Arguably Dickens’ most famous work, “A Christmas Carol” packs a stunning archetypal power – a relatability without expiration date – that transcends culture and time. Its heavyweight power to charm, chill, and awe has made it one of the most adapted pieces of literature: in over 200 films, audio dramas, and stage plays, a dozen unique musicals, countless cartoons, four operas, three ballets, and plenty of cheeky commercials. What is it about Scrooge’s cathartic redemption tha

Christmas Eve All day long on the twenty-fourth of December the children of Dr. Stahlbaum the public health officer were expressly forbidden to enter the drawing room, let alone the adjoining stateroom. Marie and Fritz sat cowering in a corner of the parlor at the back of the house; the gloom of late dusk had already set in, and they were genuinely terrified in the utter absence of the light customarily afforded by the diurnal hours. In a whisper betokening the strictest secr

Dickens is widely renowned in popular culture as a writer of grade-A ghost stories. “Could you name some?” a person – not particularly given to the ghostly – might ask of a supernatural aficionado such as yourself. “Well, A Christmas Carol,” you are bound to say. You will likely be quick at mentioning “The Signal-Man,” and perhaps “To Be Taken With a Grain of Salt.” But that might (perhaps, I say, just perhaps) be where you stop. Here is a list of Dickens’ seven best ghost st

"There'll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.." Or so the carol tells us. To most Americans, this snippet from the Andy Williams classic has remained an anachronistic -- even disturbing -- oddity. Who tells scary stories at Christmas? That's Halloween, right? But for centuries -- especially in Britain -- they have been part and parcel of the Season (though the oral tradition of spending windy, winter nights listening to grandma's gor