'Twas the mystery of authorship

Questioning Santa's lineage? Is nothing sacred?

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. It's the man who said he saw him coming down the chimney we're not so sure about. You see, it's like this:

On Dec. 23, 1823, the Troy, N.Y., Sentinel, published an anonymous "Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas," now known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." Years later, the author was identified as Clement Moore.

This from Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature: Moore, "a professor of Oriental and Greek literature at the General Theological Seminary, is said to have composed 'A Visit From St. Nicholas' to amuse his children on Christmas 1822, but, unknown to him, a houseguest copied it and gave it to the press."

A likely story.

Moore, say some, pinched it. Misidentified as the owner, he gladly took credit.

Ever since Moore was first popularized as the author, a family in Poughkeepsie has been crying foul. Their ancestor, Henry Livingston Jr., they say, is the rightful author.

Don Foster, professor of English at Vassar College, agrees with the Poughkeepsie crew. Foster has plied his skills as a literary detective to dub Livingston the likelier author.

In his 2000 book "Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous" - in which he also devotes a chapter to how he figured out that Joe Klein was the "anonymous" author of "Primary Colors" - Foster cites the evidence. Livingston's other works mirror the "Account" in content, meter and style. Moore's do not.

And, says Foster, it gets worse.

Moore's curmudgeonly oeuvre preaches "dread" to "boisterous boys" and "clamorous girls" - hardly the pedigree of one eager to charm children with tales of a "jolly old elf."

Moore branded tobacco "opium's treacherous aid" - yet Santa smokes a pipe.

Foster also writes that Moore falsely claimed translator credits for another work.

And the final kicker: Years after the Sentinel published the poem and shortly before he took credit for it, Moore wrote to the newspaper asking if anyone knew the source of the work.

Indeed, literary histories have long hedged authorship of the poem - hence Merriam Webster's "is said to have composed . . . "

So what's kept people from facing the ruse outright? Probably Moore's wealth - his estate covered the section of Manhattan now known as Chelsea - and his profession. Would a biblical scholar lie?

The more entrenched the story has become in defining how we celebrate Christmas, the more difficult the question has been to address. The rhyme is so embedded in our memories of childhood that it's part of who we are. Who wants to trample on that?

Thanks to technology, parents these days have all kinds of new options to bring Santa alive for their kids.

This very night, the North American Aerospace Defense Command - a Canadian and U.S. satellite warning system - will be on the case with Santa Cams tracking Santa and the reindeers' departure from the North Pole. The system has been tracking Santa since 1958, and now you can follow him and the reindeer across the sky at www.NoradSanta.org and by smartphone app. You can phone 877-446-6723 for updates in seven languages. And, you can e-mail noradtrackssanta@gmail.com for sightings via return e-mail.

You see, Virginia, Santa is alive and well, no matter who penned those famous lines. What we learn from the story of Moore and Livingston is that people are people - flawed and fragile of ego - no matter their wealth or profession. What we learn from the text is that the poem is out of copyright and no longer the property of any one writer but of people everywhere for generations to come. A work of art endures the centuries on its own merit, Moore or less.