Starburst

 

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was published on this day in 1843. It had taken only six weeks to complete. Dickens began writing it in the middle of October and finished at the end of November – barely in time to be printed by Christmas week. Dickens’ characters were often copies of people he knew. He named Scrooge’s beloved sister after his own dear sibling, Fanny. Tiny Tim was based on Charles’ nephew, Harry, who died of tuberculosis at age nine. Dickens was the first famous author to give public readings of his work, and A Christmas Carol was his first reading. It was also his last. Dickens earned more from reading A Christmas Carol than from its royalties. I’ve shared several quotes from A Christmas Carol here, but the one that keeps running through my head today is: “Every traveler has a home of his own, and he learns to appreciate it the more from his wandering.”