Dec 19, 1843 "A Christmas Carol", by Charles Dickens is published for the first time.

[Sequoia]

Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to.

Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

Mind! I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

Scrooge knew he was dead? Of course he did. How could it be otherwise? Scrooge and he were partners for I don't know how many years. Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, and sole mourner. And even Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event, but that he was an

http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/DicChri.html

[BOSSHOG]

1. We have that on CD

and its a marvelous listen early Christmas Morning. You can close your eyes and imagine the settings and the characters. That story never gets old.

[Sequoia]

4. I was Scrooges sister "Fan" in our school play

I never forgot my lines either. In San Francisco at the Cow Palace there is The Dickens Fair where players walk around in a London setting reciting the lines and it sure is fun to attend at least once.

http://www.dickensfair.com/

[flamingyouth]

2. One of my favorite stories.

Never fails to run the gamut of emotions. That and "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote are annual must-reads for me this time of year.

[hughee99]

3. Since then, mankind has learned our lesson...

if you want a product to sell for Christmas, you have to get it on the shelves in NOVEMBER. December 19th... what were they thinking? :shrug:

[datadiva]

5. I have this book

Bound in green velvet which has turned brown over the years. One of my favorite books. I keep it carefully wrapped and locked away. I take it out occasionally. It's not in the greatest shape but I love it anyway. It gets me in the Christmas spirit at any rate. :)

[jgraz]

6. Who was the Reagan thug who said Scrooge wasn't so bad?

Was it Meese? Anybody remember?

[TechBear_Seattle]

7. Patrick Stewart as Scrooge

The version of "A Christmas Carol" done by A&E a few years ago. Most know Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but he was an acclaimed trained Shakespearean actor long before he was cast for ST:TNG. Definitely my favorite production of the story.