The Short Version
The story was indeed physically published in December 1845, consistent with the claim. It appeared in the Danish almanac "Dansk Folkekalender for 1846," which carried a forward cover year of 1846 — a common practice for almanacs. Most literary histories use 1845 as the publication year based on the actual release date, though some sources cite 1846 based on the almanac's title. The claim aligns with the dominant scholarly convention but omits this minor bibliographic nuance.