A Christmas Dream And How It Came To Be True
We all know A Christmas Carol. This version for kids has a child learning the true meaning of Christmas, an obligatory ghost, and presents of course.
The Facts
Text: A Christmas Dream, And How it Came To Be True Author: Louisa May Alcott
Genre: Children's fiction, Christmas story, Victorian Year: 1908
Available: Free Here
The Fiction
If October was an excuse to do all spooky stories for Halloween, then December is easily an excuse to do Christmas stories all month long. This month I kick off the holiday themed stories with a classic...or at least a story that was inspired by a classic. Possibly the most famous Christmas fiction story in the world is Charles Dickinson's novella A Christmas Carol. That story is a little long for this blog. Luckily I discovered a story that fits the requirement of a short story, and captures the spirit of the classic.
A Christmas Dream And How It Came To Be True was written by Louisa May Alcott in 1908 an is self-admittedly inspired by A Christmas Carol. Alcott's story is a version of A Christmas Carol written for children. As such this story has a child protagonist Effie. Effie is a spoiled rich little girl who declares she is tired of Christmas. Every year she gets great presents that she soon grows bored of, there's a feast, decorations, its all so predictable and boring to her. Her mother is upset to hear this and tries to find a way to make Christmas a fun surprise for her. Effie proclaims that she is sure poor people must have more fun than the rich at Christmas since they get to stay out instead of being stuck inside and they always seem full of joy at the littlest things. While her mother tries to think of a way for her daughter to enjoy Christmas she suggests Effie reads A Christmas Carol.
Effie reads the book and likes it even if she doesn't understand everything. That night her Nurse tells her fairytales before bed. She falls asleep with A Christmas Carol, the events of her day, and these fairytales spinning around in her head. She dreams she is a poor child homeless on the streets. She realizes it is not as fun as she imagined and in the dream almost freezes to death forsaken. Then a spirit of a beautiful boy appears before her singing a song and holding a candle. The spirit, who says he is literally a Christmas Spirit, takes Effie to a Christmas world. In this world Christmas Spirits are dedicated to spreading Christmas to the world below.
This world is fantastical and Effie sees a lot of great things including a World of Dolls and most importantly she sees the Christmas Spirits give the poor children of the world gifts and joy at Christmas. She decides she wants to be like them and spread joy unselfishly.
Effie wakes up to her mother asking what she has dreamed about that made her smile. She tells her mother and Nurse about her dream and wishes something like the wonderful Christmas world she saw could be real for the poor. Her mother suddenly exclaims that she has gotten a great idea. Effie guesses that her mother plans to invite poor children to their house for Christmas Dinner and claims that wont be as splendid as her dream. Her mother denies this is her plan and only says it will be a surprise.
The next day on Christmas morning, Effie wakes up to no presents in her stocking and no spectacular feast. Still no one will tell her the surprise. After dinner she travels with Nurse to a secret place where the nurse unwraps a box with a white cloak, halo, and gold candle inside like the ghost in Effie's dream. She is dressed as a Christmas spirit. She is blindfolded and taken onto a stage, when the blindfold is removed she sees a massive hall full of Christmas trees like in her dream. A group 24 poor girls enter the hall and Effie plays the part of Christmas Spirit handing out presents and spreading joy. Once they return home she proclaims that this was the best Christmas ever and she wants to do that every year.
The Feeling
This story promises a kid friendly version of A Christmas Carol and it delivers. Effie is such a funny character. Obviously she supposed to be spoiled and has no understanding of her privilege and isn't necessarily supposed to be likable at the beginning, but she is so funny. The scene at the beginning where she laments that she is bored of Christmas and lays down on a chaise like a Victorian woman about to die of consumption is hilarious. I don't know if Alcott wanted us to find that charming, but I absolutely loved the drama of it all.
The story is full of such great imagery. When you're doing a story about children dreaming you want a sense of fantastic visuals and wonder. I love the literal Christmas Spirits and their Christmas World. The Doll-world within was especially imaginative and fun. The idea of toys coming to life or being alive in their own society is one that is popular now in the Toy Story franchise but it is so cool to see that idea reflected in fiction over a hundred years ago. There is something that just feels so modern about about that scene (minus the reference to the Black doll being in the kitchen, because really, why) the magic and premise of the scene, the idea that a child (and we as modern readers) can enjoy the magic of a village of dolls come to life seems timeless.
I like the journey that Effie goes on as a character. She starts out spoiled and not seeing the point of Christmas as a child who has never wanted for anything, and then finds purpose through the act of giving to others. This is another element to this story that will still resonate with modern readers. "The true meaning of Christmas is giving to others" is a message we've seen in lots of modern Christmas specials, but this story predates those modern Christmas movies and yet carries this theme. Clearly stories have been telling us the true meaning of Christmas for a long time.
I feel like a special shout out also has to go to Effie's mother who's a great character and mother in the story. She genuinely wants her daughter to have a good Christmas and is distressed when she hears she hates the holiday. When her daughter has her dream she goes to great lengths to plan the evennt that allows Effie to be the Christmas Spirit for the poorer girls. At the beginning of the story Effie said she should get one large present as a surprise and one small humble gift that she can use to remember someone fondly. By the end of the night Effie receives both the surprise in the event her mother planned, and a doll from one of the poor girls who was really touched by Effie. All of this because of her mother goes to such lengths to gift her daughter with a perfect Christmas surprise to make her happy.
Overall, what a fun, sweet story to start off the holiday season!
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