Today we all know the tale of tight-fisted Scrooge - "Bah! Humbug!" - and his dramatic change of heart after being visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. But A Christmas Carol didn't just restore Dickens' reputation and financial health. It also breathed new life into what was then a second-tier holiday that had fallen into disfavor. As Les Standiford notes, in early 19th-century England, the Christmas holiday "was a relatively minor affair that ranked far below Easter, causing little more stir than Memorial Day or St. George's Day today. In the eyes of the relatively enlightened Anglican Church, moreover, the entire enterprise smacked vaguely of paganism, and were there Puritans still around, acknowledging the holiday might have landed one in the stocks." The date of Christmas itself is an arbitrary one, of course. There is no reference in the Gospels to the birth of Jesus taking place on December 25, or in any specific month. When Luke says, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior," there isn't the slightest indication of when that was. And while the day was marked on Christian calendars, celebrations were muted. That changed when A Christmas Carol became an instant smash, stirring English men and women to both celebrate the holiday and remember the plight of the less fortunate. This was exactly the author's intent. Dickens grew up in poverty and was forced into child labor. (His father, a naval pay clerk who struggled to meet his obligations, was thrown into debtors prison.) Yet despite these handicaps, Dickens educated himself, worked diligently and rose to international prominence as a master writer and storyteller. He was a great believer in self-determination and, in particular, the transformative power of education. With learning, he said, a man "acquires for himself that property of soul which has in all times upheld struggling men of every degree." Yet in the London of Dickens' day, only one child in three attended school. Some worked in shops, others in factories. Still others resorted to theft or prostitution to live. Dickens was determined to expose their plight. A Christmas Carol, in particular, is a bald-faced parable, something few novelists attempt... and even fewer successfully execute. Dickens said his novels were for the edification of his audience. His goal was not just to entertain, but to enlighten. And A Christmas Carol was designed to deliver "a sledgehammer blow" on behalf of the poor and less fortunate. It worked. Scrooge - a character as well-known as any in fiction - is now synonymous with "miser." Yet through his remarkable transformation, the author reminds us that it is never too late to change, to free ourselves from selfish preoccupations. Dickens' biographer Peter Ackroyd and other commentators have credited the novelist with single-handedly creating the modern Christmas holiday... no, not the contemporary orgy of shopping, spending and ostentatious display. In A Christmas Carol, there are no Christmas trees, gaudy decorations or - apart from "the big prize turkey" at the end - any presents at all. The only gifts exchanged are love, friendship and goodwill. In one small book, Dickens changed the culture, inspired his contemporaries and helped restore a holiday they were eager to revive. More than a century and a half later, A Christmas Carol is still a tonic for our spirits - and an annual reminder of the benefits of friendship, charity and celebration. Good investing, Alex P.S. While I know this is a busy week for many of you, please don't forget to sign up for my special event next week: The 4X Stock Booster Summit. During our presentation, Chief Income Strategist Marc Lichtenfeld and I will reveal a simple way to potentially lock in four times more profit on all of your Oxford Club recommendations next year. Simply click here to register for free, and mark your calendar for December 29! | 
No comments:
Post a Comment