We’re halfway through our theme week on 5 People Who Shaped Christmas! Today we’re talking about Charles Dickens and his story A Christmas Carol, first published in 1843. This wasn’t his first Christmas story, but Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol to respond to British social attitudes toward poverty, particularly child poverty. The story was inspired by Dickens’ trip to witness the appalling conditions of manufacturing workers and his visit to a school set up to educate London’s street children. A Christmas Carol was written at a time when the British were exploring and re-evaluating past Christmas traditions like caroling, and newer traditions like sending Christmas cards and decorating Christmas trees. At the time, Christmas was associated with the countryside and peasant celebrations, but Dickens shows that the holiday could be celebrated in more urban areas despite increasing modernization. While the phrase “Merry Christmas” had been around for many years, Dickens use of it in A Christmas Carol popularized it among the Victorian public. He also popularized the idea of having a “white Christmas”, inspired by wintry memories from his childhood. Dickens advocated for a more humanitarian focus of the holiday, promoting it as family-centered and filled with generosity. After the book was published, there was a rise in charitable giving in Britain, which many attributed to the way A Christmas Carol made people feel. Learn more in the audio below!