The Man of the Season
For many, it's impossible to imagine Christmas without popular Victorian author Charles Dickens. 'Dickens and Christmas' explores the writer's relationship with the season, the changing culture that influenced him, and how he himself became an integral part of a traditional Christmas thanks to his annual stories of redemption. Structured around the life of the author, 'Dickens and Christmas' reveals how Christmas evolved between his birth in 1812 and his death in 1870. During this time, celebrations shifted from Twelfth Night to Christmas Day, and many familiar features were established or invented, such as the Christmas tree, crackers and seasonal cards. In 1843, enraged by the poverty and child exploitation he saw across the country, Dickens poured his fury into his most enduring novella, 'A Christmas Carol', accidentally pioneering a new genre and establishing himself as the man who invented the Victorian Christmas. From then on, Dickens was under pressure to keep Christmas well, and his adoring public insisted upon a new tale every year, often making it a source of stress rather than celebration. 'Dickens and Christmas' is an interesting insight into both the evolution of our celebrations and the writer most often associated with them.
Facts, Facts Facts!
'Dickens and Christmas' is absolutely packed with anecdotes and trivia. I really enjoyed learning more about how Christmas changed over the 19th century and how Dickens became part of the seasonal myth. There are tidbits about everything from frost fairs to Father Christmas, festive foodstuffs to public holidays, home-made theatricals to shop-bought gifts. On a more personal level, we get an overview of the key moments in Dickens' professional and family life, including his marriage and children, mental health and adultery, and, of course, his love of Christmas, driven in part by his first-born son's birthday on 6th January (Twelfth Night). I knew a little about his life beforehand, but still learned more than I expected.
My two favourite pieces of trivia are that six out of his eight first Christmases were white due to snow or hard frost, which is where we get the enduring image of what festive weather should look like, and that in 1860 it was so cold that Dickens' beard froze while he was out walking! Brr!
Christmas Books
'Dickens and Christmas' also provides an excellent summary of both the author's five Christmas Books ('A Christmas Carol' (1843), 'The Chimes (1844), The Cricket on the Hearth (1845), 'The Battle for Life' (1846) and 'The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain' (1848).) and other short stories that he wrote for December editions of his magazines, Household Words and All the Year Round, starting with 'A Christmas Tree' in 1850. Many stories portrayed the moral and redemptive spirit of Christmas, something which we continue to see reflected in seasonal news stories, Christmas films and modern TV specials, which are often as eagerly anticipated as Dickens' work was nearly 200 years ago.
Overall
'Dickens and Christmas' would make an excellent stocking filler for any Christmas, social history or Dickens fan. It's brim-full of fascinating trivia and anecdotes which will make you the star of any Christmas-themed quiz. Hawkesley does an excellent job of cramming the book full of tasty morsels without ever losing sight of the main theme - a challenge when writing about such an interesting man and a rapidly changing era! I learned a lot and can see how Dickens became so associated with the festive season that when he died a young market girl was reported to have asked "Then will Father Christmas die too?" Says it all really.
Now, what next...?
This review is based on an electronic proof copy of 'Dickens and Christmas' by Lucinda Hawksley provided by publishers Pen & Sword. It was first published in 2017. Thank you to the publishers for supplying the cover image used above. Merry Christmas and God Bless Us Every One!
