Rhode Island tourism offers you a chance to step back in time with a visit to the Museum of Newport History. Here you will have a chance to actually understand how dedicated people made a huge difference in preserving the past. From 1854 to the present day people have cared for, collected and treasured those items of the past so that the new generations will have the opportunity to see the valuable treasures of this region.

Tours are offered to show you the Museum and the surrounding area. The opportunity to hear the stories and see the buildings that have influenced so many is truly a great experience. The original museum is still standing and is attached to the “new” museum with a slate roof, brick veneer and steel shutters used to preserve it from weather and fire for years to come.

There, sitting at the foot of Washington Square is the Museum of Newport History. Step back in time and wander through the outstanding facility. Listen to the stories, visualize what life was like, read some of the material and enjoy the experience. You will be glad you took the time to plan this as part of your Rhode Island tourism adventure.

A Christmas Carol, or originally known as A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, is a Victorian morality novel written by author Charles Dickens (February 7, 1812- June 9, 1870) and published in the December of 1843 by Chapman and Hall of the United Kingdom.

The novel got off to a fantastic start, selling over 6,000 copies in one week, a large amount for that time. Ironically, Dickens only wrote the book to pay off a debt, and today it is one of the best selling Christmas books of all time.

The driving force for Dickens’s creation was his disenchantment with the world’s economic drives and greed. He believed that the problems with the world were caused by an obsession with money and climbing the social ladder. He made his feelings very clear in A Christmas Carol with themes focused on teaching a lesson.

Themes

On the outside, the novel A Christmas Carol seems to be a commentary on how greed is bad. On a closer look the book delves into many social and political aspects of the human condition. For instance, old Scrooge symbolizes “the man” who takes from the poor, without caring for their condition. By the end of the story Scrooge realizes his folly and gives more generously to the needy.

Many of the characters and places stand for things found in society, such as Ebenezer Scrooge stands for the greed of humanity, The Counting House stands for the time’s lust and greed and Utilitarianism.

Interesting Facts

A Christmas Carol became Dickens’s first ever public reading. It was held at the Birmingham Town Hall for the Industrial and Literary Institute, December 17, 1852. He continued public readings of A Christmas Carol until his death. Dickens intended the work to have a musical theme. For instance, the title, of course, is A Christmas Carol and the chapters are called staves instead of chapters.

In Hood’s Magazine and Comic Review (1884), the poet Thomas Hood said about the story, “If Christmas, with its ancient and hospitable customs, its social and charitable observances, were in danger of decay, this is the book that would give them a new lease.” And so it did. When the story was written, many people had stopped celebrating Christmas as much. After the books release, the holiday became popular once more. A Christmas Carol has been made into movies starting in 1908, plays, operas, radio shows, and television specials.

The History of Christmas around the World

Christmas is one of the biggest holidays of the year and is celebrated around the world with a variety of traditions and folklore. But when did the history of Christmas begin? Every culture has its own history of Christmas that signifies the beginning of the holiday in various countries. Even the United States has its own rich history of Christmas, which originated much later than many of the older countries of the world. However, the very first Christmas was celebrated in a town called Bethlehem, more than 2000 years ago, and this is the history of Christmas that most people are familiar with.

How the History of Christmas Began

The history of Christmas begins with the Roman Catholic Church in celebrating the birth of the Christ child. Eventually the holiday of Christmas was celebrated by others as well, and other stories and folklore came into play with the history of Christmas and the traditions that go along with it. As each country and culture hopped on the Christmas bandwagon, they all brought with them many traditions and rituals that were unique to their own cultures. All of these aspects of the history of Christmas have come together in a sort of melting pot that makes up our Christmas holiday of today.

The History of Christmas in the United States

The United States was one of the last places to adopt the Christmas holidays, but this country has done much in a short period of time to create a rich history of the holiday within its boundaries as well. American Sunday schools began to hold Christmas parties in the first half of the nineteenth century, and the rituals of Christmas trees, gift giving and Santa Clause were very much a part of the culture by the late 1800’s. In 1836, Alabama was the first state in the country to make Christmas a legal holiday. Washington D.C. followed suit in 1870, and by 1893 every state and territory had done the same.

 Although some complain that Christmas has become a highly commercialized holiday, which has stripped some of the original meaning of the history of Christmas away, most still recognize this day as the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Churches see a rise in attendance during the Christmas holiday season, and many families place crèches and nativity scenes in their home to commemorate the first Christmas. For believers in the Christian faith, the history of Christmas signifies one of the holiest times of the year, when a Messiah was born to bring salvation to the world.