A Year of Blogging: February 7, 2011

Today is Charles Dickens Day. It was on this day, February 7, 199 years ago, that Mr. Dickens was born. Charles Dickens is one of my favorite authors. Or rather, he is the author of one of my favorite books, A Christmas Carol. I do not remember the first time I read A Christmas Carol. I remember reading Great Expectations in 8th or 9th grade English. I don't remember which year exactly, because I had the same English teacher both years. We read A Tale of Two Cities in 10th grade English. I was excited to read more Dickens, but it was always hard to read the stories in class. I usually got so absorbed in the book that I read ahead, and then had to wait for my classmates to catch up. Plus, discussing the book over and over again causes me to lose interest. I really need to re-read both books, I think I might view them differently if I read them for enjoyment rather than assignment. My first exposure to A Christmas Carol came in grade school. We took a field trip to the theater to see the play. Field trips were always very exciting. Those were the rare times we were allowed to have soda at school. Mom would take the cold can of soda and wrap it in aluminum foil to keep it cold. Then she put our name on a strip of masking tape and put it around the can. The teachers would collect our lunches- putting the paper bags into a box, and the drinks into a cooler. It might be the same PB&J that you always ate, but it tasted special when washed down with a Pepsi! The first time I saw the play, I was mesmerized. I fell in love with the story and the characters. I didn't want it to end. It was truly magical. It is possible that I went home and made a trip to the town library for the book. I have read the book so many times, and watched the play even more times, I know the story almost word for word. After that first time in grade school, I saw the play at least once a year through college. I know my parents got sick of the play; but for me, it became a Holiday tradition. And the story is still just as magical as it was that very first time- I get goosebumps every time.