.
You never saw so many varied Santa Clauses in blazing colors.
Moore's portrait in verse reshaped Santa into the legend we know, Nancy H. Marshall, dean of University Libraries at William and Mary, said the other day.
Moore put old Claus in a sleigh, gave him eight tiny reindeer to pull it, and had him clamber in and out of chimneys instead of coming to and fro by way of the door like ordinary folk.
He made Santa stout and merry instead of lean and stern as European counterparts tended to be.
The entrancing items in Swem Library were drawn equally from the separate collections of Marshall and of Catherine H. Grosfils, audio visual editorial libraran at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Each librarian has gathered more than 300 versions over the years.
To celebrate the display, the Friends of the Library on Saturday will sponsor a fete, ``Visions of Sugar Plums,'' from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Swem Library, with desserts and champagne.
A costumed Santa will read the verses in tones reminiscent of Timothy J. Sullivan, president of William and Mary College who can ho-ho-ho with the best of them. A ticket costs $15. For reservations, call (804) 221-3050.
Marshall said she had been collecting antique glass-blown tree ornaments for years and ``all of a sudden'' realized she had 30 editions of Moore's poem. So she began searching for them in earnest, haunting garage sales, flea markets, auctions and book stores.
The four Marshall children - Bruce, Gregg, Lisa and Jeanine - grew up in Santa's jovial company.
Years ago in the Grosfils' household, 9-month-old Eric received from his grandmother an exquisite miniature edition done by Tasha Tudor, who later issued a regular-sized version with new illustrations.
Eric's young sister, Leigh, also enjoyed the annual readings in the family circle. When, at 20, she was studying at Virginia Tech, she telephoned home to read the poem aloud with her mother.
That cornerstone of the Grosfils' collection was signed by Tudor during a visit to Williamsburg. Asked how many versions she had secured, Grosfils replied, ``I wish I knew exactly!''
She'd like to continue the quest until at least the end of the century.
A biblical professor in New York at the General Theological Seminary, Moore presented to his six children on Christmas Eve, 1822, his tale of Santa's dropping in.
A friend passed along a copy to The Troy (New York) Sentinel which published it anonymously in December 1823. A scholar of Hebrew and Greek, Moore was embarrassed at its growing popularity. He didn't acknowledge it until publication of his poems in 1844.
The two collectors rejoice in the varied details of Santa's story as pictured in the different versions. In one, an affectionate reindeer nibbles gently at Santa's beard. In another, a map of the world is tacked to the dashboard of a waiting sleigh so Santa won't get lost on his way.
In others, the old gent descends and rises from the chimney in spectacular fashion. In one he is diving head first down the chimney while his reindeer look on, interested but undismayed. In another he lands on the hearth with such a thud his pipe flies from his mouth.
When the professor of Greek and Hebrew turned to Santa, he wrote in a universal language. ILLUSTRATION: Color Picture
More than 200 versions of " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" will
be on display until Jan. 12.
by CNB