Tag Archive for: Charles Dickens

Scrooge

Scrooge

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Merry Podcast
Merry Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com
Scrooge
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Scrooge is the most recognizable character in the history of Christmas, second only to Santa Claus. The mere mention of his name immediately brings to mind images that are both good and bad.

His story – A Christmas Carol – is known around the world, in multiple languages, and in nearly every corner of the world. Every year, it is a story told and retold on stages large and small. It is a story read and re-read by Christmas fans everywhere.

Charles Dickens did not invent Christmas but he did invite Scrooge, a difficult man who reflects all of us more than he contrasts with us. In fact, the long we study Ebenezer Scrooge the more we begin to see all that we share in common with him.

Who played him best? Was it Alastair Sim? Was it Michael Caine? Was it Patrick Stewart?

We found that the better the Jacob Marley, the better the Scrooge. In fact, we delve a little into the necessity of having the right Marley and how he makes Scrooge that much more interesting.

In this new episode of the Merry Little Podcast we examine Scrooge and the many performances given to us of Scrooge on film. We discuss his creation and just what his character means to those of love Christmas.

We are also introduced to the first new Christmas music of the 2020 season. You hear the first new offering from Jim Brickman, a great new Christmas original titled Winter Waltz:

Jim Brickman

We are also fortunate enough to have a sneak peek at a new album by Luke McMaster and his new song, Christmas Present:

Luke McMaster

Victorian Christmas

The Victorian Christmas, Part 1

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The Victorian Christmas, Part 1
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Queen Victoria and Prince AlbertThe Victorian Christmas is one of curiosity for a lot of people today. It is a time in Christmas history with a very long reach. It influences today in everything from music to decorating in the modern Christmas.

But what exactly is the Victorian Christmas?

It is a time so big in Christmas history that we just can’t get it all into this episode. This is part one.

In this episode we explore how Christmas in Germany of the 18th century gave rise to Christmas in the Victorian Era. And yes, we take a long gander at Queen Victoria. The Queen, along with contemporary Charles Dickens, gets a lot of credit for the craze of the 19th century Christmas.

We have to myth-bust that a bit. Yes, Victoria deserves some credit for popularizing things like Christmas trees and Christmas cards.

But the truth is that as a child the young Princess Victoria enjoyed a royal Christmas. And so much of what she experienced before she became Queen carried over to when she raised her children under the spot light royalty.

It should be noted more for what the Victorian Christmas did NOT do for Christmas that many people think that it did. It did NOT give us Christmas trees. It did not give us Christmas greetings. It did not all of a sudden cause Christmas to be celebrated around the world.

What it did do is pour gasoline on the secular celebration of Christmas. Christmas accelerated in style and influence during the Victorian Era and that’s the story.

It’s too big of a story to tell in just one episode.

In putting this together we would point you to some past episodes where we have talked about elements of the Victorian Christmas:

Giving Dickens the Dickens
Celebrating 200 Years of Silent Night
The Wildly Popular Custom of Christmas Greetings
The Deeper Meaning of Christmas Ornaments
The Legend of the Christmas Stocking

We would point you to the following features at MyMerryChristmas.com, too:
– A Christmas Story of 1887
– Mourning Dickens and Recognizing Christmas
– A Prediction of Christmas Future from 1896
– Santa Claus of the 19th Century
– A Christmas Social Media Post from 1818
– The Ghost Story of Mistletoe

Giving Dickens the Dickens

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Giving Dickens the Dickens
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Charles Dickens will be the subject of a new Christmas movie now filming in England titled “The Man Who Invented Christmas”.

The story is about the very Christmas tale of how Charles Dickens created “A Christmas Carol”.

The movie stars Dan Stevens as Dickens, pictured at the right. It also features Christopher Plummer in the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge.

You see? Already there’s a problem with this movie. Dickens is a real character. Scrooge is a character of fiction. And that will be the problem with this film — determining what is fact and what is fable.

The movie is based on the book of the same name by Les Standiford, a historian and a novelist. In declaring the 19th century author as the “inventor of Christmas” Standiford makes a critical historical mistake. And in the process he destroys what is really the true story.

This episode explores the book and exposes the lies that will be told in the upcoming tale of Dickens.

To read Dickens is to know Dickens and like the many Hollywood productions of A Christmas Carol demonstrate there is more than one way to tell a story. This movie is a Hollywood production and shouldn’t fool the Christmas purist when it comes to the truths about Dickens.

As the title of both the book and movie pronounce, Dickens saved Christmas. This episode of the Merry Podcast declares the more obvious truth: Christmas saved Dickens.

When it comes to Christmas we believe true stories are more entertaining, more enlightening and more believable than what Hollywood produces.

That is true of Santa Claus. That is true of Jesus Christ. And that is true of Charles Dickens.

Will we see the movie? Of course we will. But we have no problem reviewing it now. If it came from this book — The Man Who Invented Christmas — it will not be a great Christmas movie.