The Night Before Christmas is a 1905 American silent short film directed by Edwin S. Porter

Edwin S. Porter

Edwin Stanton Porter was an American early film pioneer, most famous as a director with Thomas Edison's company...

 for the Edison Manufacturing Company. It closely follows Clement Clarke Moore

Clement Clarke Moore

Clement Clarke Moore was an American professor of Oriental and Greek literature at Columbia College, now Columbia University. He donated land from his family estate for the foundation of the General Theological Seminary, where he was a professor of Biblical learning and compiled a two-volume...

's 1823 poem Twas the Night Before Christmas, and was the first film production of the poem.

Plot summary

Scenes are introduced using lines of the poem. Santa Claus

Santa Claus

Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...

 is shown feeding real reindeer

Reindeer

The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...

 and finishes his work in the workshop. Meanwhile, the children of a city household hang their stockings and go to bed, but unable to sleep they engage in a pillow fight

Pillow fight

A pillow fight is a common game mostly played by young children in which they engage in mock physical conflict, utilizing pillows as weapons....

. Santa Claus leaves his home on a sleigh with his reindeer. He enters the children's house through the chimney, and leaves the presents. The children come down the stairs and enjoy their presents.

Production

1,670 ft of film was shot, with 798 ft used. A panoramic shot of Santa Claus riding his sleigh over hills and the moon was shot using miniatures and a painted backdrop. The film is available on the Kino DVD A Christmas Past.