Up On The Housetop Insired By Popular Christmas Story

The beloved Christmas song

Up on the Housetop is believed to have been inspired by another popular piece of holiday writing.

Written by American composer Benjamin Hanby in 1864, Up on the Housetop was at least in part inspired by Clement C. Moore's 1822 poem, A Visit From St. Nicholas (now more widely referred to as The Night Before Christmas).

Since Hanby wrote the song nearly two centuries ago, it has been performed by countless artists. Two of the more notable renditions were performed by famed singing cowboy Gene Autry in 1953 and television personality Kimberley Locke in 2005. That those two renditions were performed more than half a century apart is a testament to the enduring popularity of Up on the Housetop, which can be heard in department stores and at holiday parties throughout December.

Hanby was a minister, abolitionist and American musician in mid-19th century Ohio. He was born July 22, 1833, in Rushville, Ohio. From there, his family moved to Circleville and, in 1853, to Westerville.

His father, William Hanby, was active as a minister and then a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and helped establish Otterbein College in Westerville in 1847. Benjamin would also join the church and became a minister.

The author of more than 80 songs, he died of tuberculosis on March 16, 1867, at age 33.