Merry Christmas!...every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding Dickens story of solitary miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taught the true meaning of Christmas by a series of ghostly visitors, has proved one of his most well-loved works. Ever since it was published in 1843 it has had an enduring influence on the way w Merry Christmas!...every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding Dickens story of solitary miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taught the true meaning of Christmas by a series of ghostly visitors, has proved one of his most well-loved works. Ever since it was published in 1843 it has had an enduring influence on the way we think about the traditions of Christmas. Dickens other Christmas writings collected here include The Story of the Goblins who Stole a Sexton, the short story from The Pickwick Papers on which A Christmas Carol was based; The Haunted Man, a tale of a man tormented by painful memories; along with shorter pieces, some drawn from the Christmas Stories that Dickens wrote annually for his weekly journals. In all of them Dickens celebrates the season as one of geniality, charity and remembrance. This new selection contains an introduction by distinguished Dickens scholar Michael Slater discussing how the author has shaped ideas about the Christmas spirit, an appendix on Dickens use of The Arabian Nights, a further reading list and explanatory notes.