Dickens was a part of how the whole celebration of Christmas as we know it today emerged during the 19th century.

Everyone finds their own version of Charles Dickens. The child-victim, the irrepressibly ambitious young man, the reporter, the demonic worker, the tireless walker. The radical, the protector of orphans, helper of the needy, man of good works, the republican. The hater and the lover of America. The giver of parties, the magician, the traveler.

In 1843, everybody was hungry, unemployed, and conditions were very bad.

Claire Tomalin Quotes