Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...

vicfangirlguide:

In the early part of the 19th century Christmas was almost forgotten in England and was dismissed as an old-fashioned holiday. Between 1790 and 1835 the Times newspaper made no mention of it. This attitude dramatically changed in 1843 when Charles Dickens’ novel ‘A Christmas Carol’ was published. It took him 2 months to write the work and it became an instant success selling out within a week. Dickens’ story helped to rekindle public interest in Christmas and sparked the reinvention of many its traditions. His influence on the holiday is made clear by the remark a young girl made on his death in 1870: “Does this mean that Father Christmas is dead?”