Christmas 2017 "A Christmas Carol"

The Christmas Carol

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Page Created December 16th 2017 - Last Updated: 01/01/2024 20:15:PM

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Every year for the past 30 years, we have gone to see "A Christmas Carol" at Southcoast Repertory Theater. Since we have had grandkids, we have brought them (and their parents) along because it is a wonderful Christmas story!

 

 

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843; the first edition was illustrated by John Leech. A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. After their visits Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.

Published on 19 December, the first edition sold out by Christmas Eve; by the end of 1844 thirteen editions had been released. Most critics reviewed the novella positively. The story was illicitly copied in January 1844; Dickens took action against the publishers, who went bankrupt, reducing further Dickens's small profits from the publication. He went on to write four other Christmas stories in subsequent years. In 1849 he began public readings of the story which proved so successful he undertook 127 further performances until 1870, the year of his death.

Did You Know? - Charles Dickens was born to a respectable family which got into financial difficulties as a result of the spendthrift nature of John, Dickens's father. In 1824 John was committed to Marshalsea, a debtors' prison in Southwark, London. Dickens, aged 12, was forced to pawn his collection of books, leave school and go to work at a shoe-blacking factory, a dirty and rat-infested place. The change in Dickens's circumstances gave him what his biographer, Michael Slater, described as a "deep personal and social outrage", which heavily influenced his works.

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Brian has his new Christmas shirt...

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Chuck and Lisa were first to arrive!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Mrs. Claus is already having a good time!

Did You Know? - Early in 1843, as a response to a government report on the abuse of child laborers in mines and factories, Dickens vowed he would strike a “sledge-hammer blow . . . on behalf of the Poor Man’s Child.” That sledge-hammer was A Christmas Carol.

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Alex told us that "Charlie is drawing flies"

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Mr. Personality!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Checkout the size of that pencil!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Miss Amy... Always a smile!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017 Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017 Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Did You Know? - The Cratchit family is based on Dickens’ childhood home life. He lived in poor circumstances in a “two up two down” four roomed house which he shared with his parents and five siblings. Like Peter Cratchit, young Charles, the eldest boy, was often sent to pawn the family’s goods when money was tight. Like many poor families the Cratchit’s had nothing in which to roast meat. They relied on the ovens of their local baker which were available on Sundays and Christmas when the bakery was closed.

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Did You Know? - A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843. Initially six thousand copies of the book were printed. More copies were ordered after the first printing was sold in only five days.

 

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Theo and Nick... An Awesome combination!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Decisions decisions

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
One very proud parent!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
You have been "photo bombed" by Theo!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
"No smooches Mom... I'm a big guy now!"

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Speech!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Greg is taking notes!

Did You Know? - A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843. Initially six thousand copies of the book were printed. More copies were ordered after the first printing was sold in only five days.

 

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Love the family get together!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Contemplation in action!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Must think about it!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
He has a decision

Did You Know? - On June 9, 1870, Dickens had a stroke and, at age 58, died at Gad's Hill Place, his country home in Kent, England. He was buried in Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey, with thousands of mourners gathering at the beloved author's gravesite.

 

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Did You Know? - Charles Dickens and Catherine Hogarth married in 1836, when he was 24 and she was 21. From then until the time of their divorce 20 years later, Catherine got pregnant at least a dozen times, had at least two miscarriages and gave birth to 10 children.

 

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Mom makes sure the boys got their meal!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Amy is our "Flatbreadologist"

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Oops... Franklyn is also a flatbreadologist!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017 Joe tries the Ahi Tuna Tartare which is handline tuna, wasabi-avocado mousse, tropical salsa (480 cal)

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
(of fish) served raw, typically seasoned and shaped into small cakes.

Did You Know? - Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, at Portsea (later part of Portsmouth) on the southern coast of England, to John and Elizabeth Dickens. Charles was the second born of eight children. His father was a pay clerk in the navy office.

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Joseph

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Amy

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Did You Know? - In his late teens, Dickens became a reporter and started publishing humorous short stories when he was 21. In 1836, a collection of his stories, Sketches by Boz, later known as The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, was published. The same year, he married Catherine Hogarth, with whom he would have nine children. The short sketches in his collection were originally commissioned as captions for humorous drawings by caricature artist Robert Seymour, but Dickens’ whimsical stories about the kindly Samuel Pickwick and his fellow club members soon became popular in their own right. Only 400 copies were printed of the first installment, but by the 15th episode 40,000 copies were printed. When the stories were published in book form in 1837, Dickens quickly became the most popular author of the day.

 

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Paul gets all the desserts!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
He will need an oxygen bottle to put out this flame!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Joe captures the moment

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Time to sing "Happy Birthday"

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Ol' Windy blows the flame out easily!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
More decisions...

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Getting ready to head for the theater...

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Over the teeth and through the gums...
Lookout tonsils here it comes!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Good lookin' guy... Gets it from his Dad!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Still looking good!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Surrounded!

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
Ghost Of Christmas Present

Seeing A Christmas Carfol at Southcoast Reperatory with Family 12/16/2017
The cast takes a bow... Well deserved!

A Christmas Tradition Explained:

When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.

Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.

Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.

Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum.

When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drunk all the cider and hidden the liquor.. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor.He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.

Just then the doorbell rang, and an irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.

The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'

And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

Not a lot of people know this.