Holiday Life Lessons From Ebenezer

It was on this day in 1843 that Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol was first published. The first run of 6000 copies was sold out by that Christmas Eve. I have read A Christmas Carol every year since 1982. It got me to thinking about the life lessons one can glean from the story. … Continue reading Holiday Life Lessons From Ebenezer →

Holiday History

I have a few holiday traditions that I keep up with every year. Many of those include Christmas movies or TV specials. Watching those certainly help get me in the spirit. It was on this day in history that two of my "must watch" shows first debuted. It was 61 years ago - December 6, … Continue reading Holiday History →

Friday Photo Flashback

I went looking through my junior high yearbooks this week. I had heard of the passing of a classmate who went to a different high school, but was in junior high with us. I knew the name but couldn't picture his face, so I went through the yearbook. While searching I was reminded of some … Continue reading Friday Photo Flashback →

Friday Photo Flashback

With Christmas less than a week away, I found myself looking back at old Christmas photos. In many cases, there are photos of people that are no longer with us. For the ones I remember, I can look back on the photos and smile. For the ones that I don't remember, I stare at the … Continue reading Friday Photo Flashback →

A Holiday Tradition Since 1982 (Spoilers Ahead)

“Marley was dead: to begin with” … so begins the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. It was originally titled: A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. It was published on this day (December 19) in 1843. The first edition was completely sold out by Christmas Eve (that’s less than a week!). … Continue reading A Holiday Tradition Since 1982 (Spoilers Ahead) →

Book Recommendation: Mr. Dickens and His Carol

Every year I read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Last year, I saw this book and added it to my "want to read" stack. It is a fictional telling of how Dickens came to write the book. The book intertwines facts and fiction as it tells the story. Check out the Amazon.com synopsis: A beloved, … Continue reading Book Recommendation: Mr. Dickens and His Carol →

A Classical Education

Back in December I stumbled upon an online course on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It was presented by Hillsdale College and was a free course. It consisted of 4-6 lectures and I truly enjoyed it. Recently, I finished up yet another online course from Hillsdale on the History of Classical Music. As someone who … Continue reading A Classical Education →

Book Recommendation: A Man Called Ove

With each book I read by Fredrik Backman, the more I like him. I just finished A Man Called Ove, and it was so good. I kind of held off on reading this one because I heard people say how sad it was. Were there some sad parts, yes, but life is not always happy. We all go … Continue reading Book Recommendation: A Man Called Ove →

Learning a Holiday Lesson

There is a great lesson that can be learned from the conversion of Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens' A Christmas Carol. However, there is SO much more to the story! As you know, I have been reading this story every year since 1982. You would think that after all these years, I would have learned all … Continue reading Learning a Holiday Lesson →

Thoughts on The Man Who Invented Christmas

I finally had the chance to sit and watch The Man Who Invented Christmas last night. It is based on the book of the same name and is the story of how Charles Dickens came to write the holiday classic, A Christmas Carol. If you have been a follower of this blog for a while, … Continue reading Thoughts on The Man Who Invented Christmas →