THE STORIES OF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON

Historian Lucy Worsley explains the charming stories behind Scrooges

It was originally a pagan celebration of the passing of the darkest time of the year. The idea of it being Christ’s birthday (literally, a ‘mass for Christ’) was a clever takeover bid by early churchmen, piggy-backing on this popular occasion for a party.

This week it’s all about the festive Scrooge... Hate Christmas?

If so, you belong to a long and noble tradition. In Britain, there’s long been suspicion about the rigmarole of Christmas. It was originally a pagan celebration of the passing of the darkest time of the year. The idea of it being Christ’s birthday (literally, a ‘mass for Christ’) was a clever takeover bid by early churchmen, piggy-backing on this popular occasion for a party.

When the Puritans came to power, they banned Christmas altogether, forcing shops to stay open and punishing anyone caught celebrating.

This spirit survived into the 18th century: ‘Much harried by the Poor of the Parish who come for Christmas Gifts’, wrote real-life Georgian Scrooge, the Reverend William Holland.

It’s really thanks to Charles Dickens that Christmas became the popular festival it is today - and, in particular, his 1843 novel,A Christmas Carol. It made a household name of Scrooge,the reformed Christmas-hater, and showed charity and celebration triumphing over meanness.

(DAILY MAIL)