A Christmas Carol (1843) is a novella by Charles Dickens, illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man. Dickens wrote the story during a period when the British were exploring and re- evaluating past Christmas traditions, including carols, and newer customs such as Christmas trees. His Christmas stories (including three before and four after this one) were influenced by those of other authors, including Washington Irving and Douglas William Jerrold. Parts of the novella point out the misery that poor children often endured; Dickens had recently witnessed appalling conditions for children working in the Cornish tin mines. He gave 128 public readings of A Christmas Carol, including his farewell performance in 1870, the year of his death.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1815:

The Handel and Haydn Society, the oldest continuously performing arts organization in the United States, made its debut at King's Chapel in Boston. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handel_and_Haydn_Society

1941:

Second World War: The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began when Mark Aitchison Young, the Governor of Hong Kong, surrendered the territory to Japan after 18 days of fierce fighting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_occupation_of_Hong_Kong

1968:

In Tamil Nadu, India, families of striking Dalit workers were massacred by a gang, allegedly led by their landlords. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilvenmani_massacre

2009:

Fire destroyed Longford's 19th-century St Mel's Cathedral, considered the "flagship cathedral" of the Irish midlands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mel%27s_cathedral,_Longford

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Charlie Brown tree: A Christmas tree considered unattractive and undesirable by normal standards, often small and sparse. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Charlie_Brown_tree

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Christmas turns everything upside down. This is the central truth of the incarnation — "Immanuel, God with us." The upside of heaven come down to earth. "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, . . . full of grace and truth." Men miss the entire meaning of Jesus when they see in him the highest upreach of man; he is God reaching down and making common cause with man's struggle. The meaning of Christmas puts down the mighty things in men's minds from their seats — place, riches, talents — and exalts the things of low degree — humility, simplicity, and trust.   --Halford E. Luccock https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Halford_E._Luccock