Dear Readers and Holiday Revelers,
There is nothing quite like a great book to relax by the fireside during the holidays. My recommendation is A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens (1812-1870), with the unforgettable character Ebenezer Scrooge. (You can get the eBook on Amazon Kindle for $0.99. The Audible version is available for free. Wow! Merry Christmas.)
Many of you have probably seen one or more versions of the movie, but the book is so rich in the imagery of nineteenth-century England that it deserves a read. Experience again the famous line, “‘If they (the poor) would rather die,’ said Scrooge, ‘they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population'”–words that would come back literally to haunt the miserly man and prompt his wake-up call!
Christmas was one of Charles Dickens’ favorite times of the year with it being a major religious event, but not yet commonly celebrated as a festive holiday. He loved the meaning of Christmas, especially Twelfth Night, the Feast of the Epiphany. Dickens’ writings can be credited with introducing feasting, games, family togetherness, and other traditions into Western culture, traditions we still practice to this day.
Did you know that before Queen Victoria came to the throne of England (1837), Charles Dickens had written five short Christmas books and numerous festive stories? In 1843, he was alarmed by the poverty of London and, vowing to “strike a sledge-hammer blow on behalf of the Poor Man’s Child,” wrote A Christmas Carol in six weeks. His goal was to wake up the world to the inequities in life. Beyond social justice, his other goal was to make some fast money since his literary career was at somewhat of a crossroads! Six thousand copies of A Christmas Carol were published by Chapman & Hall of London with Dickens paying the publishing costs himself so that he could receive the profits. (The publishing company received a commission.) It sold well, but he still didn’t make much money from it.
As he wrote what would arguably become his most famous work, Dickens said that he “could feel the Cratchits (Tiny Tim and family) ever tugging at his coat sleeve, impatient for [him] to sit back down and write their story.” As it turned out, the Cratchits’ story resembled the author’s impoverished childhood home life, so it wasn’t that much of a stretch for the author to describe horrible living conditions.
One critic called the story “a national institution.” William Makepeace Thackeray, Dickens’ friend and fellow author, called it “a national benefit.”
Sources: charlesdickensinfo.com; oxfordlearning.com
So get a clue, Readers. Settle in with your copy of A Christmas Carol. No matter your religion or lack thereof, let the story work its magical message of charitable giving, transformative repentance, and abundant blessings on you and those around you. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!