“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.” –Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol might be the quintessential story of human redemption. For those unfamiliar with the tale, this novella was published in Victorian Britain in 1843, and tells the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miser who, after visits from the ghosts of his old business partner Jacob Marley, Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come, repents of his selfish and bitter ways. Perhaps the original Grinch of Christmas, Mr. Scrooge’s heart grows and he mends his ways. It was loved by critics and the public alike upon release and played well into the increasing interest in Christmas customs in Great Britain at the time. (Coincidentally, 1843 is reported to be the same year that the first Christmas card was sent out. But I digress.)
In December, on the grounds of the KY Renaissance Festival in Eminence, Dickens-era Christmas will come alive in the bluegrass.
Held the weekends of December 1-2 and 8-9, the 2nd annual Dickens Christmas Festival will feature scenes enacted from A Christmas Carol, Christmas Caroling and other Victorian-inspired activities. There will also be merchants available for holiday shopping and Mikaela’s Inn will be open and serving Christmas Plate Dinners for an additional cost, as well as a cash bar.
The event is for all ages and is $5.00.
I can neither confirm nor deny that there may be wassail there.
For more information, visit the KY Renaissance website.
http://www.kyrenfaire.com/2012/10/29/2012-dickens-christmas-festival/
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock/Frances A. Miller
