Results Publisher "Spoken Realms" in Holidays

A Christmas Carol in Prose: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas by Charles Dickens. From the author's preface: "I have endeavored in this ghostly little book to raise the ghost of an idea, which shall not put any readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly." First published in December 1843, the story has been in continuous print ever since. A true treasure that never grows old.

Whether Christmas is a time of unbridled joy, a season of past reflections, or an ordeal to be endured until the return to normalcy after the New Year, its impact is pervasive in most of our lives. Everyone's feelings are super sensitized, every emotion is heightened. The happy become giddy, the sad become despondent, the lonely become lonelier – unless, yes unless – the magic of Christmas has its way. So it is for the characters in these stories.

With the unforgettable opening words “Marley was dead, to begin with...” Charles Dickens kindled not just the modern celebration of the Yuletide but also rekindled the tradition of gathering ‘round the fire on Christmas Eve to tell ghost stories. Here are a few of my favorites - some light, some somber, some extra scary, beginning with a solo adaptation of A Christmas Carol.