a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens,It's the beginning of December, and for the first time I can remember at this time of year, there is a thick layer of snow on the ground. A drunken-looking snowman named Roderick is staring through the dining room window with his brussels sprouts for eyes, wearing a college scarf and mittens. Yesterday I went shopping for Christmas nibbles: sugared almonds, turkish delight, chocolate mints, etc. It was the perfect time for my annual re-read of A Christmas Carol.
I'm not going to recap the story here, as we all know it, even if we've never read the book. If it's not Mickey Mouse, it's the Muppets - everyone knows at least one version of the Charles Dickens classic. After all, it is something that has helped to shape what we think of as an old-fashioned Christmas. The words Scrooge, and "Bah! Humbug!" are universally recognised and applied to anyone who expresses anything but unconditional joy in the festive season. But on this reading, I found myself thinking that it is not Scrooge's dislike of tinsel and plum pudding that is his doom, but his callousness towards his fellow man. To Dickens the social commentator, celebrating Christmas is more than a time to be jolly and eating a big meal with the family, before arguing about whether to watch the Queen's Speech or the EastEnders doom-and-gloom seasonal special on TV. It's more than pretending to be grateful for the socks and reindeer jumper knitted by Granny.* Scrooge's nephew puts it best:
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
a christmas carol by charles dickens
