Christmas Carol | Charles Dickens
“Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.”
Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" was first published back in 1843 and was an immediate success. It is believed that it has shaped the way that Christmas is celebrated in Anglophone countries, because it was written at a time when the English were examining their own traditions and new additions to Christmas festivities. The carols, the tree, the feast - all are present in the novella and are all a crucial part of celebrations today.
The story is well-known and well-loved throughout the world, not just the English-speaking part of it. I have heard of this book back in one of my English classes in primary school and was immediately intrigued. I have watched the cartoon and a movie (but not the Muppets thing because I truly cannot watch it, it bores me to death within the first minute) but I have not had the chance to read it till this year. The thing is - it's very hard to find books in English in my country and I didn't want to read a translation of it, so I bade my time. And it payed off!
“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”
I actually own a copy of the wonderful story of Ebenezer Scrooge, his ghosts and Tiny Tim! It is a delightful read and a wonderful way to get into the spirit of giving and benevolence. The story is short and can be read in one sitting, especially due to the fact that it's so gripping - you simply have to continue reading it. I actually believe this will become a small tradition of mine. I don't celebrate Christmas on December 25 (it's January 7 in my neck of the woods) but I do love to make a festive environment of my own. I watch the movies and I listen to the music (none of that is how we celebrate, but I actually wish it was) and now I may read this book every year. Why not?
Anyway, try to find time to re-read this for Christmas or, if you haven't had to opportunity to do so - read it for the first time now. I think we all need a little Christmas spirit after a year like 2017.
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