Merry Christmas everyone. For todays advent treat read on to find out how we very nearly lost Christmas altogether.
Did you Know…………
It’s a strange but true fact that Christmas as we know it today probably owes it’s very survival, (at least in it’s current format) to Victorian author Charles Dickens, whose popular book A Christmas Carol gave the holiday a huge shot in the arm at a time the holiday seemed in danger of dying out. For years prior to it’s publication it’s popularity had been dying out which is why it was possible for Scrooge to ask a street urchin to go and buy the prize turkey on Christmas morning; most shops didn’t even bother closing anymore.
In 1843 Dickens was struggling financially. His most recent novel, Martin Chuzzlewit, had been pretty much an uncharacteristic flop. As the father of ten children, not to mention a man fond of going out to attend parties, social events and plays, etc., he required a lot of money to keep his household going. A steady stream of money was absolutely crucial to maintaining the sort of lifestyle Dickens demanded, and he was in truly dire straits.
In a bid to make more money and recover his reputation as the most popular novelist of his day, Dickens penned A Christmas Carol. Desperate to get the project moving forward, Dickens funded the publication with his own money. The edition he chose to publish was a red cloth illustrated edition, with gilded page edges. As luxurious as it was, printing costs ran high, resulting in the fact Dickens didn’t make all that much profit on it. To top it all off, pirated editions of the book started coming out, further cutting into his profits. He challenged the literary pirates in court, as well, costing him a fortune in court fees.
When he published A Christmas Carol Dickens it singlehandedly gave Christmas the boost it needed to come back to the forefront of family celebration. The reading public was so completely enthralled by this story of a miserly old man who received new hope after having the wits scared out of him by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come the holiday seemed to suddenly take on more meaning, becoming much more a family event to be celebrated in a very big way. A Christmas Carol almost became a how to guide for the perfect christmas.
Turkey dinner; Check
Presents; Check
Good Cheer; Check
Good will to all men; Check
If not for Charles Dickens there’s no telling where Christmas would be today, and whether it would still be celebrated with so much joy and good cheer. So as you tuck into your Christmas dinner this year join me in raising a toast to Mr. Dickens, the author of all our feasts.
Strange but true
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