Christmas Books

The Christmas Books, while not always being set during the festive season, each exemplify some aspect of the spirit of charity and "goodwill to all men" that Dickens felt so important in the celebration of Christ's birth, and which he did so much to forge into what is now seen as "a traditional Christmas".

The Battle of Life: Self-sacrifice and familial love are the messages here. Some wonderfully drawn characters in Clemency Newcome (servant) and Messrs. Snitchey and Craggs (lawyers). Expectations are nicely confounded in this one. ( )

I've seen the movie countless times; in fact, I've seen countless versions of the book countless times. There's no denying it's a classic in Western Literature; perhaps one of the best-known stories in the English language.

Not that anybody's ever read it.

I hadn't, up until this year. But last spring I found it at the Borders Going-Out-Of-Business sale, and decided it was about time to hear it as Dickens intended.

It's a difficult book to read, both because we're not used to reading Victorian English, and because it's impossible to avoid hearing the voices of Kermit the Frog and Michael Caine and George C. Scott. And yet, it's such a necessary book.

It's become important to the pantheon of "necessary items for Christmas," along with "A Christmas Story" and The Carpenters and ugly sweaters. But even more so, I think it's necessary for our world today. It's a little unfortunate that it's become window dressing for the festive season, because the message is entirely prophetic, judgmental, and yet hopeful. It's a message we need once again.

I don't need to rehearse the story or themes for you, but think about it for just a second - there's a message here about the proper place of money in relationships, there's a message of the importance of all people, whether they are rich or poor, there's a message about the voluntary redistribution of wealth; but it's all couched in a story of redemption. Yes, there is strong judgment against selfishness and greed (perhaps echoes of the Rich Man and Lazarus), but rather than simply condemn that man, Dickens paints a picture where even the worst can be redeemed and restored. That is a message sadly lacking in the 21st Century.

It's interesting to read the story, as so many familiar lines pop off the page; at the same time, there are tender and poignant scenes that I have yet to see in the movie versions; young couples in love, ships' crews huddled in their cold cabin celebrating Christmas far out at sea. The Ghost of Christmas present even gets in a pretty direct shot at the church of Dickens' day.

In the end, though, we're left with the familiar story of an angry, bitter, broken man who has all the money in the world but has lost all human connection, and the work of spirits to save him. Dickens reminds us that there is hope for even the worst of sinners, if repentance is found.

The bonus of this book is the addition of two lesser-known Christmas tales penned by Dickens - The Chimes, and The Cricket on the Hearth. The Chimes tells us of a broken-down man beset with terrible dreams while (accidentally) locked inside a church steeple; it's a mystic, visionary tale, lacking a bit of the clarity of A Christmas Carol. It's a cold story, and yet hopeful and redemptive. The Cricket on the Hearth is a warmer tale, with brighter characters and (in my opinion) a more interesting story. There's an old cartoon version of this one out there; I remember seeing it some years ago. Like Carol, it can be a little difficult to follow simply due to the Victorian English vernacular, but it's a fun story full of lame dogs and old horses and mysterious strangers and inept babysitters and blind saints and grumpy old men. And yes, in keeping with the others, it brings a surprise redemptive end, complete with a homespun party.

So Borders, I'm sorry you went out of business. But your sale finally convinced me to pick this one up, and for that I'm grateful. ( )

I reread A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens just about every Christmas. I love the story of personal redemption as Ebenezer Scrooge learns from his past, recognizes the facts of the present, and learns to hope for the best in the future. For me, the appeal of this ghostly tale is the recognition that I likewise forget the past, present, and future; hopefully I can recognize my errors before I become a “ba-humbug!”.

More on my blog

Some of the other Christmas novellas were more interesting than others. The superiority of A Christmas Carol makes it clear to me why it has lasted as a “classic” through the years, and while most of these others have not. Thoughts on the other novellas here

The Chimes
The Haunted Man
The Cricket on the Hearth
The Battle of Life
A Christmas Carol

I read this collection of stories for a Book Club and we all agreed that none of the other stories is a patch on "A Christmas Carol". I'd advise anyone not to start by reading "The Battle of Life" like I did, as it's possibly the most annoying story I have ever read!

The Battle of Life
This was the first of the stories I read and I hated it! The main reason I hated it is all the stupid self-sacrifice. Who in their right minds would think that pretending to have eloped abroad while in reality hiding out at their aunt's house for SIX YEARS was a good idea? I certainly didn't spot that plot twist! It is so far-fetched as to be totally ridiculous.

The Cricket on the Hearth
This is a suspenseful story of possible infidelity. I was getting a bit stressed reading it, as I couldn't see how things could possibly turn out ok, but I needn't have worried. I especially liked the way that the guardian spirits of the home tried to convince the carter that he had a happy home and a loving wife.

The Chimes
This story was written a year after "A Christmas Carol" and has a similar story, with Trotty who has supposedly fallen to his death from the church bell tower being shown three future New Years by the spirits of the chimes and the ghost of a young girl who dies in one of those future visions. I was impressed by how subtly Dickens implied that Lillian had become a prostitute - it was immediately obvious even though he never actually came out and said it. I suppose that an open discussion of prostitution wasn't the done thing in Victorian stories! And the idea that the spirits of the chimes were active only as long as the bells chimes actually lasted and disappeared as the last echoes died away, was inspired.

The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain
Having finished this story, it struck me that there are three stories in this book (the other two being "The Chimes" & "A Christmas Carol") in which various types of spirit show the protagonist the error of his ways, with a happy ending on the Christmas Day/New Year's Day followed by a celebration for friends and family. In this story, unlike the other two, it appears that the changes resulting from Redlaw's bargain with his doppelganger are real and not just visions, but Dickens hedges his bets right at the end: "Some people have said since, that he only thought what has been herein set down; others, that he read it in the fire, one winter night about the twilight time; others, that the Ghost was but the representation of his gloomy thoughts, and Milly the embodiment of his better wisdom. _I_ say nothing."

A Christmas Carol
Reading all these stories so close together, one thing that comes across very strongly is how much Dickens sympathises with the poor and uses his stories too point out the hypocritical attitudes of the Victorian establishment towards them. For example, in 'A Christmas Carol", Scrooge berates the Ghost of Christmas Present, saying that people are campaigning for the bake houses to be closed on Sundays, thus depriving the poor of a hot meal, and the Ghost says although people claim to be doing it in his name, their bigotry and selfishness are nothing to do with him. ( )

These five short novels, written for Christmas 1843 to 1848, demonstrate Dickens' most characteristic writing. The volume includes A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Haunted Man, The Cricket on the Hearth, and The Battle of Life.