I’ve heard of Christmas in July, but Christmas in April?
What?
Oh well!
So I have fallen behind with my posts, but as you know I started a book club last year:
Every month we read a book and I do a little post on the book we read and discussed. What can I say, I just love books.
There is no theme, other than with each month, a different member gets to pick a book, whichever one they want. So at the time it was my turn it was Christmas.
And you know how much I love Christmas
So what better book to read then, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens? My favorite book to read at Christmastime!
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
This won’t be a long post as I talked about it two years ago during my 30-day book challenge (which I never finished. Oops!)
I love this book so much. I’m not sure what else I could add. I love the history of it and how it changed the world by opening peoples’ hearts and creating reforms to help the poor; along with the Bank Holiday act in 1871, making Christmas an official day of rest. 19 years later, every state in America had adopted the same practice.
“I have endeavoured[sic], in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour[sic] with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.”
Their faithful friend and Servant,
CD. [Charles Dickens]
I love how Dicken’s describes the sins of greed, pride, and selfishness:
“I wear the chain I forged in Life,’ replied the Ghost [Marley]. ‘I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on, of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it…’Or would you know,’ pursued the Ghost, ‘the weight and length of the strong coil you wear yourself? It was full as heavy and as long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago. You have laboured[sic] on it, since. It is a ponderous chain!”
A good warning to a of us.
And how they describe Scrooge’s old boss Fezziwig. Unlike Scrooge, Fezziwig always liked to treat his clerks right; he may have only gave a little, but he understood the true meaning of Christmas. To give.
“He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome: a pleasure or a toil. Say that his power lies in words and looks; in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count ’em up-what then? The happiness he gives, is quite as great, as if it cost a fortune.”
And of course Christmas present:
How he spreads cheer everywhere.
And of course, Christmas-Yet-to-Come:
The redemption of Scrooge and the all-around happiness of the book. Just a fantastic and inspiring story:
“And as Tiny Tim observed,
God Bless Us Every One!”
For more book club picks, go to Book Club Picks: A Common Life, The Wedding Story
For more on A Christmas Carol, go to You Will Be Haunted By Three Spirits: A Christmas Carol
For more Charles Dickens, go to You Know Me So Well
For more Jane Austen Quotes, go to Jane Austen’s Guide to Dating
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