The Literature Network - God bless us, every one Yule logs, shining cheeks, fat Santas; the charitable soul, open hearts and good cheer - you could be forgiven for thinking that Charles Dickens invented the modern Christmas. Humbug, says DJ Taylor, he did nothing of the sort. But

God bless us, every one Yule logs, shining cheeks, fat Santas; the charitable soul, open hearts and good cheer - you could be forgiven for thinking that Charles Dickens invented the modern Christmas. Humbug, says DJ Taylor, he did nothing of the sort. But

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From: The Independent on Sunday
Date: 20031221
Author:DJ Taylor

Three days hence, on Christmas Eve - a crystal-clear morning, no doubt, with a fine powdering of hoar frost - I shall indulge myself in the age-old Yuletide ritual. Clad in my stoutest top-boots, and with a cockade of holly berries in the brim of my hat, I shall stride smartly past the banks of fir trees and their attendant robins down to Norwich market (was there ever such a market?), there to treat with red-faced old Mr Smiler the poulterer for the largest turkey that ever shiny golden sovereigns bought. Pausing only to fling silver sixpences at the deserving street urchins who cluster ...

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God bless us, every one Yule logs, shining cheeks, fat Santas; the charitable soul, open hearts and good cheer - you could be forgiven for thinking that Charles Dickens invented the modern Christmas. Humbug, says DJ Taylor, he did nothing of the sort. But

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