Overall, I couldn't get over how in just a few chapters, and what people call a short story, he included so many important elements including the greatest character development in all of literature!! ❄️ And even the phrase "Merry Christmas" only became popular following the appearance of this novella. Now, I'll tell you what, my friend," said Scrooge. “I am not going to stand this sort of thing any longer” Cochrane, Robertson (1996). Wordplay: origins, meanings, and usage of the English language. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-7752-3.

His commentary on Victorian life and his social criticisms are known to be key aspects of his books, and I can now attest to that fact! If you're interested in a brief glossary of some of the Victorian terms that aren't familiar to us nowadays, I found a very useful set of annotations online at http://drbacchus.com/files/christmas_..., along with some brief commentary from someone who clearly loves this story. I found this when I went on a search to figure out what Treadmills had to do with England's treatment of the poor. It was very instructive! Celebrating the Christmas season had been growing in popularity through the Victorian era. [4] The Christmas tree had been introduced in Britain during the 18th century, and its use was popularised by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Their practice was copied in many homes across the country. [5] In the early 19th century there had been a revival of interest in Christmas carols, following a decline in popularity over the previous hundred years. The publication of Davies Gilbert's 1823 work Some Ancient Christmas Carols, With the Tunes to Which They Were Formerly Sung in the West of England and William Sandys's 1833 collection Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern led to a growth in the form's popularity in Britain. [6]

The Christmas cynic says that the season is hypocritical, and that even those people who volunteer, give money, and donate food and gifts only do so once a year. This week I found myself with a few extra hours and finally read the novella. Wow. I’m very glad I did. Here are some thoughts:

But enough of money matters, for now! What follows are a few random observations on this, the latest of my many readings. Gordon, Alexander; McConnell, Anita (2008). "Elwes [ formerly Meggott], John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (onlineed.). Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/8776. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) It is our reality as humans that most of our lives exist in what we can remember. After all, we have control only of the instant second, and already, that second is passing. While Scrooge scoffs at the entire process, he is startled when the first ghost appears to take him into the past. This experience shows Scrooge some of the events from his past and how he became the man he is today. A second ghost explores current decisions Scrooge has been making, including some of the most miserly choices he could have made. Quite startled by this point, Scrooge does not want the third visit, but must see life as it would be after his passing and how others will speak of him. This is enough to help bring about an epiphany for the elderly Ebenezer, who sees the world for what it could be. A Christmas classic that I will definitely add to my annual read list, this one is recommended for anyone eager to explore Christmas and its true meaning.

ILLUSTRATED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM

Marley himself is one of the condemned, as greedy and avaricious as his old partner, and now bearing a “ponderous chain” corresponding to his selfish life. He informs Scrooge that his own chain is even larger, yet there is the possibility of escape. This lifeline is comprised of three separate ghosts – Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come – who will visit him on three separate nights. Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge, a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint." The smug pun on "gravy" and "grave" is amusing, and there's a poetry of sorts in that "fragment of an underdone potato."

What do people see when they see me sleeping in the third row of church? Do people see me as someone who gave what little energy they had to God? Or do they see someone lazy and disrespectful? Or should I not care and just be happy that I made it to church and that I can walk again? The first emotion produced in Scrooge by the Ghost of Christmas Past is sadness at this own boyhood loneliness, but the second emotion is his joy in the books that consoled him and helped him empathize with others: The Arabian Nights, the old romances ( Valentine and Orson), and realistic fiction ( Robinson Crusoe). In Ebenezer’s coming transformation, the sadness and its memory are of course necessary, but no more necessary than this joy. A Visit from St. Nicholas" (also known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", 1823) attributed to Clement Clarke Moore The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste and moaning as they went

ILLUSTRATIONS

That key comes in many forms: an ornament on my mom’s tree that has been reflecting light since the Great Depression; the smell of pine; the first few chords of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. The third is dark, solemn and scary, reflecting Scrooge’s fears of death and also the sadness that will emanate from him if he does not change, but also with an indistinct face and shape, perhaps suggesting the potential malleability of the future. Jordan, Christine (2015). Secret Gloucester. Stroud, Glos: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4456-4689-3.

A Christmas Carol hits on some important societal issues, and it has iconic, unforgettable characters. It also has some laugh-out-loud moments. Still, an immortal Christmas classic that requires no introduction. Recommendable, for the right audience. In addition to being hard of heart, Scrooge is a man with a deliberate philosophy of self-exoneration. It consists of two principles: 1) taxpayers fund the poor houses and prisons, thereby discharging in full their obligation to all of their fellow human beings, and 2) death by starvation, although it may seem regrettable, is actually a positive good as proven by science (because Malthus!), and relieves the rest of us of the burden of a surplus population. This philosophy is the shield that protects Scrooge from feeling the pains of sympathy and compassion. Harrison, Mary-Catherine (2008). Sentimental Realism: Poverty and the Ethics of Empathy, 1832–1867 (Thesis). Ann Arbor, MI. ISBN 978-0-549-51095-6. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) A Christmas Carol is a great reminder to bring Christmas cheer. When talking about Scrooge, so many people choose to go positive and wish him a Merry Christmas. Who can we show kindness to this holiday season?

One example of this was the introduction of turkey as the main meat of the Christmas meal. In Britain the tradition had been to eat roast goose, but a change to turkey followed the publication of the book. By 1868 Mrs Beeton, in her Book of Household Management, advised her readers that "A Christmas dinner, with the middle-class of this empire, would scarcely be a Christmas dinner without its turkey." [103] Now, I'll tell you what, my friend," said Scrooge. "I am not going to stand this sort of thing any longer."