It was on this day, December 19th, 1843 that Charles Dickens published his classic Christmas story, A Christmas Carol. And 180 years later, the short novel remains an important part of the holiday tradition. Literally dozens of film versions of the book have been made (my own personal favorite is the 1984 version starring George C. Scott as Scrooge), as well as innumerable stage productions. The story of the miser Ebeneezer Scrooge is well known: a succession of four ghosts visit him through the night before Christmas and succeed in changing his cold heart into one in union with a generous Christmas spirit. The book itself was sort of a hail Mary pass for Dickens, who was in a publishing slump at the time. A couple of poorly selling novels had landed him in a tight financial spot, and this book was intended to provide a much-needed boost to his income. It was written and published in a shockingly short time- about six weeks from the first written word to a published book. And what a book! Nominally published by Dickens's familiar publisher, Chapman and Hall, it was actually self-published, with the author himself paying for the lavishly appointed volumes of the initial press run. The story is accurately and entertainingly told in the feature film The Man Who Invented Christmas, a film that includes two actors, Miriam Margolyes and Simon Callow, who are themselves dedicated Dickens buffs and patrons of the Dickens Museum in London. So on this day, at this time of year, let us remember the lessons of Scrooge's ghosts, and endeavor to embrace the cheer and joy of the season.
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