Literary Happy Hour – ‘TWAS THE NIGHT: The Art & History of the Classic Poem (In-Person)

Raise a toast to the holiday season with our new Literary Happy Hour! From 6 pm to 7 pm, we will gather in our intimate Nook Café for a wine/beer cash bar and sandwiches, salads, and snacks for sale. At 7 pm, Twas the Night author Pamela McColl joins The MTH&M’s own Rebecca Floyd in conversation. 

Twas The Night – The Art and History of the Classic Christmas Poem is the first cultural history to be published of the highly-celebrated poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” also known as “’Twas The Night Before Christmas. “

Over two hundred images are presented in the book including artwork by Jessie Willcox Smith, N.C. Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol, N.C. Wyeth, F.O.C. Darley, and the incomparable Thomas Nast. In 2022 and 2023 the poem marks two bi-centennial milestones; first read aloud by Clement Clarke Moore of New York on Christmas Eve 1822, with its print debut appearing in the Troy Sentinel newspapers of Troy, New York for December 23, 1823. 

The poem has been referred to as: “ a little masterpiece of juvenile fiction” “one of the best poems for children ever written,” “the most-published, most-read, most-memorized, and most-collected book in all of Christmas literature.” This book is a celebration of the poem’s brilliance and its phenomenon and enduring popularity. 

In-Person Event! $5 Ticket. REGISTER HERE. 

Copies of TWAS THE NIGHT are available for purchase through the Mark Twain Store; proceeds benefit The Mark Twain House & Museum.  

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Pamela McColl is an author and publisher. Her latest book Twas The Night – The Art and History of the Classic Christmas Poem was ten years in the making and brings both her love of history, art and illustration to the story behind the poem. After studying Canadian and American history she worked for twenty years as a corporate art consultant before beginning here writing and publishing career in the late 1990s. In 2012 she edited “Twas The Night Before Christmas” and left out the reference to smoking and Santa with a pipe. McColl intended that the project shed light on the cultural influences on youth and the uptake of smoking. The book won eight book awards and attractive media attention on an international basis. McColl also works on a volunteer basis on drug prevention and has written and published books on the issue and has addressed the United Nations Office of Drug Prevention and the FDA. She has conducted hundreds of interviews on various topics and is a guest speaker as an expert on the history of Christmas, the poem “Twas The Night Before Christmas,” and the poet Clement Clarke Moore 

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Programs at The Mark Twain House & Museum are made possible in part by support from CT Humanities; the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts; Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee; the Greater Hartford Arts Council’s United Arts Campaign; The Hartford; The Mark Twain Foundation; The National Endowment for the Humanities; and Travelers.