Podcasts about man who invented christmas

The 2017 film The Man Who Invented Christmas, starring human treasure Dan Stevens as Charles Dickens, is a lovely bit of an anachronistic historical revisionism (though, to be fair, it gets a number of things right both in fact and in, pardon the pun, spirit). But it also perpetuates an increasingly popular myth - that Charles Dickens...well...invented Christmas. At least, that is, Christmas as we think of it today. There are a lot of reasons why this seems true, and, yes, Dicken's A Christmas Carol played an enormous role in a Victorian revival and redefining of Christmas - but that revival was happening with him or without him. So we decided to take a closer look at Victorian society in the 1940s and exam how religious - or not - Dickens and A Christmas Carol actually were. Kelly and John invited Victorianist Kristen Hanley Cardozo to share some of her expertise and talk about spirits, Scrooges, and the real reasons for the season.

In this week's episode, I take a look back at my writing goals for 2024 and see how many I met, and look ahead to my writing goals for 2025. 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates   Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 232 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is December the 20th, 2024 and today we're looking back to see if I met my writing goals for 2024 and looking ahead to see what my writing goals will be in 2025. This will also be the last episode of 2024 so I can take a few days off for Christmas and New Year's, so tune back in 2025 for some more exciting episodes.   In the meantime, we'll start with an update on my current writing projects and then do Question of the Week. My main project right now is Shield of Deception, the fourth book in the Shield War series. I am at 33,000 words into it as of this recording, which if my math is right means I'm about 24% of the way through the rough draft. I'm hoping that will come out in January, but there's good chance it will slip to February because I'm think it's going to be pretty long. My secondary project right now is Ghost in the Assembly and I am 2,000 words into that and I'm hoping to have that out in February, but if Shield of Deception slips to February, then it'll probably be out in March.   In audio news, recording for Cloak of Masks, the eighth Cloak Mage book, is nearly done and I expect to have some files to proof for that before much longer. That will be narrated by Hollis McCarthy. Leanne Woodward has started working on the audiobook version of Orc Hoard, so both of those should be coming along shortly in 2025. So that's where I'm at with my current writing and audiobook projects.   00:01:34 Question of the Week   And now let's move on to Question of the Week. Question of the Week is designed to inspire enjoyable discussions of interesting topics. This week's question: what is your favorite movie or TV version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens? No wrong answers, obviously. The inspiration for this question was I was scrolling through movies on various streaming services and of course this time of year you can watch a billion different versions of A Christmas Carol.   Todd says: my personal favorite of A Christmas Carol is from 1971. This animated classic had the original Scrooge and Marley actors voice the respective characters. Another Christmas television program would also have to be Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas. It's got Frank Oz!   I have to admit, I have never heard of Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas before this comment.   Justin says: I would have to say the 1951 version with Alastair Sim, although the Muppets are a close second.   Bonnie says: This is one of my hubby's favorite Christmas traditions. Unsure of how many different versions we have. His two are American Christmas Carol with Henry Winkler and the George C. Scott one. I like the Albert Finney musical version and the Alastair Sim one. Paul says: Yes, sentimental favorite is the George C. Scott version from 1984. I like the version with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge as well. We'll watch many versions through the season if I see them on. The Muppet version is great as well. Not a fan of the Jim Carey cartoon version. It is okay, but prefer the first three mentioned.   Andrew says: The Muppet version is the best.   Randy says: Another vote for Kermit here! “Light the lamp, not the rat!”   Jenny says:  OMG Yes, the Muppet's version!   Jeremiah says: Alastair Sim version for classic and modern, the Patrick Stewart version.   Catriona says: The Muppets- just iconic!   Gary says: The Muppets.   Tom says: Yes, A Muppet's Christmas Carol, nothing else comes close.   Becca says: Muppets   Tracy says: I like the one with Patrick Stewart.   For myself, I pretty much closely agree with the commenters here. I think my sentimental favorite is the George C. Scott version from 1984, since that's the one I used to watch when I was younger. Rewatching it as an adult, it's impressive how Scott doesn't even attempt a British accent. It's actually rather surprising that his version of Scrooge is actually pretty funny, with a dry wit.   That said, as many of the commentators here already said, I think the best overall best version of A Christmas Carol is Muppet Christmas Carol from 1992. It works because Michael Caine plays it stone dead serious even when he is sharing the screen with a bunch of Muppets. Caine famously said that he played against the Muppets like he was playing against the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the contrast with Caine's serious performance against the silliness of the Muppets creates a sort of alchemy that works really well. Also, The Man Who Invented Christmas from 2017, a highly fictionalized version of Charles Dickens writing a Christmas Carol, is definitely worth watching even though it takes a few, well, more than a few creative liberties with the facts.   So that is it for Question of the Week this week.   00:04:26 Writing Goals 2024/2025   Now let's look back at my writing goals for 2024, see if I was able to meet them or not, and then look ahead to my writing goals for this coming year of 2025. First of all, I would like to very much thank everyone who bought one of my books or audiobooks this year. I am glad you enjoyed them. I would also like to thank the narrators I worked with this year, C.J. McCallister, Hollis McCarthy, Brad Wills, and Leanne Woodward, who actually did the work of creating amazing audiobooks. Additionally, I would also like to thank my podcast transcriptionist, my Excel bookkeeper, and my audiobook proof listener (all three of whom wished to remain anonymous), who really helped out and took a lot of work off my plate this year so I could focus on writing. 2024 for me on a personal level was a pretty good year. However, I admit it was a rough year for book sales. I was down about 12% overall. This came from two causes. One, a significant portion of the book reading American public disappeared into doomscrolling their news and social media apps from July to about November. Two, I scattered my attention too much across too many series. I think in 2025, I'm going to focus up and do an Andomhaim book every other month like I did from oh, 2013 to 2023 or so. But all that is to come. Let's first look back and see if I met 2024's writing goals.   #1: Write as many words as possible while trying to hit 1 million new words. I did it! I am very pleased to report that I published 1 million words of new fiction in 2024, for the first time since 2020. In 2021, I only published 971,000 words. I figured I had slipped and would get to it the next year. In 2022, however, I only published 814,000 words. This happened due to a combination of a lot of travel and various real-life stresses. In 2023, I published 935,000 words, a significant improvement over the previous year, but I had COVID twice pretty close together in the early spring/summer of that year and that really messed me up for a couple months.   But in 2024 (as of Orc-Hoard), I published 1,490,000 new words of fiction for the year. My ten 10,000 word days for 2024 probably helped with that a great deal. I am very happy about this since I tried to hit a million words in 2021, 2022, and 2023 but just couldn't quite get there. So it is very satisfying (after four years of not quite making it) to have finally published a million words of new fiction in 2024. Naturally, I hope to repeat this feat in 2025, but more on that in a little bit.   #2: Start The Shield War. I did that as well, publishing Shield of Storms, Shield of Darkness, and Shield of Conquest all in 2024, and they're even all in audiobook (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills).   #3: Continue Cloak Mage. I did that as well with Cloak of Titans and Cloak of Illusion. Both books were interesting challenges to write, since Titans burned up a lot of the ongoing subplots for the series. No spoilers. Cloak of Illusion had to work with a new game board, so to speak since so much had changed in the previous book.   #4: Continue Ghost Armor. I did that as well with Ghosts in the Veils and Ghost in the Tombs and both of them are in audiobook (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy). #5: Continue Half-Elven Thief. I was able to do that as well with Wizard Thief, Half-Orc Paladin, and Orc-Hoard. Half-Elven Thief, Wizard Thief, and Half-Orc Paladin are in audiobook, as excellently narrated by Leanne Woodward.   #6: Continue Sevenfold Sword Online. Around June, I renamed this series to Stealth and Spells Online since so many people were getting confused with Sevenfold Sword. I did release Stealth and Spells Online: Leveling in February. Both books in the series are in audio, as excellently narrated by C.J. McAllister.   #7: New audiobooks for new books. There's only so much time, energy, and especially budget for audiobooks, so I decided that I was only going to do audiobooks in new series going forward rather than trying to have old books recorded. I think this worked out pretty well, all told, because 2024 will be the best year so far for my self-published audiobooks. We did end up recording some of the older Cloak Mage audiobooks because I promised Hollis McCarthy a recording spot in April for Ghost in the Veils, but I just couldn't finish that book in time. So we did Cloak Mage #7 instead, with #8 and #9 to come in 2025.   So I'm pleased I met all my writing goals for 2024. As might have guessed, I'm especially pleased about the million words, since I had been trying to reach that in a year for the last four years and we finally managed to do it in 2024. Very satisfying, lemme tell you.   Now let's look ahead to my writing goals for 2025. Here is what I would like to do, in order of priority.   #1: Write as many words as possible, hopefully hitting 1 million words of new fiction. As I mentioned above, it was enormously satisfying to hit a million new words in a year after failing to do so since 2020. So I would like to do that again if possible, though of course circumstances may be out of my control. Regardless, I definitely want to write as much as possible in 2025.   #2: Finish The Shield War. I am exactly halfway through The Shield War, which as I mentioned earlier in the show, puts me on book four of six. I am planning to write a Shield War book every other month in 2025 until the series is complete.   #3: Finish Ghost Armor. I'm also exactly halfway through the Ghost Armor series, which puts me on book four of six. Like with Shield War, I'm planning to write a Ghost Armor book every other month until the series is complete.   #4: Continue Cloak Mage. Once The Shield War and Ghost Armor are complete, I plan to continue Cloak Mage, though I will probably start Cloak of Worlds a little earlier as a secondary project. I was originally planning for 15 books in Cloak Mage, but I realized I have way too much story to fit into the remaining three books. So it's going to be 18 in total (not 15), with a suitably epic conclusion once I get to the 18th and final book.   #5: Continue Half-Elven Thief. I also want to continue Half-Elven Thief because of the three new things I've tried in the last four years, this one has worked the best. I had originally planned for six books, but as with Cloak Mage, there's too much story to fit in six, so it's going to be nine instead.   #6: Conclude Stealth and Spells Online. As of this recording, I am 29,000 words into Stealth and Spells Online: Reactant, which will be the third and very definitely final book in the series (or trilogy, technically, since it's only three). I would very much like to thank everyone who read the first two books or listened to the first two audiobooks.   Stealth and Spells Online, I admit, didn't perform as well as I had hoped. I was just crunching some numbers to get ready for tax time, which means also looking at my bestselling books of 2024. I have published 158 novels, but my top 10 in any given year are usually books I published in that year. My top five bestselling books in 2024 (unless something drastically changes in the next 10 days) are Shield of Storms, Shield of Darkness, Cloak of Titans, Shield of Conquest, and Ghost in the Veils. All five of them came out in 2024, so that's not a big surprise.   Stealth and Spells Online: Leveling came out in February, 2024, so logically you would expect it to be in the top 10. Nope. Top 20? Still nope. Top 30? Got to keep going. It was the 41st bestselling book of 2024. It came out in February, which means it had abundant chances to place in the top 10, but sadly it did not. The Dragonskull and Sevenfold Sword series, both of which have been done for a while, both outsold Stealth and Spells Online: Leveling by a significant margin.   I think the problem is that I wanted to write a LitRPG book, but what I ended up with was a high concept science fiction espionage thriller with some LitRPG elements to it. Maybe I should have written it so the protagonist Noah Carver had a harem of anime monster girls or something. That always seems to be popular in LitRPG. The initial confusion with Sevenfold Sword probably didn't help matters, either. I honestly thought about abandoning the series, but if I left it unfinished, it would nag at me forever like a permanent pebble in my shoe. So I've been working on the third book as a secondary project and will hopefully publish it around this summer or so. It will wrap up the story with no unfinished threads while hopefully providing a satisfactory ending to the readers. That will be the definitive end of my foray into the world of LitRPG, then it will be time to turn to my next focus.   #7: A new epic fantasy series in the Andomhaim setting. I will start on this after The Shield War is done and it will be my main focus for a while, with books coming ideally every other month. I'm still working on the concept, but all I'll say so far is that we'll be set in Owyllain, which we haven't visited in any depth since Sevenfold Sword finished back in 2019. Even back in Sevenfold Sword, we didn't really see all that much of Owyllain, mainly the cities Aenesium and Trojas. So there's a lot of potential for story ideas there.   #8: My eighth and final goal for 2025: new audiobooks as time, budget, and narrator availability allow. My self-published audiobooks did a bit better in 2024 than they did in 2023, so I think I'm going to continue with focusing on new releases rather than trying to bring older series into audio. I would like to do as many new releases in audio as possible, though of course this depends on budget, narrator availability, and a few other factors.   So those are my writing goals for 2025. Hopefully I shall have some excellent new books for you very soon, though there's always a quote from the Book of James that I like to remember when I'm making long-term plans: “Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”   So if the Lord wills it, that is what I'm hoping to do in 2025.   So that is it for this week and indeed for 2024. I'd just like to take a moment to thank everyone who has listened to the podcast this year. I hope you have found it enjoyable and at times a profitable experience to do so. And also once again, I'd like to thank my podcast transcriptionist. Without her help, the podcast would not have its own dedicated website and there would definitely not be transcripts for the podcast.   So thanks for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes on https://thepulpwritershow.com, often with transcripts (added note: transcriptions are available for Episode 140 onward). If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next year and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Taylor, Anthony, and Nick wrap up their Holiday Trilogy with some perfect movies for Christmas (well, two actual Christmas movies and one that has a Christmas scene in it): First up, Nick recommends The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017), a fictionalized origin story of how Charles Dickens was inspired to write his classic story, A Christmas Carol. Then, Taylor recommends one of his favorite adaptations of that classic Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol (1999). This TV movie stars Patrick Stewart as Scrooge, Richard E. Grant as Bob Cratchit, and Joel Grey as the Ghost of Christmas Past. Finally, Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) is NOT a Christmas movie (though it was released on Christmas Day 2003). But Anthony insists that he watches it every December to get himself in the Yuletide season. Taylor insists that Anthony chose this movie just to irritate him. You be the judge!Listen in for more on these movies and several bonus recommendations! __________Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, WriterNick Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Editor Anthony Graziani…Correspondent Megan Zaccario…Holiday Trilogy Announcer 

Outlaw Radio Show

Episode 168 - A Christmas Carol What caused the miser, Scrooge, to choose his path? Was it his absence from home or his father's wrath? He chose his master passion, Gain- over his intended, Belle,  She released him with a heart full of love for the man she once knew so well. He grew self-absorbed, uncaring, and oh so tight, He might never have changed without his visitors each night. The ghost of Christmas Past taught a reluctant Scrooge a thing or two, To the  second shade  he was much more open to learning something new.  “Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all and infinitely more.” This little book hits everyone at their core. Thank you for sharing your day with Sheila and Kate and Dickens too, We wish a very Merry Christmas to each one of you! The Man Who Invented Christmas is the movie whose title escaped us, https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B077MFZMB3/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

This week we're talking about the shows and films we've been re-watching like Downton Abbey, Outlander and The Man Who Invented Christmas.

Welcome to Steam Powered Movies! The movie podcast hosted by Dana & Mike Fraedrich where we watch steampunk films and then talk about them. For this year's holiday episode we watched the 2017 movie based on a true story about a fictional story "The Man Who Invented Christmas" starring Dan Stevens. It's a book, it's been a play, it's been several movies, it's been Muppet-ed, and now it's a film within a film! Join us as we discuss this timeless classic tale from a fresh perspective. If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review! Join the Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/7St3aZ2cxS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ On Twitter (X) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SteamPoweredPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ On Bluesky @steampoweredmovies.bsky.social Instagram & Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SteamPoweredMovies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.SteamPoweredMovies.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For more info on Dana's books & events visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.WordsByDana.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Theme music by Mike Fraedrich (c) 2022 Produced by Mike Fraedrich

The journey that led to Charles Dickens' creation of "A Christmas Carol," a timeless tale that would redefine Christmas. Watch on Philo! - Philo.tv/DTH

This year we accidentally made a very good choice of what to cover for our holiday episode. It began with wanting to discuss A Muppets Christmas Carol which then evolved into wanting to discuss the other adaptations and retellings of the Christmas classic which then led to a Dickensian feat. It's going to include Madelaine Turner's EXCELLENT research on Charles Dicken's life and Rebecca's subpar knowledge on the topic after watching The Man Who Invented Christmas (an eventual BBC classic). We also watched and will be discussing Ghosts of Girlfriends Past as *gasp* maybe the best adaptation of them all???t) We also watched A Barbie Christmas Carol, It's A Wonderful Life, A Holly Dolly Christmas, Mickey's Christmas Carol, Scrooged, to prep for the episode. That's a lot. We are experts. God bless us, everyone! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this episode is the Edinburgh Perrier and Royal Television Society Award-winning actor and writer, Justin Edwards. Star of The Thick Of It, as Ben Swain MP, along with The Trip, The News Quiz, The Man Who Invented Christmas, The Death of Stalin, Paddington, Thor, Wonka, Empire of Light, Yesterday, or Sorry I've Got No Head to name just a few. On being directed by Sam Mendes on Broadway, improvising with Armando Iannucci, comedy sketch writing, and so much more. Recorded at The National Theatre, London, in October 2023.

Welcome, readers. We are so excited to continue this new content from the creators of Currently Reading Podcast! This spin-off podcast series will tackle book to screen adaptations in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you've read the book and watched the film version before listening to the episode, because we don't shy away from strong opinions OR from all the spoilers, unlike our regular episodes. Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped, but will still include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode. These are affiliate links, so they kick back a small percentage to us if you buy through them, and help support the work we do on Currently Reading. . . . . A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 1:24 - Here's the Setup 2:50 - Previews: Book Name and release date. Sales info and awards. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Movie name and release date. Box office and awards. A Muppet Christmas Carol on Disney Plus Spoken Word Grammy Nomination! 7:35 - The Cutting Room: Pivotal Book scenes and how they translated to the screen. Hustle Bustle of the city Lines from the book Each of the three ghosts Final scene Anything left out that shouldn't have been. Marley's jaw Scrooge's sister Belle's life/missing song Ignorance and Want Dead man Alibaba during Scrooge's childhood Columbian coffee commercial  Scrooge's lines quoted back to him Casting and mis-casting “Played by Kermit” Scrooge - Michael Caine Ian McClellan? Richard Harris? Swapping Muppet roles Two Marleys Problematic elements. Classism versus other isms Body commentary Topper's treatment of the girl he's crushing on 40:05 - Award Season: Worst and best parts of the adaptation. Bob Cratchit's family Hillbilly horses Ghost of Christmas Past The giant raw turkey Musical numbers Fozziwig Worst and best actors. Tiny Tim Ghost of Christmas Past Michael Caine Waldorf and Statler Worst and best book characters. The Cratchit family Ebeneezer Scrooge Ghost of Christmas Present Fred 51:43 - Book/Flick Energy: Book scored on a 5 star scale. Book on Goodreads George C. Scott version from 1984 The Man Who Invented Christmas on Amazon Prime Movie scored on a 10 point scale. Movie on Rotten Tomatoes Jim Carrey - Christmas Carol on Netflix George C. Scott version from 1984 56:51 - A Leftover Popcorn Kernel: What are your top 3 favorite Christmas carols? O, Holy Night Angels We Have Heard on High Strange Way to Save the World Carol of the Bells Do You Hear What I Hear - Whitney Houston Joy to the World - Mariah Carey If you had to pick a classic to adapt with muppets, which would you choose? Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee If you could travel in time, but only one direction, which would you choose? 11/22/63 by Stephen King 1:04:02 - End Credits The Color Purple by Alice Walker 1985 film version with Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey (can stream on Max and rent most places) Connect With Us: Currently Reading | Kaytee | Meredith Shad is in the Bookish Friends FB Group (for our Patreon supporters) Our Website | Email Us   Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Buy Some Merch

 This week! It's the final episode of the year! While we were apparently too preoccupied with other things to make a holiday special happen this year, we still have a *relatively* Christmas-centric podcast here, for those who are into that kind of thing (but also for those who aren't!).   Violent Night is bloody to the point of hilarity and shows us what might happened if one of our favorite childhood Christmas movies was real! The Man Who Invented Christmas might be the coolest way to experience A Christmas Carol since The Muppets did it, and leaves us with some questions about the reality of Christmas in the time of Charles Dickens!  We also discuss Insomniac Games getting hacked, The Powerepuff Girls: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas, Die Hard, and more!   00:11:30 — THE BULLETIM BOARD! Insomniac gets Insomni-HACKED! 00:23:40 — TV! The Powerpuff Girls: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas 00:30:45 — MOVIES! Violent Night, The Man Who Invented Christmas  Keep up with The Keep Up! Patreon.com/thekeepup Join us most Thursday nights for the live recording of the podcast here on Twitch! TikTok: @thekeepuppodcast Instagram: @thekeepuppodcast YouTube: The Keep Up Podcast

Let us be your three ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, in reviewing The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)! An in depth look at Charles Dickens and his process of writing the famous Christmas Carol. We have a bonus Christmas podcast out! Half of all money goes to St. Jude! Check it out here! 5 hours of Christmas fun for only $5 ! reviewinghistory.bandcamp.com/album/this…-christmas Check out our sponsor for this week Space Chimp Comics and Tales From Toxic Pond www.kickstarter.com/projects/talesf…1?ref=user_menu Please give us a rating and a review on ApplePodcasts or Spotify. It helps potential sponsors find the show! Sign up for @Riversidefm: www.riverside.fm/?via=reviewi... Sign up for @BetterHelp: betterhelp.com/reviewinghistory Buy Some Merch: www.reviewinghistorypod.com/merch We also have a limited edition Christmas shirt, or Ugly Christmas Sweater available until December 26th! Email Us: Reviewinghistorypod@gmail.com Follow Us: www.facebook.com/reviewinghistory twitter.com/rviewhistorypod letterboxd.com/antg4836/ letterboxd.com/spfats/ letterboxd.com/BrianRuppert/ letterboxd.com/brianruppert/list…eviewing-history/ twitter.com/Brianruppert #comedy #history #podcast #comedypodcast #historypodcast #christmas #christmascarol #funny #holidays #dickens #historybuffs #moviereview #movies #moviehistory #cinema

In this episode, we'll learn about historical events from this week in history that were shown in the movies. We'll also learn about birthdays from historical figures who have been portrayed in the movies as well as recommendations for movies that first premiered this week in history. Events from This Week in History The Man Who Invented Christmas | BOATS #220 Band of Brothers | BOATS series At Eternity's Gate | BOATS #193 Birthdays from This Week in History 37 Days Lincoln | BOATS #170 or The Conspirator | BOATS #175 Robin Hood | BOATS #149 Movies Released This Week in History Platoon Gangs of New York Did you enjoy this episode? Find everything at: https://links.boatspodcast.com/292 Leave a comment: https://links.boatspodcast.com/comment Support our sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers Give value back: https://links.boatspodcast.com/value Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JOIN OUR PATREON FOR BoNuS EPISODES and to purchase a CAMEO-STYLE video greeting from Dave and Kellen! (Gift to a friend or family member!)https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile*So there's this book called A Christmas Carol which is about a guy trying to save money when a bunch of ghosts guilt-trip him into burning through his 401K just for a party. The book for today's episode, however, is about Charles Dickens writing that book.*If you want to read/listen to this book and support the podcast in a fun way, click here to buy the book! Free on Audible to first-time subscribers!https://amzn.to/3REVWWZ*Kellen Erskine has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC's America's Got Talent, and the Amazon Original Series Inside Jokes. He has garnered over 100 million views with his clips on Dry Bar Comedy. In 2018 he was selected to perform on the “New Faces” showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. He currently tours the country www.KellenErskine.com

Kova and Spoiler Steve discuss Napoleon, Good Burger 2 & Quiz Lady! We also catch up on what we've been watching this past month in the Banter Corner! 00:01:46 - Intro | Last Week in Hollywood 00:30:01 - Quiz Lady 00:53:44 - Good Burger 2 01:10:18 - Napoleon 01:37:02 - The Banter Corner | Harry and the Hendersons, Weird Science, Dutch, Friendsgiving, Joy Ride, Ted 2, Old Dads, What Happens Later, The Marsh King's Daughter, Election,The Man Who Invented Christmas, The Santa Clause, Jingle All the Way, Fargo, The Holdovers, Thanksgiving, Silent Night, Jumanji, This Christmas, Four Christmases, The Family Stone, Dream Scenario, Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, Dashing Through the Snow, The Killer, Rustin, Family Switch, Candy Cane Lane Support us on Patreon HERE Send us emails and feedback to info@sceneitcast.com Check out our website sceneitcast.com

Jacob Marley may be "dead as a doornail," but it's a Dickens doubleheader as Richard Donner's Scrooged, starring Bill Murray, turns 35, while we get a fictionalized look behind the curtain at how Dan Stevens's depiction of author Charles Dickens wrote the bloody thing in the first place in 2017's The Man Who Invented Christmas, also starring the great Christopher Plummer as old Ebenezer. Plus, poll results, interactive trivia, behind-the-scenes fun facts, and listener shout-outs!

I promise the title of today's episode is not clickbait.Our guest, Wayne Godfrey is a British film producer, CEO of Fintech platform, Purely Capital, and expert film financier who've raised nearly $325 million for more than 120 independent feature films.Wayne founded Purely Capital in 2018 to enables film and TV rights owners a way to accelerate payments from years to days, for their content from streaming platforms.This year, he became a mentor at Creative Futures Collective in the UK to contribute to unearthing the next generation of creative industry leaders from disenfranchised backgrounds and empower them to break cycles of systemic inequalities they've experienced. He's credited as executive producer for numerous independent feature films, including, The Man Who Invented Christmas, Robert Rodriguez‘s Sin City, Martin Scorsese‘s Silence, and Joe Carnahan's Boss Level. An undeniably impressive career Wayne has built as a ‘problem solver in film procurement investment – a long way from DJ-ing around London as a young guy with only a deep interest and some skill in sound production.Some of his other key production credits include The Foreigner.THE FOREIGNER, starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan, is a timely action thriller by the director of “Casino Royale.” The film tells the story of humble London businessman Quan (Chan), whose long-buried past erupts in a revenge-fueled vendetta when the only person left for him to love — his teenage daughter — is taken from him in a senseless act of politically motivated terrorism.In his relentless search for the identity of the terrorists, Quan is forced into a cat-and-mouse conflict with a British government official (Brosnan), whose own past may hold clues to the identities of the elusive killers.It was really cool getting Wayne's perspective on what he considers as the pillars of a successful film from a marketing POV to thrive in the current diluted and competitive marketplace. He points out that a great story, recognizable talent, and capital can determine a film's success right out of the gate.I know it has not been smooth for a lot of indie filmmakers during these COVID times and I promise, there is something in this conversation for everyone because Wayne doesn't speak only from a marketing standpoint, but he understands extensively, the development, negotiating, and production structures of film financing are always an assuring point of sale for filmmakers.Enjoy my eye-opening conversation with Wayne Godfrey.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/2881148/advertisement

I promise the title of today's episode is not clickbait. Our guest, Wayne Godfrey is a British film producer, CEO of fintech platform, Purely Capital, and expert film financier who've raised nearly $325 million for more than 120 independent feature films. Wayne founded Purely Capital in 2018 to enables film and TV rights owners a way to accelerate payments from years to days, for their content from streaming platforms.This year, he became a mentor at Creative Futures Collective in the UK to contribute to unearthing the next generation of creative industry leaders from disenfranchised backgrounds and empower them to break cycles of systemic inequalities they've experienced.He's credited as executive producer for numerous independent feature films, including , The Man Who Invented Christmas, Robert Rodriguez's Sin City, Martin Scorsese's Silence and Joe Carnahan's Boss Level. An undeniably impressive career Wayne has built as a ‘problem solver in film procurement investment - a long way from DJ-ing around London as a young guy with only a deep interest and some skill in sound production.Some of his other key production credits include The Foreigner.THE FOREIGNER, starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan, is a timely action thriller from the director of “Casino Royale.” The film tells the story of humble London businessman Quan (Chan), whose long-buried past erupts in a revenge-fueled vendetta when the only person left for him to love -- his teenage daughter -- is taken from him in a senseless act of politically-motivated terrorism.In his relentless search for the identity of the terrorists, Quan is forced into a cat- and-mouse conflict with a British government official (Brosnan), whose own past may hold clues to the identities of the elusive killers.It was really cool getting Wayne's perspective on what he considers as the pillars of a successful film from a marketing POV to thrive in the current diluted and competitive marketplace. He points out that a great story, recognizable talent, and capital can determine a film's success right out of the gate. I know it has not been smooth for a lot of indie filmmakers during these COVID times and I promise, there is something in this conversation for everyone because Wayne doesn't speak only from a marketing standpoint, but he understands extensively, the development, negotiating, and production structures of film financing are always an assuring point of sale for filmmakers.Enjoy my eye-opening conversation with Wayne Godfrey.

Hey everybody! Hope everyone had a great holiday! This week, we try our best to discuss The Man Who Invented Christmas. Listen patiently as we fumble our way through this Christmas film about the making of a literary masterwork and hopefully you won't turn us off halfway through…but no one would blame you. Enjoy!

The Man Who Invented Christmas is the title of a very popular holiday season movie starring Dan Stevens playing the role of Charles Dickens. It began its life as a book, written by New York Times best-selling author Les Standiford, who is also founding director of the Florida International University Creative Writing program in Miami. Les has written dozens of nonfiction books and novels, including the John Deal crime series and  Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean. His most recent book is Battle for the Big Top: P.T. Barnum, James Bailey, John Ringling, and the Death-Defying Saga of the American Circus. You can find out more about his work at http://www.les-standiford.comGail talked with Les just in time for Christmas Day.The Brainwave Podcast is produced and presented by WindWord Group Publishing and Media. Please visit our website at https://www.windwordgroup.com to sign up for our newsletter and receive regular information about upcoming guests, new releases, and special gifts for regular listeners and readers. Support the showLet's connect!Instagram https://www,instagram.com/brainwave_podcastFacebook https://www.facebook/windwordgroupSign up for Gail Hulnick's newsletter "Connecting the Creative Dots" at https://www.windwordgroup.com

Charles Dickens, Dan Stevens playing Charles Dickens... as if reading his work alone wasn't enough to make me fall in love with a 210yr old man, this movie is the most accurate portrayal of what it's really like to be a writer that I've ever seen... and you know what, "I am who I am" It's funny, and cute, and sad and inspirational and DAN STEVENS (enough said) *chefs kiss* I added a little music at the beginning and end because of the whimsy, anything dickensian NEEDS a dash of whimsy ;) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/raine-l/support

Michael and Nick sit down and discuss two Christmas films -- THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS and CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT! Download now on your Podcast app of choice! The post The Shame List Picture Show S6E12 – Christmas Special! appeared first on Cinepunx.

Folge #099 Unterschiedliche Perspektiven treffen aufeinander. Timo und Katharina sprechen heute über Filme, die wie kleine Geschenke sind. Manche sind unerwartet, andere begeistern und einige lassen einen ratlos zurück. Ist die Intention alles was zählt? FILME DER FOLGE: The Invitation (2022) Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022) Klaus (2019) Julestorm (aka Ein Sturm zu Weihnachten, 2022) The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) A Christmas Carol (2019) ____ Der Film-Podcast mit Lucas, Timo und Katharina Anfragen: ouatic@gmx.de letterboxd.com/OuaticPodcast instagram.com/onceuponatimeincinema_

Weekend Edition for December 17-18, 2022 @1517 #christianhistory #christian #history #christmas @DickensSays — SHOW NOTES are available: https://www.1517.org/podcasts/the-christian-history-almanac GIVE BACK: Support the work of 1517 today CONTACT: CHA@1517.org SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Overcast Google Play FOLLOW US: Facebook Twitter Audio production by Christopher Gillespie (gillespie.media).

Today we're replaying an episode of Based on a True Story from 2018 about the 2017 movie The Man Who Invented Christmas. The story the movie tells the tale of Charles Dickens as he struggles to write A Christmas Carol. Learn more about the true story Read the book the movie is based on: https://links.boatspodcast.com/220book Did you enjoy this episode? Leave a comment: https://links.boatspodcast.com/comment Find the transcript and full show notes: https://links.boatspodcast.com/220 Support our sponsors: https://links.boatspodcast.com/advertisers Remove the ads by supporting the show: https://links.boatspodcast.com/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This movie is awesome!!!!My Youtube Personal Challenge: https://youtu.be/irKREVXY6VI

Episode One Hundred and Eighteen: The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)Happy Holidays! 'Tis the season around here, and the Wheel has demanded Christmas drama. Where better to look than where it all started? It's Victorian England and it's ol' Charlie Dickens. It turns out, the process of creating A Christmas Carol was a surprisingly cinematic one. Who would've thought...Canada's weird goth Elizabeth II coin.Logo design by: https://www.fiverr.com/ideahitsIntro voiceover by: https://www.youtube.com/kevincrockerheyjameswatchthis@gmail.comFollow us @heyjameswatch

Join the OAMR crew as we talk about The Man Who Invented Christmas #classic #xmas #scrooge  #movies #reviews #christmas #christmasmovies #holidays       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OAMR-1122730... Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSy8... Email:  oamoviereviews@gmail.com

Welcome to the Neverland Podcast! This week we welcome the host of DizRadio, Jonathan Johnson! Like me (your Spider-Pan) Jonathan is a big fan of Rankin/Bass. In fact, the very first episode of The Neverland Podcast was me talking about my love of Rankin/Bass Christmas specials. He's an admin for a Facebook fan group dedicated to the love of everything that Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass produced, so he's a perfect joice to join us for this nostalgic look at these beautiful pieces of animation! In the Neverland Trailer Park we'll take a look at the all new trailer for the upcoming Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom! This is the fifth film in the Jurassic Park franchise, and we'll discuss if this trailer has generated any excitement for us. I headed out this week to the theater to check out "The Man Who Invented Christmas" and I'll review it for you this week! Grab your pixie and let's fly to Neverland! Visit our shop! at TeePublic Become a patron! at Patreon! Star Wars The Last Jedi by John Williams Beyond the Wisdom of Walt by Dr. Jeffery Barnes! Neverlanders please help fund Tammy Tuckey's Cover Album! BUY BLU RAY NOW Or on iTunesFloyd Norman: An Animated Life - Erik Sharkey & Michael Fiore Be sure to listen to Neverland Radio on UCM's The Beat every weekday at 4 PM Central Time. Hire me for voice over work on Fiverr! Learn voiceover from some of the best in the industry at Global Voice Actor Academy Learn puppetry from Muppeteer, Mike Quin at Secrets of Puppetry Be sure to visit iTunes to purchase your copy of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Michael Giacchino Beauty and the Beast Deluxe Edition Soundtrack! Please rate and review The Neverland Podcast! iTunes Stitcher Blubrry Twitter Facebook Facebook Group Email Us! Leave a Voicemail (816) 226-6492 We are part of the We Be Geeks Network!

For Iconography's fifth anniversary we're remastering episodes from season one. This is a remastered 2nd edition of Iconography's first Christmas episode, from December 2016, with a new afterward looking at the 2017 film The Man Who Invented Christmas. You can access the original episode here.Every day of the holiday season, there is probably someone in your neighborhood watching or reading some version of A Christmas Carol. If you think about it, that means we probably see early Victorian England as often as any other time period. What has kept the story so vital? And how did a young Charles Dickens engender so much empathy for such a miserable man? 

This week! It's the week of CHRISTMAS!! 8-Bit Christmas captures all the nostalgic magic of the release of the NES (and like, family and stuff) & The Man Who Invented Christmas has Brett all inspired and excited! Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge is what the live action Mortal Kombat movie *should've* been, and Tim loves Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice so much that he hates it! We also discuss Elves, Hawkeye, A Boy Called Christmas, Ghostbusters, God of War, Costume Quest, The Tuckaway Tavern, and more! 00:16:00 — TV! Elves, Hawkeye 00:34:30 — MOVIES! A Boy Called Christmas, 8-Bit Christmas, The Man Who Invented Christmas, Ghostbusters, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge 01:07:40 — VIDEO GAMES! Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, God of War (2018), Costume Quest, Alice: Madness Returns 01:37:30 — FOOD! The Tuckaway Tavern & Butchery Keep up with The Keep Up! Treignwreck.com/thekeepup Facebook.com/TheKeepUp Instagram: @thekeepuppodcast (https://www.instagram.com/thekeepuppodcast/) YouTube: The Keep Up (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRUwERKaf97f6nfLsd3oTg)

This week, we take our discerning look to a new level. We do our usual good-stuff/bad-stuff style review of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie, "Children of Men," but first, we debate the contentious question, "Is it a Christmas movie?" - Which co-host(s) said that "Children of Men" is a Christmas movie, and which co-host(s) said it wasn't? What were the reasons for their opinions? - What elements of the nativity story were undisputed as inspiring part of this movie's premise? Which co-host(s) felt that still wasn't enough? - Was the hope provided by this movie's premise enough to make the movie's universe have a promising future and, therefore, make it uplifting enough to qualify as a Christmas movie? - Which co-host used a Spock quote from "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" in his counter-argument to another co-host's point? - Did any co-hosts change each other's minds, or did opinions remain unshaken? - Which co-hosts were particularly impressed by several segments of the movie each filmed as one long, fluid camera take? - Which co-host points out the tendency of people in the movie to live amongst animals and for one character to never finish a cigarette? - And, how many times was the word cinematography mispronounced in this episode? Listen now to find out the answers to these and other fertile questions, as we debate the hope, faith, love, and future, of...Children of Men. Check out our other holiday themed episodes: reviews of "Muppet Christmas Carol" (#028) and Gremlins (#026); our 3-part, radio-play-style, Scrooge-themed Dungeons & Dragons one-shot (#034 to #036); and reviews of "The Man Who Invented Christmas" (#080), "Klaus" (#081), and "Home Alone" (#082, released just one day before this episode). Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :) Be well, be safe, continue enjoying whatever makes you a Discerning Geek, and join us in the new year as we continue with sci-fi & fantasy movie reviews and hopefully get back on track with Alpha-Movie-Bet, What Should Andruw Watch?, Whatcha' Doin'?, and other special topics. Also, look out for our first spin-off...The Discerning *Lurkers* Portal: A *Babylon 5* Podcast. :) We hope to start publishing those in January or February. You can contact us at... - E-Mail: DiscerningGeeks@gmail.com - Twitter: @DiscerningGeeks - Facebook: Discerning Geeks Portal - LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/discerninggeeks Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us. Those other stars do not work. ;) Public domain music in this episode includes: - Intro montage: "we-wish-you-a-merry-christmas-traditionally-16th-century-english-christmas-carol-sheppard-flute-and-xmas-waltz-8848" by JuliusH via Pixabay.com - Opening music: "Silent Night (Unholy Night)" by Alexander Nakarada via freepd.com - Lightning Round clock music: "Deck the Halls" by Alexander Nakarada via freepd.com - Closing & outro: "silent-night-stille-nacht-heilige-nacht-piano-christmas-carol-traditionally-german-piano-version-from-1912-1791" by JuliusH via Pixabay.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/discerninggeeks/message

这个自带氛围的节日又来了。本期圣诞特别节目，《世界莫名其妙物语》主播见师、《杯弓舌瘾》主播钱老板和跳岛主播肖一之，为您献上一份精彩的不正宗圣诞指南。圣诞缘何而起？丑毛衣、平安果、冷笑话表演，哪种圣诞习俗最不靠谱？热红酒和红烧肉有什么隐秘的关联？狄更斯、可口可乐与生活方式博主，究竟是谁“发明”了圣诞节？ 谁知道呢？在寒冷冬日，多讲几个冷笑话，或许是比咕噜咕噜冒泡泡的花式甜酒更有效的取暖妙招。即便知道自己家并没有供圣诞老人爬进来的烟囱顶，从吃火鸡的维多利亚劳工到吃炸鸡的日本青年，从懒得摘星星灯的美国家庭到装点圣诞树的独居青年，每个人仍然会不由自主地期待这个说不清来源的节日。 穿上圣诞毛衣，互送圣诞礼物。狄更斯让我们知道，这个特殊的日子可以成为一个表达善意的契机。在节日的欢愉气氛中，我们或许可以短暂忘记生活的隔膜、劳累与窗外的寒冷，像三位主播一样，和你的朋友、家人坐在某一处，用礼物、声音和怀抱，共同温暖年末的这一个时刻。 【本期嘉宾】 见师，大学教师，《世界莫名其妙物语》主播。 钱老板，《杯弓舌瘾》主播。 【本期主持】 肖一之，文学研究者，上海外国语大学英语学院讲师。 【时间轴】 02:23 成都路人互锤，北京送平安果，日本平安夜吃炸鸡？各地特色圣诞活动大赏 05:52 印象里整个西方都过圣诞节，但其实教派之间也有差别 16:24 圣诞老人的红白配色，居然是可口可乐的发明 18:52 圣诞节就该坐在一块开会讲冷笑话，比如下面这几个…… 26:42 热红酒跟红烧肉的原理差不多，此外还有无数种DIY方法 39:56 大家怎么过圣诞？活动大盘点：丑毛衣、手写卡片、圣诞装饰 46:23 《圣诞颂歌》如何做到深入人心并“发明”了圣诞文化？ 【节目中提到的人物和作品】 和圣诞有关的电影： 《真爱至上》（Love Actually，2003），可以作为饮酒游戏使用 《圣诞发明家》（The Man Who Invented Christmas，2017），改编自同名非虚构类历史题材作品，讲述了狄更斯创作《圣诞颂歌》的故事，电影版由丹·史蒂文斯主演 《火钳酒》（Die Feuerzangenbowle，1944），德国经典喜剧电影。 圣诞节除了热红酒还可以喝： 热苹果酒（wassail），英国老百姓喜爱的冬日饮料； 热托迪（hot toddy），可以暖身子，不可以防治新冠肺炎； 蛋酒（eggnog），甜过冰淇淋，美国人民最爱； 36:07 火焰朗姆酒（Feuerzangenbowle），19世纪以来德国最著名的冬季饮料之一，一种具有朗姆酒和草本植物口味的热红酒。 43:23 罗兰·希尔爵士，英国邮政改革家、邮票创始人。其发明邮票的故事《美丽的集邮册》曾收录于北师大出版社四年级上册语文教材中。 62:08 Ghost of Christmas present，《圣诞颂歌》中的一个章节，插图由John Leech所画，本章节插图中首次出现了早期圣诞老人的雏形：一个穿着绿色长袍的圣诞幽灵。 狄更斯《荒凉山庄》《匹克威克外传》 世界莫名奇妙物语节目《世界人民吃火鸡！》 牛姐Mariah Carey圣诞金曲《All I Want for Christmas Is You》 【本期推荐作品】 见师 推荐 The Satyricon by Petronius 这是一本古罗马的讽刺故事集，情节有点像《欲望都市》，两位男主角是主仆关系，旅游途中遇到了各种各样的人，发生了各种各样的关系，最后发现真爱还是彼此。 钱老板 推荐 “哈利·波特”系列 J.K.罗琳 著 很奇怪，巫师同样会过圣诞节。书中哈利每年圣诞节都会收到礼物，比如罗恩的妈妈莫丽会给他打毛衣、小天狼星会给他送扫帚，但往往节日一过，就开始发生很多可怕的事情。圣诞像是每一本书的转折点。 肖一之 推荐 《圣诞颂歌》狄更斯 著 邓嘉宛 译 最近重看了一遍《圣诞颂歌》，这不仅仅是一个简单的道德故事，当中还涉及了18世纪40年代英国贫富差距背景下导致的社会道德危机，有许多细节，非常有意思。 【出品人】蔡欣 【主理人】猫弟 【节目编辑】何润哲 黄鱼 【后期制作】AURA.pote 孙称 【音乐】 片头 上海复兴方案 - Queen of Sports 片尾 上海复兴方案 - Spring in a Small Town 【视觉设计】孙晓曦 王尊一 - 互动方式 - 商务合作：contact@justpod.fm 微博：@杯弓舌瘾TipsyProof 微信公众号：杯弓舌瘾 微博：@JustPod @播客一下 微信公众号：JustPod / 播客一下 小红书：杯弓舌瘾 / JustPod气氛组

This week, we continue our holiday trend with a review of the classic Christmas movie, "Home Alone." It would seem the sequels didn't do as well, but don't worry folks; this is the first movie in the Home Alone Cinematic Universe. - Which co-host was most surprised to like this movie? - Which co-host(s) appreciated the amount of story & character development that occurred outside the house-rigging scenes? - Which co-host was not that impressed with the movie, except for the house-rigging scenes? - Which co-host(s) particularly liked the scene where Kevin goes to church? - Did the co-hosts "buy" the various chaotic circumstances that lead to the family leaving Kevin behind? - Which co-host gave praise to the actors Joe Pesci & Daniel Stern, plus the writer, John Hughes? - Which co-host(s) had some information about how the film almost didn't happen? - Which co-host had information on what happened to the house used for the McCallister house exterior shots in the film? - Which YouTube channel did Macaulay Culkin make guest appearances on in the last few years (actually, there may have been more than one, but only one was mentioned in the podcast)? - Which co-host expressed his annoyance at the notion of "cheese pizza"? - Which sick, twisted co-host(s) like pineapple on pizza (Hint: Not the person typing this)? - Which co-host gets sick...literally...somehow...when eating chicken on a pizza? - Which co-host(s) like chicken on pizza? - Should Chipotle make a pizza, and should beans be included on it? - Why are we asking so many questions about pizza? - And, what movie did we spin for a future review on the regular Wheel of Insanity (in preparation for the end of the Christmas season)? Hint: We're back to science fiction...sort of, and it's very quotable...by two of the co-hosts anyway (think back to how our "Princess Bride" review went). Listen now to the answers to these and other festive holiday questions you didn't even know you were asking. Grab your Micro Machines, tarantula, blowtorch, flatiron, tar, heating element, paint cans, and a bunch of string, tripwire, and rope, as we rig up this podcast to keep out the burglars (but welcome the listeners) and enjoy being...Home Alone. Check out our other holiday themed episodes: reviews of "Muppet Christmas Carol" (#028) and Gremlins (#026); our 3-part, radio-play-style, Scrooge-themed Dungeons & Dragons one-shot (#034 to #036); and reviews of "The Man Who Invented Christmas" (#080) and "Klaus" (#081). Stay tuned for a review of "Children of Men." We're cutting it close for getting it out by Christmas, but much of our discussion in that episode is whether that movie should be considered a Christmas movie to start with. You can contact us at... - E-Mail: DiscerningGeeks@gmail.com - Twitter: @DiscerningGeeks - Facebook: Discerning Geeks Portal - LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/discerninggeeks Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us. Those other stars do not work. ;) Public domain music used: "we-wish-you-a-merry-christmas-traditionally-16th-century..." "ambient-christmas-angel-choir" "o-come-all-ye-faithful-adeste-fideles-herbei-o-ihr-glaubigen..." ...by JuliusH on Pixabay.com "o-holy-night-full-orchestra-436s" ...by Geibral on Pixabay.com "deck-the-halls-christmas-piano-background-music" "the-first-nowell-christmas-piano-background-music" "christmas-knocking-to-the-door" ...by Lesfm on Pixabay.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/discerninggeeks/message

这个自带氛围的节日又来了。本期圣诞特别节目，《世界莫名其妙物语》主播见师、《杯弓舌瘾》主播钱老板和跳岛主播肖一之，为您献上一份精彩的不正宗圣诞指南。圣诞缘何而起？丑毛衣、平安果、冷笑话表演，哪种圣诞习俗最不靠谱？热红酒和红烧肉有什么隐秘的关联？狄更斯、可口可乐与生活方式博主，究竟是谁“发明”了圣诞节？ 谁知道呢？在寒冷冬日，多讲几个冷笑话，或许是比咕噜咕噜冒泡泡的花式甜酒更有效的取暖妙招。即便知道自己家并没有供圣诞老人爬进来的烟囱顶，从吃火鸡的维多利亚劳工到吃炸鸡的日本青年，从懒得摘星星灯的美国家庭到装点圣诞树的独居青年，每个人仍然会不由自主地期待这个说不清来源的节日。 穿上圣诞毛衣，互送圣诞礼物。狄更斯让我们知道，这个特殊的日子可以成为一个表达善意的契机。在节日的欢愉气氛中，我们或许可以短暂忘记生活的隔膜、劳累与窗外的寒冷，像三位主播一样，和你的朋友、家人坐在某一处，用礼物、声音和怀抱，共同温暖年末的这一个时刻。 【本期嘉宾】 见师，大学教师，《世界莫名其妙物语》主播。 钱老板，《杯弓舌瘾》主播。 【本期主持】 肖一之，文学研究者，上海外国语大学英语学院讲师。 【时间轴】 02:23 成都路人互锤，北京送平安果，日本平安夜吃炸鸡？各地特色圣诞活动大赏 05:52 印象里整个西方都过圣诞节，但其实教派之间也有差别 16:24 圣诞老人的红白配色，居然是可口可乐的发明 18:52 圣诞节就该坐在一块开会讲冷笑话，比如下面这几个…… 26:42 热红酒跟红烧肉的原理差不多，此外还有无数种DIY方法 39:56 大家怎么过圣诞？活动大盘点：丑毛衣、手写卡片、圣诞装饰 46:23 《圣诞颂歌》如何做到深入人心并“发明”了圣诞文化？ 【节目中提到的人物和作品】 和圣诞有关的电影：《真爱至上》（Love Actually，2003），可以作为饮酒游戏使用； 《圣诞发明家》（The Man Who Invented Christmas，2017），改编自同名非虚构类历史题材作品，讲述了狄更斯创作《圣诞颂歌》的故事，电影版由丹·史蒂文斯主演；《火钳酒》（Die Feuerzangenbowle，1944），德国经典喜剧电影。 圣诞节除了热红酒还可以喝：热苹果酒（wassail），英国老百姓喜爱的冬日饮料； 热托迪（hot toddy），可以暖身子，不可以防治新冠肺炎； 蛋酒（eggnog），甜过冰淇淋，美国人民最爱。 36:07 火焰朗姆酒（Feuerzangenbowle），19世纪以来德国最著名的冬季饮料之一，一种具有朗姆酒和草本植物口味的热红酒。 43:23 罗兰·希尔爵士，英国邮政改革家、邮票创始人。其发明邮票的故事《美丽的集邮册》曾收录于北师大出版社四年级上册语文教材中。 62:08 Ghost of Christmas present，《圣诞颂歌》中的一个章节，插图由John Leech所画，本章节插图中首次出现了早期圣诞老人的雏形：一个穿着绿色长袍的圣诞幽灵。 狄更斯《荒凉山庄》《匹克威克外传》 世界莫名奇妙物语节目《世界人民吃火鸡！》 牛姐Mariah Carey圣诞金曲《All I Want for Christmas Is You》 【本期推荐作品】 见师 推荐 The Satyricon by Petronius 这是一本古罗马的讽刺故事集，情节有点像《欲望都市》，两位男主角是主仆关系，旅游途中遇到了各种各样的人，发生了各种各样的关系，最后发现真爱还是彼此。 钱老板 推荐 “哈利·波特”系列 J.K.罗琳 著 很奇怪，巫师同样会过圣诞节。书中哈利每年圣诞节都会收到礼物，比如罗恩的妈妈莫丽会给他打毛衣、小天狼星会给他送扫帚，但往往节日一过，就开始发生很多可怕的事情。圣诞像是每一本书的转折点。 肖一之 推荐 《圣诞颂歌》狄更斯 著 邓嘉宛 译 最近重看了一遍《圣诞颂歌》，这不仅仅是一个简单的道德故事，当中还涉及了18世纪40年代英国贫富差距背景下导致的社会道德危机，有许多细节，非常有意思。 【出品人】蔡欣 【主理人】猫弟 【节目编辑】何润哲 黄鱼 【后期制作】AURA.pote 【音乐】 片头 上海复兴方案 - Queen of Sports 片尾 上海复兴方案 - Spring in a Small Town 【视觉设计】孙晓曦 王尊一

Two high school English teachers provide financial advise for your Xmas season through books: The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford (2008) VS Hundred Dollar Holiday by Bill McKibben (1998).

Spoiler note: We're giving an alert for persons who haven't read or watched an adaptation of A Christmas Carol. In this episode co-hosts Michon and Taquiena talk about Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, based on the 2019 FX reinterpretation of Dickens' iconic story about Ebeneezer Scrooge, a resentful miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, to take him on a journey towards transformation. The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017), adapted from Les Standiford's biographical book of the same title, is the story of Charles Dickens, his challenges, inspirations, and disruptions while writing “A Christmas Carol.” The Boston Sisters also share their family Christmas memories, and the spirits Charles Dickens' iconic story lift during the holiday season and throughout the year. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historicaldramasisters/support

MERRY CHRISTMAS, COMMIES!!! This month we're having the Charles Dickens expert herself Gina Dalfonzo on to discuss a movie about Charles Dickens, The Man Who Invented Christmas from 2017. We discuss the life of Dickens, his great works, his not so great works, his inspiration, and how a creative struggles and succeeds when writing and creating great works of art. All this and very little else in this months podcast. Find Us Online:RavenCreekSC.com/TheCommentariansFacebook.com/TheCommentariansTwitter.com/CommentariansInstagram.com/CommentariansFind Gina Online:https://www.facebook.com/ginadalfonzo.authorTwitter.com/GinaDalfonzoAt Christ And Pop Culture: https://christandpopculture.com/author/gdalfonzo/Gina's Books:http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/authors/gina-dalfonzo/2635

We are starting off the Christmas holiday theme with The Man Who Invented Christmas starring Dan Stevens and Christopher Plummer. This twist on the classic tale, follows the author Charles Dickens as he creates one of the most timeless Christmas novels of all time. If you enjoy listening to the show and would like to recommend some holiday films for us to talk about on the show, send your suggestion to emmareviewsmovies@gmail.com Guest: Hannah Tuck

Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol - Episode 1 - The Architect Of The Victorian Christmas!   /Hi, I'm Christy Shriver and we're here to discuss books that have changed the world and have changed us.    I'm Garry Shriver and this is the How to Love Lit Podcast.  If you are listening to this in real time, we are nearing the end of 2021, a year that has been lackluster by most measurements albeit an improvement to 2020.   Most of us began 2021 tucked away in quarantine.  I was teaching on Zoom; Christy was meeting with only half of her students half the time on a hybrid schedule.  No year, in my lifetime, has began in such a strange way.  In some ways, it felt that the Covid era would never end.    And yet, here we are, celebrating the end of 2021 with family and friends. We started this end of year holiday season cooking turkey and ham for Thanksgiving dinner in our home- American staples.  We have attended friendsgivings, Christmas parties and on December 23rd we will participate in another Memphis tradition that was suspended for the 2020 year, attending with most of our children: Anna, Lizzy, Ben and Rachel- Theater Memphis' annual performance of  Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  For those who don't know our family dynamic, we are a growing blended family.  Anna and Lizzy have lived in Knoxville, TN for most this year as students at the University of Tennessee in Knoxviille.  Ben and Rachel live her in Memphis, and Emily and Joel live in Atlanta with their three children- Selma, Polly and Ezra.      I love Christmas.  I love the food, decorating our home, visiting with friends, the special services at church- all of it.      Well, I do too, but I will say, since marrying into the Shriver family, I have learned to take it to the next level.  Shriver's are notable for their holiday passion- all holidays really but especially Christmas.  I will also say, that before studying for this podcast, I had no idea so many of the Christmas traditions that we love so much we owe to Victorian England.    Oh for sure, in fact, Christmas was not even a federal holiday in this country until 1870.  And even then it was an unpaid holiday.  It didn't become a paid holiday until 1938.      Well, that is very Scroog-ish.   So, let's talk about which Christmas traditions we inherited from  Victorian England- many of which have found their way all around the globe.  You know, growing up in Brazil, just by nature of the weather we had different holiday traditions- we were in the Southern hemisphere, so instead of wishing for a white Christmas- we were always looking forward to heading to the beach after Christmas, but even in a climate with more palm trees than pine trees although, my friends parents were putting up little Christmas trees and other decorations- I emphasize little not because they were belittling the traditions but there was much more limited economic access ( remember Brazil in those days was a military dictatorship with high government control) but even as such- It's interesting to see some of these same Victorian traditions.      In 2017 a very interesting movie came out, The Man Who Invented Christmas, based on a 2008 book by Les Standiford of the same name, but this book and movie credit Charles Dickens who lived in England during the Victorian era with basically inventing the holiday with this Novella A Christmas Carol.  Of course that clearly is hyperbolic.  Christmas was already celebrated all over the Christian world, and that included Great Britain, but it is not wrong to say that Dickens strongly impacted the way the British and then ultimately the rest of the world would perceive and even celebrate Christmas.  For one thing, although Christmas is a Christian holiday and obviously celebrates the birth of Christ- the emphasis of Dickens is on Christian virtues, many of which are shared by faith traditions besides Christianity.  So in this way he opened up the celebration to something larger than a Christian sacred day.  This book with its emphasis on human kindness, generosity and mercy contributed to universalizing the festivities- extending the sense and holiday sentiments beyond the sacredness of the religious elements of the day- which is why Lizzy and Anna's friends, many of whom are Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu, still feel comfortable celebrating Christmas in their own way without necessarily feeling as if they are violating their own faith tradition.    Even if you just focus on the historical context of Victorian England, I would suggest, instead of seeing Dickens as creating anything, a better way to look at it is that was part of the Zeitgeist of the moment that was already emerging.  Of course, this is debatable and I do not want to take away a single thing from the greatness of this book, but as I see things, this new way of viewing Christmas was an emerging trend, and his book hit at that right moment, extending it further and perhaps cementing some of these ideals into the ethos that would become the holiday spirit we understand Christmas to embody today.   I would also say, just like the Americans, the British had also been a little Scroog-like in doling out holidays to the working man up to that point.  In 1843 when A Christmas Carol came out, it was a bank holiday in Britain but not a holiday for everyone else.  That's why Scrooge could buy a turkey at the end of the story- it was a regular work day for the butcher.  Christmas was definitely a religious moment, and it definitely was a moment to share a meal together,  but nothing like we think of today.  We didn't point this out when we were analyzing Emma (the Jane Austen book from 1815)- but in that book we saw the Woodhouses celebrating Christmas by eating a meal but there wasn't a tree or caroling or anything else you'd expect to see in a British novel featuring Christmas.  Christmas, as we celebrate it today, emerged in Britain in many ways due to the elevation of the working class- and even though there were many struggles with this second industrial revolution- it is partly responsible.  For example, in order to protect workers, in 1833, a new set of laws were introduced that gave the working class a set number of days off- finally!  Also, companies with their mass production of goods began to see the holiday as a commercial opportunity- and although this has been received with mixed reviews over the years- it did incentivize the spreading of Christmas cheer so to speak.     There was also a German tradition that was introduced into the British culture which has trended around the world since then and that is the big emphasis on the Christmas tree.  That tradition can, in large part, be attributed to King Albert, Queen Victoria's husband.  Of course we must remember that King Albert was German, and, of course, the Germans and the Austrians had been celebrating Christmas, from my perspective, much more festively for some time.  In fact, and I know we don't have time to get into this here, but both the Americans and the British had actually banned Christmas a different points in their historys= but not Germany and Austria.   They had Christmas markets, Christmas music including the very popular Silent Night.  They had Santa Claus, the advent calendar and of course-  the Christmas tree.  Tradition has it that Martin Luther set up a tree, complete with lit candles in his living room and there it started.  But almost 250 years later, King Alfred introduced this wonderful tradition to the British public in 1848 with a drawing of the Royal family celebrating Christmas around their tree.  That drawing went viral- and there you have it- the Christmas tree was a thing.      It's so amazing to me, how some things catch on and others don't.  I was also interested to learn this is the era where we got the idea of the Christmas card- a practice I love but hypocritically don't practice.  Every Christmas when I get cards from my friends and family, and tape them to the door and then vow that next year will be the year I send out cards- but then I don't.  I will vow again- 2022 will be the year!!  But back to  1840s, a man by the name of  Henry Cole commissioned an artist to design a card for Christmas.  He sold these for 1 shilling a piece, which is kind of expensive, but the idea took off.  People made their own and mailed them to friends and family.  By 1880, Britain was producing and selling over 11.5 million Christmas cards.      And of course, returning to the successes and excesses both good and bad of that second Industrial Revolution.  Those horrible factories that often employed children and overworked and exploited workers which are things we're going to talk about- the technology within them also made it possible to mass produce toys that were finally affordable for average people.   And although feasting and gifts for the average person couldn't be a part of the year as a whole, these technologies made it possible at least once a year for toys to become things that would eventually end up under that Christmas tree, and cheap mass produced decorations could be brought into ordinary homes in ways that had been reserved for only the wealthy previously.        Which brings us to Christmas Carols – The Victorians re-popularized this tradition as well.  Again, back to industrialization- it was affordable to print and multiply copies of music.  Middle class people were buying pianos and singing around them- but even in working class homes where a piano was out of the question- carols were holiday entertainment and popular- and still are- and for good reason.  Singing together is a communal activity- it's fun and a shared experience that's actually bonding,  It's something friends and  families can do together- no matter age differences.  Paul Dooley, a friend of ours, taught English and then Latin at Bolton High School.  And I will never forget the years he got his Latin classes to sing Christmas Carols to us in the halls of Bolton High School.  He has since told me that his students were very reluctant to get out there in front of their peers, but once they got going they loved it- as did we all- and it's still a Christmas memory for me.        OH for me too- as a musician I love all the Christmas music- it may be one of my favorite parts- and I do nothing but listen to Christmas music in my car from Thanksgiving until Christmas- I will admit I do try to avoid getting whammed though, as much as possible.  Oh yes- I also avoid getting whammed- although that expression may need a little clarifying.  Explain to us what you mean when you say, you don't want to get whammed!  Well Wham is the name of a a British Duo- Wham released in 1984 what is likely the most overplayed Christmas song in America- “Last Christmas”. You cannot go to Target or the Mall without hearing it- in fact, hearing “Last Christmas” is how you know the Black Friday shopping season has begun.  This year, our daughter-in-law Rachel, who works part time at Target, came into Thanksgiving and said, “I've already been whammed”!!  She got whammed BEFORE Thanksgiving.  It has become a joke.  But a fun one- because even getting Whammed is a fun thing- Which brings me to this question- isn't “A Christmas Carol” a strange title for a ghost story?  And taking it a step further, isn't a ghost story an inappropriate genre for Christmas.  When you see a title like “A Christmas Carol” you don't expect the first chapter to be named “Marley's Ghost” and the first three words to be “Marley was dead.”    Exactly- and of course, as all great writers do- Dickens very cleverly and  intentionally  linked this ghost story with the idea of music and Christmas music.    Of course, as we talked about with Shirley Jackson and Hill. House, Gothic literature was very popular during the Victorian era- and a money maker for sure- so ghosts were a go-to idea, but that, for my money, isn't the best reason I see Dickens chosing the genre for his Christmas tale- although it is an ingenuous idea.  As you know, I don't like ghosts or ghost stories, so for me, it was a negative that this story is ghost story.  I remember watching the version that came out in 1984 with George C Scott and being scared out of my mind.     But, the more I understand the purpose- the thematic ideas behind these choices- the less these Christmas ghosts frighten me and the more it makes sense.  It also helped after I looked a little bit at Dickens life and the world he lived in.  For me, it helped highlight the thematic focus I may have missed in 1984- although- as with all great literature- we do want to again make the disclaimer that context is interesting- but not everything to understanding any piece of art.  Art, by definition takes a life of its own.    Of course, that goes without saying, and I'm sure this is my history and psychology background, but for me, I really do enjoy a book more when I know a little about the person who wrote it and the world in which he or she lived.    Well, le me introduce you then to the great- Charles John Huffman Dickens.  He was born on Feb 7 1812, the second son of John Dickens who was a clerk in the Navy Pay Office.  This was a middle class lifestyle and for a while Charles had an upper middle-class upbringing that included a private school education.  However, John Dickens spent more than he made, and at some point- the creditors came for him.  And at that time as you know, if you owed money,  the government threw YOU and your family into prison and you had to stay there until someone paid your bills for you.  This was an extremely traumatic experience, as you might imagine, so much so that it shows up in some form or another in almost all of Dickens works. Little Charles, however, because he was 12 didn't go with his family to prison.  He was old enough to work, so instead of prison he went to work at Warren's blacking Warehouse, and for ten hours a day he would paste labels on to pots of shoe polish.  He made 6 shillings a week and with that he had to pay for his own room and board.  Any money left over went to the pay off his family's debts- although at that rate, he was never going to pay that debt off. It was a brutal and extremely lonely experience.  Fortunately, he only had to do this for a year before a relative died and left money to John.  The family then got out of prison ,and Charles could go back to school- but that year was enough.  For one thing, as a 12 year old, he spent the hours he wasn't working in the streets unattended and most of the time starving.  Charles later said,”I suppose myself to know this large city as well as anybody in it.”  He saw it from the underside through the eyes of a hungry, lonely overworked dirty child.   He never got over that- and he never forgave his parents for it either.  In fact, he was so ashamed of that year and his father's incarceration that he kept the whole thing a secret for years.   He said this years as an adult when he was finally able to talk about the experiences of that year, “It is wonderful to me how I could so easily have been cast away at such an age- no one had compassion enough on me.”  Dickens saw and experienced to the bone,  the horror was is the complacency and cruelty of humans can have towards other humans- this he felt was at the heart of things.  His experiences were shameful to him, and he could hardly talk about it except through his fiction.    Anyway, he did finish school; he got a job working for a lawyer and eventually got into journalism where he the courts of Law and House of Commons.  He also began to write not just news things but stories too.  This was during a period of English history where books were only for rich people, but he didn't publish books.  He published stories in periodicals- and this is how he became popular.  Eventually  he did publish these stories in book form that book he called Sketches by Boz; two months after that was published, he married a woman named Catherine Hogarth.  Soon after that he started writing serials and there he was-well on his way the road that would eventually lead him to celebrity- truly.  Of course, there is a lot about his personal story that I'm not super-cool with, and I'm not sure I would have liked Dickens if I had met him in real life- I always wonder about that- although it makes zero difference one way or the other.  But we won't focus on that for the Christmas Carol, maybe if we do another Dickens novel- but  getting back to our narrative by the beginning of the 1843, he's already a pretty famous public figure. He's even gone on a year long tour of the United States (a place he kind of had negative things to say about- btw- including our poor hygiene apparently)     That's funny- during that time period- he likely was right.  Americans hadn't adopted the daily bath routine yet.      Ha anyway, Dickens read a parliamentary report by a man named Thomas Southwood Smith titled The Second Report of the Children's Employment Commission.      That does not sound like a bit of light reading.      HA! I should think not.  This report delineated many abuses and realities surrounding the untold numbers of child workers.  Reading this really upset him, of course he knew all too well the realities facing these children and many unmarried women, as well.  He took it upon himself to visitwhat he called “ragged schools” – we'd call them urban poor schools- but he called them ragged schools because everyone was dressed in rags.  So many of the children were working as prostitutes and thieves.  In October he went to Manchester and traveled around that industrial city.  He saw whole families in the streets starving.  The complacency and inhumanity of it all was something  he wanted to write about it.  He said this,  “ I have very seldom seen, in all the strange and dreadful things I have seen in London and elsewhere anything so shocking as the dire neglect of soul and body exhibited in these children.  And although I know; and am as sure as it is possible for one to be of anything which has not happened; that in the prodigious misery and ignorance of the swarming masses of mankind in England, the seeds of its certain ruin are sown.”   His first idea was to write a pamphlet entitled ‘An Appeal to the People of England, on Behalf of the Poor Man's Child'. But then he got a better idea, a lecture is not something people want to hear.  Why not deliver his idea as a carol- a Christmas Carol- and why not make it a ghost story- but a short one- a novella designed to be read out loud in under a couple of hours.  And that is what he did.  It took him only six weeks once he got started.  He wanted it out by Christmas.  He wanted it illustrated in beautiful colorful illustrations.  His vision was so pronounced he was uncompromising when it came to making it a reality, so much so that he ended up having to pay for the publication  himself.      And history was made.  It was a smash hit from the first review and I quote, “Mr. Dickens has produced a most appropriate Christmas offering and which, if properly made use of, may yet we hope, lead to some more valuable result then mere amusement.”   It sold out immediately and the publisher went on to produce as many as they could as quickly as they could.  Within weeks it became a play (which to Dickens chagrin and the lack of copyright laws, he never got any royalities from).     No, he didn't cash in on its success sadly, nor has his ancestors cashed in on the 13 full-featured movies, the 17 made for tv movies that I know about, nor even the Mr. Magoo version.  The story took on a life of its own.  It was a blockbuster, and he never was really able to monetize it like he would have wished.  He did monetize it some, though, for the rest of his last he would perform public readings of A Christmas Carol and some of those had over 2000 people in attendance.  Apparently, Dickens was as good of a performer as he was a writer- maybe better- and he could do all the different voices of the different characters.  People loved it- I imagine something- Jim Carey style.     Oh- I bet a Jim Carey reading of A Christmas Carol would be hilarious.      I agree!  Maybe someone will forward this podcast to him and he'll get the idea to do it!  Anyway, back to the book- it is a carol- in more than just the ironic sense of the world.  It was designed to do the exact sort of thing carols are supposed to do- bring a certain idea to Christmas- and that is the idea of redemption.  It's an idea that is lost on adults- for many of us, life, myself included, life takes turns we didn't mean for it to take.  In some cases, it feels like redemption is impossible that it's dead- and that of course is Dickens starting point- but even if redemption is dead- does that mean it's lost- or is it possible- no matter who we are- how far gone we are- redemption is still a ghost- shall we read the introduction?  let's read the words Dickens chose to include as the preface to this book:  I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.  Their faithful Friend and Servant,  D. December,1843  I think it's interesting to include the preface for a couple of reasons- First of all,   In the preface he capitalized the word Ghosts.  He also alliterated haunted with houses and it even connects with the h word humor in the sentence above.  There is something that he wants to haunt us with- a dark side of Christmas perhaps- a dark side in ourselves perhaps.      And yet- this book wouldn't be a classic if it were preachy- moralistic tales are annoying and unfun to read- even if I agree with every moral in the story.  I saw somewhere that Virginia Wolf couldn't stand Dickens for several reasons but one of which was that he made her feel like she was supposed to take out a checkbook when she read him.       HA!  Dickens might not have found that insulting- but I get it- and in his other books, I do think maybe that is a fair criticism- but A Christmas Carol, even as a ghost story, when you read it isn't dark like that.  Dickens goes to a lot of trouble to make it funny- something that sometimes is lost when people perform it on stage and it the movies, but is really evident when you read the story out loud.  I really think if I had read it before I had watched the movie as a child, I wouldn't have been frightened by the ghosts.    Let's read the first page of Stave one and you'll see what I mean.      Read page 1  So, we must first talk about the narrative voice- for me, it's what takes the edge off the ghost in the ghost story.  The tone is cheerful and fun.  There is an omniscient narrator and we will see that he very much can see inside Scrooge's thoughts, but he's intrusive.  That means he injects himself personally into the text and in this case, addresses us in the second person as if he were in the room talking to us.  In fact in Stave two the narrator actually tells us that the ghost of Christmas past was as close to Scrooge and I quote, “as close to it as I am now to you, and I am standing in the spirit at your elbow.”  Of course, it's funny and takes the edge of the scariness of it- of course the narrator isn't at our elbow and so of course, we need not be afraid of Scrooge's ghost.    Well, the narrator says several funny things right at the beginning here- this big about door-nails's being the “deadest piece of ironmongery” – it's pointing out the ridiculous in something we are very used to- the same kind of thing Jerry Seinfeld made famous in his comedy.    Exactly, and it has the same effect here- we are left smiling- why do we say, “dead as a doornail” except for the fact that it alliterates, there's no point in it at all.  And so we are detached from all of the death of marley talk.  If the narrator who clearly knows Marley isn't sad that he's dead, then we shouldn't be sad either.  We immediately trust this narrator because he's funny, and our first act after buying into the story is to decide we don't care that Marley's dead.  We also then buy into his description of Scrooge- which is also funny.  “He was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scroogr! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster- again a funny comparison.  The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gail, made his eyes red, his thin lips blue, and spoke out shrewedly in his grating voice.  A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wire chin.  He carried his own low temperature always about with him, he iced his office in the dog-days, and din't thaw it one degree at Christmas.  Then he goes on to say Scrooge's fire was so small, but he kept his clerk's first even smaller that it only had one piece of coal.  He also says that Scrooge is so stingy that he keeps the coal in a his own room under a lock and a key.  That's crazy.  Scrooge is crazy.  In fact, Scrooge is such an awful person that even the blind men's dogs knew him and when they saw him coming, they tugged their blind owners to go a different direction.    Man- this guy is terrible.      Exactly, he's portrayed as ugly, mean, cold and stingy but he seems to be hurting no one but himself.      Well, and the poor clerk that works for him.  True.  Scrooge is a disaster but doesn't realize it.  But he's also kind of funny himself.  When his nephew comes over to invite him to dinner we have a funny exchange.   Let's read this.  Page 5  Again, Dickens goes to a lot of effort to make all of this kind of funny.  And of course, this is very important.  We can't hate Scrooge, if we hate him, then there would be no pleasure in his redemption.  He's not an evil person.  He's a lost person, and as I said and I want to go back to this idea- redemption is the point- the entire point of Christmas really- and the point of this story.  And Dickens gives it this away in the first line as well.  The way Dickens writes his first sentence is grammatically incorrect.  Marley was dead colon to begin with.  That's not now we use colons.  In some versions, and I think maybe the first version, there was a period after dead- making to begin with a rhetorical fragment.  But either way the punctuation tells a story.  And of course, as every English teacher will tell you- in the English language- punctuation is always rhetorical- it always is there to deliver meaning- to show us where ideas stop and start, which ones are connected more significantly to each other- and what is the emphasis of any set of words.  And what is the punctuation doing here- it is forcing us to stop before and after the words – to begin with-  This is a story of beginnings- it is a story of death- we must clearly understand that- but death is not final- it is a story of beginnings.   Of course, that's another reason to write the story as a carol.    Exactly, expand on that thought.  Garry is a musician, and although Dickens was NOT a musician, he did love music and writing the story in staves is not just a clever take on calling the story a carol, but it adds another layer of meaning.  Garry, explain to us what exactly a stave is.      Well, to be honest, a stave isn't exactly the right word musically for a division.  Divisions in music are called verses- a stave is another word for staff.  And the staff is where the music is written.  It's the five parallel horizontal lines that with the clef indicate the pitch of the musical notes.  Also, another important point musically is that the musical notation allows the music to be played on any instrument.  If I can read the music, I can play a song on a guitar, or on the piano or on the violin.      Yes, and so look at the many layers of the metaphor here.  There are five chapters in this book- each called a stave- each stave in our story also has a very different pitch.  If we understand the story, it can be applied to many generations, to many social classes, to many types of people of many cultures.  But, I think there is another interesting idea, at least for me, although we could mine this metaphor for a lot of different things, is that songs are cyclical as well as universal.  Songs are contain loops- like the famous wham song,  How many times do we have to hear, “Late Christmas, I gave you my heart but the very next day, you gave it away”.  Scrooge will get visited by four ghosts- his life will get repeated by each ghost as he goes back and revisits it.  But more importantly, time is meaningless in this story- just as time is meaningless in a song.  Songs are not chronological even if wham loses his love every single stanza- and in fact every single Christmas season all season long.    Time is so central to understanding this book- as it's about endings and beginnings= as it's about childhood and innocence, as it's about starting over and redemption.    Maybe that's why it's impossible to hate Scrooge- he's gotten lost which isn't the same as evil- he's a man of anxiety which we'll talk about next episode- but we can all get lost- we all can be obsessive and anxious-   Exactly, and in that sense there is a little scrooge in all of us-but on the flip side- no one is as crazy as Scrooge- he's the worst case scenario- and what Dickens story points out that hopefully, there is a little of Scrooge's nephew in us too- we can still smile at the cranks of the world.  We  hopefully we have a bit of Bob Cratchet, that's the poor clerk with the on solitary piece of coal- at least Dickens will encourage us to be like the Cratchetts later in the story.  But more importantly than those two male characters, Dickens is going to emphasize and re-emphasize that Christmas is a time where we have to remember there is a child still in each one of us as well.  Next episode, we will start by meeting the ghost of Christmas past, we'll meet Scrooge as a child and we'll meet the array of children that populate this book.  Again, a strong sense of cyclical timelessness.    Paul Davis, in his book “The Lives and Times of Ebenezer Scrooge” quotes another Victorian writer who was a contemporary of Charles Dickens- Theodore Watts-Dunton.  In his book he quotes a story Dunton would tell- who knows how true it is, but it's a cute story.  According to Dunton he was walking down Drury Lane near Covent Garden Market on June 9th on the year of Dickens death and he overheard a Cockney barrow-girl's reaction to the news of the great novelist's death: ‘Dickens dead? Then will Father Christmas die too?'”     That's such a cute quote- and of course, Dickens would like to say, of course not, “I'm standing in the spirit at your elbow” every time you read A Christmas Carol.        

On the eighth day of Christmas my Chattin' Flicks sent to me... The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017). Contact us on @ChattinFlicks on facebook, instagram, twitter and Email: ChattinFlicks@hotmail.com. #ChattinFlicks #24DaysOfChristmas --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/chattinflicks/message

We brocast about the not Christmas Christmas movie “The Man Who Invented Christmas”. We talk a change in format for someone's final holiday pick.

We continue our 2021 holiday season with a review of "Klaus," the award-winning animated movie for Netflix which takes a new and unexpected spin on the origin of Santa Claus, involving a postman, a woodsman, and a frigid island town. - Who called out one co-host for the mispronunciation of "cinematography" (it wasn't Joanna this time)? - Which co-host enjoyed the "family feud" aspect of the movie? - Which co-host appreciated the new animation techniques which led to this movie's unique & amazing visual style? - Which co-host appreciated the sound design of the movie (surround sound made good enough for one week in theaters before its move to Netflix)? - What did Dave's kids Evangalyne (8) and Josephine (4) think about the movie? *** They join us briefly to let you know. :) *** - Who is she talking about when one child says, "I think he's _____"? Oooohh, what's the missing word? You'll have to listen to find out. ;) - What exactly happens to Klaus in the end? We discuss. - Which co-host was disappointed that, after this movie got considerably better, it then fell into a massively formulaic cliche, over-done by way too many movies & TV shows (but then recovered again soon after)? - Which two co-hosts had separate issues with the music in the movie? - Just how bad were the lightning rounds this week? - What exactly is Todd's job (still not revealed, so more accurately, what is his job...not)? Which two co-hosts got it wrong? And, who really cares? - What result of the Christmas Wheel of Insanity was so controversial we re-rolled the wheel for the first time ever (other than repeats)? How many of us weren't happier with the 2nd spin? And, did we keep the 1st spin, 2nd spin, definitely both, or maybe both? Listen now for the answers to these and other snow-covered questions. Grab your stamps, envelopes, paper, writing utensils, sleigh, reindeers, and toy-making tools, as we spread the cheer of...Klaus. Check out our other holiday themed episodes: reviews of "Muppet Christmas Carol" (#028) and Gremlins (#026); our 3-part, radio-play-style, Scrooge-themed Dungeons & Dragons one-shot (#034 to #036); and a review of "The Man Who Invented Christmas" (#080). Stay tuned for our reviews of "Home Alone" and one or both of things we spun on the wheel this week (listen to find out what). (Note: Between a few random wheel spins and now the holidays, we may have gone a little "off-genre" recently. Trust us, there's plenty of science fiction & fantasy topics to explore in 2022.) You can contact us at... - E-Mail: DiscerningGeeks@gmail.com - Twitter: @DiscerningGeeks - Facebook: Discerning Geeks Portal - LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/discerninggeeks Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us. If you give us 1, 2, or 3 stars, your computer will get a nasty virus. Public domain intro/outro music is "enchanting-christmas-carol-with-shepherd-flute-and-humming-angel-choir-10494" by JuliusH via Pixabay.com/music. The lightning round clock music is "quiet-eve-christmas-advent-winter-music-1772" also by JuliusH via Pixabay.com/music. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/discerninggeeks/message

Happy Holidays, everyone! It's the holiday season and what better way to kick off the most wonderful time of year than with an unexpectedly heartwarming look into the mind and heart of the man and classic that has defined the majority of our childhoods. Please, grab an eggnog, a piece of your Christmas feast of choice, and join us as we review The Man Who Invented Christmas! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week, we kick off the holiday season with a review of the 2017 biographical Christmas film, "The Man Who Invented Christmas." We've all heard or seen the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, but this movie takes a different approach and depicts the author, Charles Dickens, in his conceptualization, writing, and publishing of his famous novella, "A Christmas Carol." - Which co-host is the big Charles Dickens fan? - Which co-host couldn't join us because he was sick? And, did we go ahead without him at least partially because it sounds like he didn't enjoy the movie anyway? - Which co-host eventually liked the movie but had some issues with the pacing, especially in the beginning? - Which co-host(s) considered the focus on the author instead of Scrooge to be a refreshing change? - Which co-host most appreciated the depiction of the writing and brainstorming process? - Which co-host(s) believe in the importance of grammar lessons in school and which one(s) don't? - This one's not hard... Which co-host found a way of comparing the movie's version of Charles Dickens to J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5 (the best TV show ever). - Which co-host got us on a tangent talking about creating & playing characters in role playing games? - Which co-hosts are distantly related to each other? - Which co-host felt another co-host's lightning round was the worst lightning round ever? - Which co-host has four Christmas trees, and why? Listen now to find out the answers to these and other festive questions. Grab your parchment, quill, inkwell, and Christmas tree, as well we celebrate and get inspired by...The Man Who Invented Christmas. If you're a fan of Charles Dickens and "A Christmas Carol," we reviewed the stellar family film "Muppet Christmas Carol" last year. That's episode #028. We also played a Dungeons & Dragons one-shot that ended up being an adaptation of the Scrooge story. That's a three-parter across episodes #034 to #036. And, while not related to Dickens and not your typical holiday movie, we also reviewed "Gremlins." That's episode #026. Stay tuned in December for our reviews of the holiday movies "Klaus" and "Home Alone." (Note: Between a few random wheel spins and now the holidays, we may have gone a little "off-genre" recently. Trust us, there's plenty of science fiction & fantasy topics to explore in 2022.) You can contact us at... - E-Mail: DiscerningGeeks@gmail.com - Twitter: @DiscerningGeeks - Facebook: Discerning Geeks Portal Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us. If you give us 1, 2, or 3 stars, your computer will get a nasty virus. Public domain intro/outro music is "o-come-all-ye-faithful-herbei-o-ihr-glaubigen-adeste-fideles-classic-flute-christmas-carol-11221" by JuliusH via Pixabay.com/music. Other music is "Krampus's Workshop" by Kevin MacLeod via FreePD.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/discerninggeeks/message

This week on the pod... Steven pulls a Tiny Tim and continues to lean on his Christmas Carol crutch; Angela can't remember if she played Scrooge or not in college. Subscribe to the pod, rate and review us on iTunes, and follow/spread the word on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!  Or reach us by email imywtpod@gmail.com

In this episode, the two Matts don't do an ad about a product that lets you recover lost ideas, look up facts on-air about classic authors and their works, deliberate about works in one comic book media universe versus another, and talk about planning your lead characters in the next of our set about pre-planning before your draft. What are some aspects to keep in mind? How much of yourself can you put into your character? How does planning your characters work for new writers versus experienced ones? We discuss it all, with two wonderful lead characters with actual Hollywood-worthy bods, and talk about Harry Potter, The Man Who Invented Christmas, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the Arrowverse.  Have any feedback or questions for our hosts? Email us at mattd@matthewdonaldcreator.com. Also you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

I promise the title of today's episode is not clickbait. Our guest, Wayne Godfrey is a British film producer, CEO of fintech platform, Purely Capital, and expert film financier who've raised nearly $325 million for more than 120 independent feature films. Wayne founded Purely Capital in 2018 to enables film and TV rights owners a way to accelerate payments from years to days, for their content from streaming platforms.This year, he became a mentor at Creative Futures Collective in the UK to contribute to unearthing the next generation of creative industry leaders from disenfranchised backgrounds and empower them to break cycles of systemic inequalities they've experienced.He's credited as executive producer for numerous independent feature films, including , The Man Who Invented Christmas, Robert Rodriguez's Sin City, Martin Scorsese's Silence and Joe Carnahan's Boss Level. An undeniably impressive career Wayne has built as a ‘problem solver in film procurement investment - a long way from DJ-ing around London as a young guy with only a deep interest and some skill in sound production.Some of his other key production credits include The Foreigner.THE FOREIGNER, starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan, is a timely action thriller from the director of “Casino Royale.” The film tells the story of humble London businessman Quan (Chan), whose long-buried past erupts in a revenge-fueled vendetta when the only person left for him to love -- his teenage daughter -- is taken from him in a senseless act of politically-motivated terrorism.In his relentless search for the identity of the terrorists, Quan is forced into a cat- and-mouse conflict with a British government official (Brosnan), whose own past may hold clues to the identities of the elusive killers.It was really cool getting Wayne's perspective on what he considers as the pillars of a successful film from a marketing POV to thrive in the current diluted and competitive marketplace. He points out that a great story, recognizable talent, and capital can determine a film's success right out of the gate. I know it has not been smooth for a lot of indie filmmakers during these COVID times and I promise, there is something in this conversation for everyone because Wayne doesn't speak only from a marketing standpoint, but he understands extensively, the development, negotiating, and production structures of film financing are always an assuring point of sale for filmmakers.Enjoy my eye-opening conversation with Wayne Godfrey.

I talk about The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) starring Dan Stevens and The Current War (2017) starring Benedict Cumberbatch

Hello and welcome to Take2 Actors Agency, The Podcast! We are the podcast that strives to breakdown the apparent barriers between 'us' and 'them', between the aspiring and those working in the TV & Film industry. We chat with actors, casting director, casting agents, directors & producers to find our the best pieces of advice that have helped them succeed in the industry. In this episode we chat with Pamela Hughes. Pamela has been in the TV & Film industry since 1988. throughout that time she has worked as an actor, a drama teacher and a casting agent. She now proudly owns South Dublin's longest running drama school. Over the years Pamela has fostered strong relationship with casting directors and has had clients appear in TV shows like Game of Thrones, Vikings, Ripper Street & Miss Mogul, and feature films including Birthmarked, Muse & The Man Who Invented Christmas, as well as too many commercials to mention! Follow us on socials: Website: www.take2agency.com Instagram: @take2actorsagency Facebook: Take2 Online Acting School Twitter: Take2 Actors Agency & Acting School

In this week's show we answer three questions from Tasso, Lily and Mia with help from special guest expert Dan Stevens. Dan Stevens is an English actor who now lives in America, he shot to fame in Downton Abbey and has since been in The Man Who Invented Christmas, Night at the Museum and Eurovision. Dan tells us all about why actors love a stage to perform on as well as why they wear make up and costumes plus we find out about the history of make up including how our cousins, the Neanderthals wore make up 50,000 years ago! We find out how many people there are in the world right now and how many there are likely to be in the future as well as how many babies were born today! In answering Mia's question we find out that there aren't even numbers of boys born as girls and why that is. Social media:Instagram: @everythingunderthesunpodTwitter: @everythingutsFacebook: @everythingunderthesunbyMollyOldfieldWebsite: www.everythingunderthesun.co.ukFind out how to submit an answer on our website.Molly Oldfield studied History at Oxford before becoming a QI elf, writing and researching questions for the BBC quiz show for twelve years. She has written three books. They are The Secret Museum, a book about all the things that are in museums that rarely, if ever, go on display; Wonders of the World's Museums filled with things you can see, and Natural Wonders of the World about all kinds of creatures and places on our beautiful planet we call home. This podcast will also be published as Everything Under the Sun – A Year of Curious Questions in September 2021 by Ladybird at Penguin Random House. Dan Stevens twitter: @thatdanstevensWith thanks to Ash Gardner, Tyler Simmons Dale and Audio Networks See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Known as "The Man Who Invented Christmas", Charles Dickens' life was full of hardships and poverty. But he was able to channel the fear and hard times into his books. Today we discuss his most adapted novel- "A Christmas Story", as well as Dickens' life and the lasting and cultural impact of his beloved book. Weird History: The Eggnog Riots You can contact us at: historyexplainsall@gmail.com anchor.fm/historyexplainsall instagram.com/historyexplainsitall_podcast Links for our sources, photos & maps can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/historyexplainsitall Music used: "Wish Background" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Logo design by Katelyn Meade-Malley: Portfolio Link: projectk2.portfoliobox.net/ LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/katelynn-meade-malley-134485102 Fiverr: fiverr.com/projectk2 Disclaimer: Neither host is any way a professional historian. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/historyexplainsall/message

This week we will be discussing the Man Who Invented Christmas. A story about Charles Dickens. To write in an answer to the Movie line, email themoviescore20@gmail.com

In this installment of Mr. Winter's Christmas Corner, we learn "How Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" and created a tradition."

The Two Gay Geeks have another of our chats with each other. This time we take a look at Start Trek: Voyager after completing our rewatch recently. Hear what we have to say on watching the series again and our take on how Voyager fits in the Star Trek Universe. Hopefully, we won't bore you to tears with our geekiness. :-) Have a listen and we hope you enjoy this as much as we did.   About The Two Gay Geeks Ben and Keith are The Two Gay Geeks behind TG Geeks Webcast, where our motto is “You name it, We talk about it.” ® Our website, tggeeks.com, is headquarters for our Webcast as well as articles and reviews on a variety of subjects. We cover all aspects of Geek-dom and Nerdery. As our motto implies, we talk about almost anything. We do tend to talk more about the Sci-Fi, Comics, Film, Horror, and Genre, but we have been known to talk about Opera and Disneyland on occasion. We have become passionate about supporting Independent Creators whether that is film, comics, music, or authors we are always open to talking with creators of all types. So, come along and join our wildest ride in the podosphere. About Star Trek: Voyager ☀☀☀ The Federation starship USS Voyager, chasing a band of Maquis rebels, enters the dangerous space nebula known as the Badlands. Both ships are transported by a distant space probe to the Delta Quadrant, 75,000 light-years from Federation space. Voyager's crew and the Maquis form an uneasy truce to rescue crewmen of both ships, kidnapped by the probe's builder, the powerful, dying Caretaker. The Maquis ship is destroyed in a battle with the warlike Kazons. To prevent a Kazon aggression against a helpless world, Voyager destroys the space probe. Without the probe, it will take 75 years for Voyager to travel back to Federation space. With the differences between them rendered meaningless by time and distance, The Federation and Maquis crews unite aboard Voyager. Together, they embark on their new mission: to boldly go - home.   DVD #AD   Prime Video - Free with Amazon Membership #AD ❀❀❀❀ In our second segment, we chat about The Man Who Invented Christmas and segued into Doctor Who Christmas specials. We also highlight recent articles posted to the tggeeks.com in the past week. As always we have our birthdays and we have the ever-popular feedback segment. We welcome your feedback. Please, let us know what you think. Good or bad, we want to know and you could receive a shoutout in the feedback segment. Thank you for listening, we really do appreciate you taking time out of your day to spend with us.     Our YouTube channel is audio only:   Show Notes / Links: TG Geeks Episode 302 TG Geeks Episode 303 Ben's Breakdown of the Frasier Episode (The Apparent Trap) Russ Emanuel Launches Indiegogo Campaign for New Film, Staycation Matcha & Vanilla drops original Christmas Carol Nerdy Chupacabra #025 Ben's Holiday Breakdown | Jingle All The Way may not have you Laughing All The Way Andrea's Angle | I'm Your Woman Has Rich Characters, But Is Slow on Pacing Andrea's Angle | Wild Mountain Thyme Is Both Perfectly Irish and Perfectly Charming Impossible to Imagine | A Review by Craig Hoffman Ben's Holiday Breakdown | An American Christmas Carol     Visit Hero Within Store    Visit Uncharted Regions Website  Thank You to our Web Hosting Partner Visit Hero Within Store Travel To Uncharted Regions Technorama Podcast Featured Podcast     Thank You: The Arkle Times Post Dispatch News - The Human Arkle on Twitter @arkle --- Be sure to take a look at Arkle's other venture: Arkle Studios presents Shameless Cash Grab Special thanks go the Facebook Group moderators of "Gay Geeks Afterhours" for encouraging us to share our content there, and there URL is www.facebook.com/groups/gaygeeksafterhours/. Here's a special shout out to “The Gay Geek” for graciously allowing us to post ...

Twitter: @twpwkThis episode is our 2020 holiday gift giving guide. If you holiday shop like we holiday shop, entirely out of the Sharper Image catalog, you're gonna love this episode. Need an electronic hand massager? How about a fake pet that makes noises, or a turkey carving knife that looks like a chainsaw? Obviously, we all need all of these things. We go through the Sharper Image catalog and provide helpful commentary.NewsA fourth monolith!RecommendationsThe Man who Invented Christmas20oz Yeti RamblerShameless PlugsWealthfront - Fund an account with this link and get $5,000 managed for free!For coffee drinkers:Mike's coffee company: Bookcase CoffeeFor investors:Jeff's software: The Bubble BoardFor restaurant managers:Mike's startup: Dashy DashFollow UsTwitter: @twpwkYoutubeiTunesSpotifyStitcherGoogle PodcastsPocket CastsOvercast

Twitter: @twpwkThis week we discuss Uber's decision to sell off it's driverless car business so they can hire them back as independent contractors, fleeting tweets, updates on the Boeing 737Max (Checkout TWPWK episode 24), apple making some concessions to it's app store developers, and another entry into the services of covid market disruptions - recycled paper. NewsUber reportedly in talks to sell its autonomous vehicle businessTwitter's disappearing tweets, called Fleets, are now available for everyoneBoeing 737 MAX cleared to fly by FAAApple will reduce App Store cut to 15% for most developers starting January 1stSurge in food and package deliveries during the pandemic is recharging U.S. market for recycled paper and cardboardRecommendationsHow To with John WilsonThe Man Who Invented ChristmasShameless PlugsFor coffee drinkers:Mike's coffee company: Bookcase CoffeeFor investors:Jeff's software: The Bubble BoardFor restaurant managers:Mike's startup: Dashy DashFollow UsTwitter: @twpwkYoutubeiTunesSpotifyStitcherGoogle PodcastsPocket CastsOvercast

The WVM team joins a cast of characters harassing Charles Dickens as he tries to write “A Christmas Carol.” Some surprisingly good fodder for worldview discussion in an otherwise boring movie.

The Man Who Invented Christmas is another take on The Christmas Carol but from the perspective of Charles Dickens. This movie portrays Mr. Dickens, Dan Stevens, as a man who just loves giving all his money away! Too much so that he has to ensure his latest Christmas novel is a hit or else his […]

One hundred and seventy-four years ago, a British writer was horrified at the conditions under which children were made to labor in tin mines. He decided to write a pamphlet exposing these conditions. His intended title: “An Appeal to the People of England on Behalf of the Poor Man's Child.” Thank heavens the writer changed his mind. Instead of a pamphlet, he decided to write a novel making the same points. It's filled with colorful characters—including an old man who goes about snarling “Bah, Humbug!” Those two little words instantly reveal what book I'm talking about: “A Christmas Carol,” by the immortal Charles Dickens. The book has never been out of print—and it illustrates why telling a good story is often the best way to communicate our beliefs. Why does “A Christmas Carol” still resonate today? For the answer, I went to my friend Gina Dalfonzo, editor of Dickensblog. She told me “A Christmas Carol “is a book that “has everything: great sorrow and great joy, corruption and redemption, poverty and pain, hope and love.” And “it expresses the deep belief that even the worst person can change for the better.” “A Christmas Carol” is not merely a magnificent story, and its message is not confined to a “social gospel” teaching: Dickens points directly to Christ throughout. For example, Scrooge's nephew, Fred, suggests that perhaps nothing about Christmas can be “apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin.” And Tiny Tim expresses the hope that when people saw his lameness, “It might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk and blind men see.” This is, Gina points out, “a wonderful example of the biblical idea of God's strength being made perfect in our weakness.” Dickens' classic shoots down the idea—prevalent in some Christian circles—that reading novels is a waste of time. They seem to forget that Jesus Himself was a master storyteller. For instance, He didn't just say, “Come to the aid of those who need help.” Instead, He told a vivid story about a Samaritan who rescues a wounded man. Chuck Colson once said that when it came to learning moral lessons, he was “much more impressed by profound works of fiction than by abstract theological discourses.” Scenes from some of the greatest stories ever told, he said, “have etched moral truths deeply into my soul. Their characters and lessons are so vivid I can't forget them.” And that is likely why so many of us will never forget the moral truths told through Ebenezer Scrooge, Fezziwig, Tiny Tim, and all the other memorable characters that populate Dickens' great Victorian tale. It's why we reject pamphlets that say, “Be nice to the needy” in favor of a good strong character bellowing, “Are there no prisons? [Are there no] workhouses?” Or the ghost of Scrooge's partner, Jacob Marley, howling, “Mankind was my business!”  Dickens' Christmas classic is more popular than ever. There's a new film about how he came to write “A Christmas Carol,” called “The Man Who Invented Christmas.” And a writer named Samantha Silva has just published a novel titled “Mr. Dickens and His Carol.” I do hope you'll take time out to read, or re-read, the original, or read it aloud to your family. Who knows what great good may come of it? And so I end this piece by saying—and you probably knew it was coming—“God bless us, everyone.”  

A Christmas Carol (1843) is the most filmed and televised of Dickens' works. Many will warmly remember the 1951 Alastair Sim version, but how many are aware of A Carol for Another Christmas (1964), a propaganda film produced in support of the UN, or The Passions of Carol (1975), which attempted to highlight the evil of the pornography industry? How do the different versions reflect the politics and culture of their own particular times? What makes a good Carol movie? Is it truth to the original or is it something else?A lecture by Christine L. Corton 10 DecemberThe transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/a-christmas-carolGresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Pastor Andy Davis preaches a sermon on Matthew 2:1-12 and explores the Magi's visit to Jesus Christ. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - The most famous, miraculous sign in the Old Testament was the burning bush. As Moses was tending his father-in-law, Jethro's sheep, and he saw this amazing sight that broke all the laws of physics. How this bush was burning, but not consumed. Well, I want you to imagine a similar scenario in which you are hiking out West, let's say you're out in the Rockies and you're hiking up a steep mountain and you're going through the woods and you're getting tired, it's hot, and suddenly you hear a rushing mountain stream, vigorous rushing mountain stream. And so you make your way through the woods to the stream, only when you get there, you see something you can't... It defies all the laws of nature, all the laws of physics. The stream's going up the mountain. What would you think? What would you think if you stood there? You'd be like, "I don't know if I would drink from it, I would be so stupefied. I'd be like, "Is it water? Is it healthy? What could I do? What should I do?" I'd just stand there in amazement. Isaiah chapter 2:2 gives a prophecy of the success of the Gospel in that kind of an image. In Isaiah 2:2 it says, "In the last days, the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains. It'd be raised above the hills and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will say in that day, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways and show us his laws, we will walk in the light of His laws. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem and all the nations will see it, and they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, and they will not learn war anymore. Come, oh house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord."” So here's this image of a mighty river flowing up a mountain, the highest mountain in the world, even. How would we explain it? Well, it has to do, I think, with the success of the gospel to the ends of the earth as people come to faith in Christ and they make spiritual pilgrimages to Christ. Spiritual pilgrimages. They don't need to physically go anywhere. And the idea of water running, rushing up a steep mountain defies all the laws of physics, it's not a natural streaming. It's a supernatural streaming. It can only be affected by supernatural forces on the people that are making the pilgrimage. Nothing but a supernatural force will cause them to leave their old way of thinking, to leave their old way of worshipping, their old value system, and make a pilgrimage to Christ to come to Christ. Now for me, I love those stories, I love hearing the stories of how brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the world came to faith in Jesus, especially if there are signal providences, amazing signs, visions, dreams, other things involved. A few weeks ago we gave you in an insert, a prayer, a week of prayer, a guide from the IMB. And there was a story in there of a woman given the name Delara from Central Asia. We're not told her country, we're not told her real name. But we are told the circumstances of her, a Muslim woman, coming to faith in Christ. She had a dream and in that dream she saw a structure she'd never seen before and three men there in front of that structure who she didn't know. But in the dream, she knew one person, Jesus, and Jesus lifted her up in her dream, out of her bed, set her on her feet, and invited her to come to this building. And then she woke up. Within the next week, she was in a certain part of the city and there she saw the building and it was a church. She'd never been there before, but it was definitely that place. And she went inside and the three men were there, including one man who spoke to her and led her to Christ. Now, I'm gonna get to heaven, I'm gonna hear 100 million stories like that, of how the nations streamed up against all odds, against every inclination of the sinful human heart, against all of the teachings of their native religions, whatever they were, to come to faith in Christ. A few weeks ago, I was meeting with a woman who is serving as a missionary in North Africa, in a Muslim country in North Africa. She told me a similar story, this is remarkable. Of a man who came to faith in Christ, a Muslim man, who had just within the last year been a member of an ISIS cell group, preparing... And he was preparing for a suicide bombing mission. And he was training and preparing for this. And he was told he had to go to Mecca, make his Hajj, his pilgrimage to Mecca, to purify himself for his entry into paradise. So he went on the pilgrimage, but when he got there he could find no transportation to the Kaaba, the Black Stone that all the Muslims go around seven times counter clock-wise, that's the consummation of their pilgrimage. He couldn't get there, he couldn't get... I don't know, from the airport or exactly, I don't know the details, but he couldn't get there. There was no bus, there was no taxi, there was no way to get there. Finally, this little bus comes and the door opens and there's this man there, and he says, "I'm trying to get to the Kaaba" and this man looks at him for a long time, doesn't say anything, just looks and he says, "You're going the wrong direction." "Beg your pardon?" "You're going the wrong direction." That's all he said. Door closed, drives off. Wow, that was unnerving. He somehow found a way to complete his Hajj, went back to his home country. A few weeks before he was to die in a murderous suicide bombing in the name of Allah. He went to the home of a Christian for dinner, someone he knew, and when he got there, on the wall, there was a picture there of the Last Supper. He was immediately fascinated, he said, "Who is that man in the middle?" "Well, that's Isa, that's Jesus." He said, "No, that was the driver of that bus." Now, you're like, "What did Jesus look like?" And don't go there. It doesn't matter. What matters is that was the man he saw. And he knew what he was doing was sinful, it was wrong. He knew he was going the wrong way, he had no peace in his heart. And so, from the Muslim context of honor and respect for Jesus, even beyond that, to the fact that Jesus actually is not merely a prophet who did miracles, but actually God in the flesh, he was led to faith in Christ. And then told the rest of the story to his brothers and sisters there in his home country. Now for me, I love to hear those kinds of stories, I wanna know what God does to bring someone from point A to point B, to bring them to faith in Christ. Now, the account we're gonna read today of the Magi is one of the first such stories, maybe the first, of a pilgrimage made from a distant land by Gentiles, pagans, to come to worship Jesus. And so we're gonna walk through that this morning. I. Endless Fascination with the Magi Now, we have an endless fascination with the Magi, which is part of the Christmas scene, and we are interested in it. And so you're probably wanting to know what I'm going to say about the Magi, you're hoping I'm not gonna touch too sharply on your nativity set. Well, I'm probably gonna mess with your nativity set a little bit, and mine too. But we're gonna find out about the Magi. Now, Christmas is filled with all kinds of images and we know it's powerful, it's a powerful force in our culture. Very strong feelings. Some of those forces are good, some are not so good. Christian parents would do well to saturate the minds of their children in the theological truths of the birth of Christ, to tell them the truth about who Jesus was. You heard Wes reading John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." He was with God in the beginning, all things were made through him. A number of verses later, verse 14, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of the only begotten, from the Father, full of grace and truth." A few verses after that, "The law was given through Moses, grace, and truth came through Jesus Christ." "Christian parents would do well to saturate the minds of their children in the theological truths of the birth of Christ, to tell them the truth about who Jesus was." We're not wondering who he's talking about at all in John 1. So for us as Christian parents, to just saturate the minds of our children and say, "Teach them this, teach them who Jesus is, that He is God in the flesh." And teach them why he came. 1 Timothy 1:15, "This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst." That's a great verse, year-round. Cherish that verse. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the worst. If you ever feel like the worst sinner, that's your verse. That's why he came. Now, the biblical images of Christ are powerful enough to consume our imaginations, our minds for the rest of our lives. We don't need all of the other myths and legends. Luke 1:30-33, which we looked at last week a little bit, where the angel Gabriel said, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor or grace with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of his father, David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever." Son of God, Son of David, the incarnation. And then the angel appearing to the shepherds outside Bethlehem, "Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born for you." Isn't that powerful? A savior for you, and he is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you, you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. So this is the theology of Christmas, the incarnation, the idea that God became human and came to save us from our sins. Now we know that there are overwhelming images, many of them secular, lining up with Christmas. I'll like to count all of the different phrases that you hear on the radio as you're listening to seasonal music. So it is the most wonderful time of the year. Silver bells. I've personally never seen chestnuts roasting on an open fire, I don't know what happens. I would picture they would explode, but I don't know. And then you've got the other weird things that entered somewhere around when I was a little kid, like the Grinch and the Snow Queen and the elves and all that sort of stuff that come in with those TV programs that come in every year. Then you've got Ebenezer Scrooge and the three ghosts, past, present and future. I saw recently, a movie, The Man Who Invented Christmas. Some of you have seen that, about Dickens and the circumstances of him writing The Christmas Carol. And it's just striking how unimportant Christmas was in Victorian England back before that time. But it was really Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and then Dickens in the story that made it huge. So just all of these images. And then there are other threads that are theological, like the hymn we just sang, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is the most... I think the most theologically rich Christmas carol we ever sing. "Christ by highest heaven adored Christ the everlasting Lord. Laid in time, behold him come, offspring of a virgin's womb. Veiled in flesh, the godhead, see. Hail the incarnate deity." Incarnate deity. "Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel." What you may not realize is Charles Wesley wrote maybe dozens of verses to that and those were the best. The four that we know are the best. Wes chose a few extra. Where did you find those? You have to ask him. Where did you find out about the second Adam? That was amazing. But I know that Charles Wesley wrote more than made it in the hymnal. Very rich and powerful, and so we should saturate ourselves in it. Now when we come to the Magi, there are lots of misconceptions. So here I have to go there, I have to talk about the nativity sets. So there we see Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, the shepherds, that's all good. A barn, maybe, might have been in a cave, but barn, manger, fine. And there they are, the three kings, alright? And they're in rich kingly robes and they've all got different ornate boxes and they're offering... I've got it too. I set it out every year without any pangs of conscience at all. Now honestly, the number of the Magi is unclear. Because they gave three gifts we think there are three of them, we don't know. The Magi are not in any way said to be kings in the account. They're Magi. Talk about what that means in a moment. Those two misconceptions come together in a very famous Christmas carol, "We Three Kings... " You know that one, "We three Kings of Orient are bearing gifts, we traverse afar. Field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star." In the 14th century, a cleric named John of Hildesheim wrote a work called "The History of The Three Kings." So you can look it up, you can get some of the text online, it's public domain at this point. He included some details about the star they followed, details that are not found in the Bible. He gave us their three names, Melchior, Balthasar, and Gaspar. They were said to be kings of Ind, Chaldea, and Persia. They chanced to meet on the outskirts of Jerusalem, all of them guided by the star, they bumped into each other and then they proceeded together to Bethlehem where they presented their gifts. They departed back together to the border of the ancient realm of Ind, where a watchtower is maintained, that's where the star had first been sighted. On and on, this account goes. Turned out that all three of the kings returned to the watchtower on the border of Ind, and there they built a large and ornate tomb for themselves and they all died on the same day and were buried in that tomb. Well, so much for John of Hildesheim's account. In the city of Cologne, Germany, you can go and actually find supposedly the bones of all three kings. So, if you wanna make a pilgrimage to Cologne, Germany, and go to the shrine of the three kings, there are some bones. I don't know whose bones they are, but there are some bones there. But today, I think it's better for us to walk through the biblical account and see what Matthew tells us and what timeless lessons we can take from this beautiful narrative. II. Walking Through the Biblical Account So let's begin at verse 1 of chapter 2 of Matthew. Verses 1-2, "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship Him.'" So this occurs some time after the birth of Christ. The only account we have of that, of course, is Luke 2, which I've already cited a little bit, the account of the shepherds, the angelic visiting, the army, the host of heaven, the glory of God. Here in this text, the time is set as the reign of King Herod, Herod the Great. Herod was a thoroughly evil man. He was paranoid, he was insecure, very powerful. Under his rule, the Temple, the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was refurbished and greatly expanded with mighty stones, the very things that Jesus' apostles pointed out to him right before his death, such that the temple in Jesus' day was called Herod's Temple. He was given the title "King of the Jews," though he actually wasn't Jewish at all, he was Idumean. His father, Herod Antipater, had done some favor for the Romans and as a result, Herod's family was given the right to rule Judea under Roman rule. Herod was a consummate politician. He did everything he could to curry Roman favor and maintain his power. In return, the Roman Senate gave him an army and with it, he expanded his borders into Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. He was ruthless and merciless as a ruler. He slaughtered zealots by the score, any who would cause any trouble to the Romans. He had 10 wives and 12 sons. One of his wives, Mariamne, had a brother named Aristobulus who was the Jewish high priest. Herod the Great thought he was a threat and had him murdered, then he had Mariamne killed as well. He was so paranoid that he had his two eldest sons put to death. His entire life was one of plots and assassinations, all of them geared to keep him in power. One of the final acts of his life was the arrest of some leading citizens of Jerusalem with the command that they be killed the moment he died so that there would be weeping in Jerusalem at the time of his death. He knew very well no one would be weeping for him. So this is the king, this is the setting, this is the one who is in our account. Now, who are the Magi? As we've already said, they almost certainly were not kings, but rather were counselors to kings. The word magi links them directly to the priestly cast of the Medes, those that linked up with the Persians to topple the Babylonian Empire, the Medes, according to the ancient historian, Herodotus. They were active throughout Babylon, Persia and Mesopotamia during the region of the Old Testament. The original Magi were priests of the Zoroastrian religion. Zoroastrianism was the official, the state religion of the Persian Empire. Amazingly, it's still practiced by a very small group in India called the Parsis, who fled when the Muslims took over in Persia, modern-day Iran. Zoroastrianism has some parallels to Judaism, monotheism, animal sacrifice, hereditary priestly cast like the Levites has that, but the religion was essentially satanic because it had a mixture of the occult. They did a lot of witchcraft, sorcery, potions. And especially, they would blend science, would be a legitimate science, chemistry, etcetera, with the occultic issues. So you would have astronomy, which would be the stargazing. When you're looking up at the sky, the night sky and noting the alignment of the stars, the planets, different motions, and the spheres, that's astronomy, science. With astrology, which is taking whatever insights you find from the stars and applying them to current events here on earth or about the future, so that's astrology. And they did both. They were experts at both. They were greatly desired as counselors to kings throughout the ancient Near East, they rose to positions of power in the courts of the kings and the Babylonian and middle Persian and Greek empires. The word magistrate in English comes from them. The Latin word for teacher is Magister also comes from magi. And of course, we get the word magic or magician from them as well. Now, we meet them in the Book of Daniel, and this is very relevant to our story in Daniel chapter 2. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and he wanted to know what it meant, and the Magi were experts at interpreting dreams. They frequently would write down interpretations of dreams, a scheme that you would take when you see these symbols. They had whole libraries of Dream Interpretations. Nebuchadnezzar didn't trust them as far as he could throw them. So in order to confirm that they could give a right interpretation of his dream, he wanted them to tell him what his dream was, the content of the dream and then he would give them permission to interpret it, this is all in Daniel chapter 2. And so he calls the men in Daniel 2:2, the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to tell them what he had dreamt. None of them could do it. But God revealed the content of the dream and its meaning to Daniel and his friends as they fasted and prayed throughout the night. And it had to do with the flow of human history, it was a statue with a head of gold and chest and arms of silver and belly and thighs of bronze and legs of iron and feet, partly iron, partly clay. It was a statue and it had to do with the unfolding of human empires, one empire succeeding the next. And at the end, the interpretation of that, Daniel 2:44 says, "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever?" An eternal kingdom. And every kingdom needs a king. So we're talking about an eternal king of an eternal kingdom. And it's quite possible that Daniel, and perhaps other Jews and succeeding generations kept these prophecies, these Jewish prophecies alive in that region of the world, and it's specifically among the cast of the Magi. The Magi speak in this text of one born King of the Jews. No one is born King. You can be born the crown prince, the heir to the throne, but Jesus is born a King, and that's prophecy, there was no baby gonna be born in Palestine who would be born King of the Jews. And so that's all got to do with prophecy. So we see this rich heritage of dreams and stars and Jewish prophecies perhaps coming together. And look at verse two, at the star they had seen. "Where is the one they said who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship Him." Magi were stargazers, astronomers and astrologers, both. They were led by dreams and visions and they also had these prophecies. And suddenly, this celestial portent comes up in the skies. You would imagine a larger, more radiant, more glorious, different, don't know, just different caught their attention, never seen anything like it before. It appeared. Either in the East or it's rising, can't tell from the Greek. But it had the ability to move and it was the kind of thing that you would want to follow if you're into that type of thing, where you thought that the celestial portent meant something for the future on Earth. And they did believe that. And so clearly, they started to move and they started to follow this star. Now many have wondered, tried to figure out what this thing was. They link it to Jupiter or the moons of Jupiter or a comet. I don't think any of those explains actually what the star did. Its ability to move, to lead people, to... It wasn't moving rapidly like a shooting star. It was just... The journey would have taken a long time, weeks. And it had the ability to stop over a specific place in Bethlehem and identify where the baby Jesus was. If you look at verse 9, it says, "The star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was." All I can do is speculate, I can imagine it was an angel or something, they're sometimes likened to stars or just an inanimate light that had these attributes similar to, let's say the pillar of fire that led the Jews out of bondage in Egypt. A light that would go at night and lead them on and identify a specific house where the baby was. Now, when they come with this question, this question disturbs Herod. Look at verse 3, "When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed. He was turbulent within him and all Jerusalem with him." This is no surprise, from what you've already heard about Herod, how paranoid he was, how zealous to hold on to his throne... What would it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? Willingness to give up. Whoever finds his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. If he said, let him have my throne, I wanna worship Him, everything would have been different, but that wasn't his nature. And specifically the phrase, "Where is the one born King of the Jews?" That was his title. He was jealous for it, he was shaken deeply and he shakes Jerusalem with him. I don't know what that means, but we can imagine. So he calls in the scholars in verses 4-6 to ask a biblical question. "When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem, in Judea, they replied, for this is what the prophet has written." But you, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be shepherd of my people, Israel."" So this is amazing, these chief priests, scribes, coming together and they've got the right Bible answer ready to go. And they know exactly where the Messiah is to be born, they've got the right biblical answer. Don't you wonder why they didn't go and look for themselves? It's not a long trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, why not go and find out? But they had no interest in it. So they've got the right prophecy, the Jewish religion was all set up with the prophecies, but they didn't think they were being fulfilled. And this becomes a pattern that's lasted to our present day. Accurate thinking about the prophecies, but not thinking they've been fulfilled in Jesus. And so they didn't go anywhere. Now, at this time, we are putting the accounts together, the census was going on, populations were moving to their ancestral homes, and those of the household of David, the lineage of David, were going to Bethlehem, the city of David. And so this was all going on. Now, the words of the prophecy come from Micah chapter 5:1-2. And it speaks there of a ruler whose origins are from ancient times, from eternity past. And he's gonna come in and be a ruler who will shepherd the people of Israel. What a beautiful prophecy and a prediction. Well, Herod hears this, he's got the location, he's got this shocking turn of events of Magi saying that a baby has been born king of the Jews. So this paranoid, wicked tyrant is not gonna let this sit. He was an evil man, but he was hardly passive, he was not lazy or indolent. He was a man of action. He was a doer. And so he hatches a plan to use the Magi to lead him to the baby. Look at verses 7-8, "Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. [He's got the location, now he needs the time. Verse 8] He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me so that I too may go and worship him." Well, obviously, we know his intentions are dark, he had no intention of worshipping this child. He knew the general location, the vicinity, but he didn't know exactly where this baby was and he wanted to know the timetable. 'Cause we know exactly what he's going to do, he's gonna try to kill this child. He's gonna search for the child to try to kill him. Well, "After they had heard the king, [verse 9] and they went on the way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was." So we've got this moving, heavenly, glorious being, angel or star moving on ahead and they follow the short distance from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. And it stops and it illuminates, verse 11, it speaks of a house. So again, sorry for your nativity set. But the baby is in a house at this point. Which house? They didn't have addresses back then, they didn't have numbers on the houses, so it's helpful to have a heavenly column of light, don't you think? Illuminating the house, just like your Christmas card show. I think that's probably exactly what happened. "This is the house, go here." It's incredible. And so the house is glowing with a heavenly light and so they go there. And it's identified in verse 10, I love this, "When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." Oh, how I love meditating on that. The purpose of all of this is your joy in the glory of God. That's what's going on here. That you would be redeemed out of dark idolatrous wicked thoughts to find joy in the glory, the radiant glory of almighty God, salvation. The joy of salvation, that's what we've got here in verse 10. That's the whole reason for Jesus coming, as it says in Luke 2:10 and 11, the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord." Isaiah 9 speaks beautifully of this incredible joy that should be filling our hearts. It says in Isaiah 9, "You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy. They rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing up the plunder. For to us, a child is born, to us, a son is given. The government will be on His shoulders. Great joy and enlarging of a nation's prosperity, the beauty of a harvest and of the military conquest." Sheer unadulterated happiness, that's what it's all about. I know we've seen many times that saying, "Wise Men Still Seek Him." I was thinking about that yesterday, I was thinking about that statement, "Wise Men Still Seek Him", it's like, yes, but they only seek him because He first sought them. We love because He first loved us, we seek because he first seeks us. It says in John chapter 4, "These are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks." He seeks us, he sought the Magi where they were living. He brought these compelling forces into their lives to get them to get up and move and go and find Jesus. So the real wisdom to seek Jesus comes from God ultimately from him first, and so they sought him and they found him and they found him at a... Joy, overwhelming joy. But what I find so amazing is how little they know about Jesus and His mission at that point. I think they're just happy at coming to the end of their journey. They found the baby, they saw the King who has been born, the King of the Jews, but the joy is infinitely greater for them now. They bowed down and worshipped this baby based on a very small amount of information. We know more now, don't we? We know all of the reasons why Jesus came, at least those recorded in scripture, we know what he came to do. And so how much greater should our joy be? I was praying this morning as I was preparing to preach, I was like, "Oh God, just give me the ability to communicate the words of scripture in such a way that God's people, my brothers, and sisters would feel the joy they should feel." You should have a foretaste of joy that cuts through all of the materialism, all of the business and all of the cares and grieve that are attended to 12 months a year of sickness and death and sorrow and sin. Just let all of those things slip off you. Some day, if you're a Christian, someday they're all gonna slip off you. You're gonna leave them behind like Elijah left his cloak behind. You're gonna just be ascended up into heaven and you're gonna be free and you're gonna celebrate, and you're gonna be learning Jesus up in heaven. These Magi knew very little about this baby and what he had come to do, but they were still filled with joy. Verse 10, "When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." "And then they bowed down... " Verse 11, "On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary and they bowed down and worshipped him." This worship is the point of our salvation, God sent his Son into the world to free us from empty idols. To serve the living and true God. And to worship Christ is to worship the living God. Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." "God sent his Son into the world to free us from empty idols. To serve the living and true God. And to worship Christ is to worship the living God." So we can say, anyone who worships Christ through him worships the Father. And so they worshiped him. And then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. These gifts represent sacrificial worship. They're costly to the Magi and therefore acceptable to God. Practically, it could be that Joseph sold them and used them to pay for their time in Egypt. Joseph and Mary were not wealthy. Then the Magi were warned in another dream in verse 12 not to go back to Herod and they returned to their country by another route. Now we know the tragic epilogue, the rest of the chapter. God warns Joseph in a dream to get up and take the child and his mother, and he got up during the night and fled for their lives to Egypt. So it could be fulfilled the prophecy out of Egypt, I called my Son, but then Herod realizing he had been outwitted by the Magi was enraged and sent soldiers to Bethlehem and to its vicinity to kill all the boy babies that were two years old and under in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. A terrible tragedy, fulfilling the words of Jeremiah the prophet, "A voice is heard of lamentation weeping, great mourning. Rachel, weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they are no more." So isn't it amazing how we go from incredible joy in verse 10, exceeding joy to incredible lamentation by the end of the chapter? Jesus was a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. He had to weigh down into our misery, in our sorrow and sin and death and bring us up out into lasting joy. Alright, that's the account. Let's just look at some timeless lessons by way of application. "Jesus was a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. He had to weigh down into our misery, in our sorrow and sin and death and bring us up out into lasting joy." III. The Timeless Spiritual Significance First of all, the Magi represent first fruits from the Gentile nations. God has a saving intention to every tribe and language and people and nation. And instead of them coming to the promised land, the Old Covenant was a come-and-see type of religion. Where the Queen of Sheba came from the ends of the earth to see Solomon's wisdom and glory. The new covenant is a go-and-tell kind of religion, where from Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth the message goes out. And so the Magi are first fruits of that in Matthew 8:11, it says, "I say to you, many will come from the east and the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." Psalm 22 predicted it. 27 through 29, it says, "Now all the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him. For dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship. All who go down to the dust will kneel before Him", those who cannot keep themselves alive, they're gonna bow down before him and worship him, Psalm 22. Isaiah 66, almost at the very end of that incredible prophecy, verse 19, it says, "I will set a sign among them and I will send some of those who survive to the nations, to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians, famous as archers, to Tubal and Greece and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory and they will proclaim my glory among the nations." That's missions. And so God overruled the false religion of the Magi and compelled them physically to go. But now no one needs to go anywhere. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, "You don't need to make any pilgrimages anymore, neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem." God is Spirit and you can worship him anywhere you want. We have to go and tell. That's all about missions. Jesus said in Luke 24, after his resurrection, this is what is written, that Christ would suffer and rise from the dead. And repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. So the Magi were the first fruits from the Gentiles. Secondly, the star represents supernatural testimony to God, to Christ. God crafted the heavens and made a normal communication of his glory and the stars and the planets and the sun, the moon. And the heavens are telling the Glory of God, it says in Psalm 19, day and night, they display knowledge. Day after day, there's no language where their speech is not heard. So that's natural theology, that's the communication of the existence of a great God. But then, there is one night for the Magi, supernatural, unearthly testimony. Supernatural in breaking to the natural order that led them to change their lives and their way of thinking, their way of worship. And that represents the supernatural communication that is in the scripture. And we are given the word of God to know who Jesus is and what he came to do, how he was born of a virgin, how he was an incarnate God, how he lived a sinless life and did all these signs and wonders and miracles and how he died on the cross and rose from the dead, and how if you believe in Him, if you put your trust in Him, all your sins will be forgiven. That's supernatural, and the two come together. Thirdly, dreams, unusual guidance. I began the sermon with a couple of illustrations of this. I was reading a book called, "Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus", Nabeel Qureshi. I would commend it to you. A tremendous story about how this very intelligent, capable college student, a Muslim, came to faith in Christ. God used three different dreams to kind of finish Nabeel's doubts and concerns coupled with a Christian friend who was continually sharing the gospel with him. So when we get to heaven, we're gonna hear these stories of the streaming of the nations, supernaturally uphill. Can't wait. Fourthly, the prophecies of scripture are God's clearest guidance. Micah 5 tells us where Jesus is to be born. But the most important prophecies in the Old Testament don't have to do with the physical details of Jesus's life, how he was Jewish, how he was born in Bethlehem, etcetera, it has to do with why he came, what he came to do. And of all of the prophecies that described what he came to do, Isaiah 53 is the most important. There it says in verses 2-6, "He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him. There's nothing impressive, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds, we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." That's why he came. There's no text in all the Bible that says it more clearly than that. Jesus came to die in our place that we might live forever. So the question for you is, do you know Him? Have you trusted in Him? That text, Isaiah 53, begins with these words, "Lord, who has believed our message? Or to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" Has the arm of the Lord been revealed to you, to your heart? Do you see in Jesus, your Savior, from the wrath of God? Fifth, the priests represent Jewish indifference. As I mentioned, they couldn't be bothered to go from their study of the scripture to actually see the fulfillment there in Bethlehem. And Paul says that even to this day, a veil covers their hearts whenever scriptures are read, for the greater part of the Jews do not yet believe that Jesus is their Messiah. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive Him. And yet, someday we believe that God is gonna do a supernatural work in the Jewish people and remove that heart of stone and put in a heart of flesh. He's gonna take that veil of blindness away from their eyes and they're gonna see in Christ the glory of God. Sixthly, the king represents royal hostility to the gospel. We live in a world set against Christ where kings and prime ministers and lowly government officials use their positions of influence to try to stop the spread of the Gospel, it's happening in nations all around the world: Communist nations, Muslim nations, atheistic, secular nations, Hindu nations, rulers use their positions to try to hinder and stop the spread of the Gospel. It is a futile battle. Psalm 2 says, "Why do the nations conspire and rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One." They say, "Let us break their chains and throw off their fetters." The One enthroned in heaven, what does He do? He laughs. There is nothing these low-level kings can do to stop the spread of the Gospel, but we as Christians, we need to be mindful of that battle and prayerful. When Peter was arrested and put in jail by another King Herod, the church gathered and spent the whole night in prayer for him. So also we Christians who know nothing but religious freedom, at least right now, we do, we should be mindful of the fact that brothers and sisters in Christ are incarcerated in other countries and pray for their release. There are ministries that talk about the persecuted church, find out more, and pray for them. Seventh. The slaughter represents spiritual warfare. I thought I would never have mentioned Revelation 12 in a Christmas sermon again, but here I am, I'm mentioning the fact that Revelation 12 reveals behind the scenes that the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem was motivated by Satan. He hates Jesus, he hates Jesus's people, he hates all humans, and he orchestrated the slaughter of the infants and that struggle is still going on. It is Satan that is moving and pushing these low-level kings and officials and all that to do what they do, he's the puppet master. And so we need to be mindful of the spiritual warfare involved in the Christian life and put on our spiritual armor. IV. Application: The Real Gift of Christmas Eighth. The gifts represent sacrifices of love. Psalm 72, 8-11 says, "He will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. All the Desert tribes will bow down before Him and His enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and distant shores will bring tribute to him, the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him with gifts. All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him." So here are these Magi picturing that, Psalm 72, they're all bowing down before Jesus. And the gold to me represents tribute, the most precious metal there is brought in tribute to this king. It's a sacrifice. And the incense was frequently mingled with sacrifices and would go up in a fragrant offering to God, and this, I think represents the deity of Christ, they're mindful of the deity of Christ. And then the myrrh, of course, was there at Jesus's death when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus used it to wrap him up in cloths. The evidence of his physical resurrection still smelled of myrrh. All of these things are very expensive. They're very costly, they represent the principle of sacrifice and worship. We can't give to Christ a sacrifice that costs us nothing. So you have to ask what does your Christianity cost to you? What costly patterns of service are you involved in? What patterns of outreach and service to alleviate suffering among other people in the world, especially eternal suffering of hell, are you involved in? And if you must answer honestly, not much, if any, at all, then I would urge you to pray. Then in the year 2018, God would give you a pattern of ministry, a regular ministry that will cost you something. It will cost you time, energy and money and will result in the alleviation of suffering, especially eternal suffering through the preaching of the Gospel. Pray for God to give you an identifiable ministry so that a year from now, if I were to say, "What ministry would you say cost you something in sacrificially giving on your part", you'll be able to tell an answer. So if you don't have one, ask God to give you one. One way you can sacrifice now, and we've said it all month, is 'The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering'. I'm a trustee of the International Mission Board, and the missionaries need funds to stay on the mission field, it's literally true that with insufficient funds missionaries are called back and have to enter a different pattern of service here in the States. That's what happened two years ago to balance the budget. So I'm saying going forward, the budget balanced, it's healthy, the IMB is on solid financial ground, but it depends every year on the gifts of Christians like you. So give. Ask the Lord what he would have you to give and give sacrificially. Ninth and finally. Worship is the ultimate purpose. They came to worship Him, they bowed down and worshipped Him. I would suggest that tomorrow, set aside some time to worship Christ. At the name of Jesus, every knee is gonna bow and every tongue is going to swear that Jesus Christ is Lord. Set aside time to worship Christ tomorrow. I just wanna finish with these words. The real gift of Christmas has nothing to do with what you bring to him, has nothing to do with your version of gold or incense or myrrh. The gifts the Magi brought, they were a nice touch and they symbolized our giving to Christ, but honestly, what's far more important is what he gave you or came to give you. The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. And out of Jesus's death flows every gift you'll ever need, full forgiveness of sins. By the shedding of his blood, all your sins are forgiven. Adoption as sons and daughters of the living God. A guaranteed place at the banqueting table with Christ in the new heaven, new earth. Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, a lifetime of good works that he wants you to do. And then a resurrection body just like his that will shine like the sun in the kingdom of your Father. That's what he came to give, far more important than any gift you could ever give to him. Close with me in prayer. Lord, thank you for the time we've had to celebrate with great joy, the truth of Christ being born, the truth of Christ, God incarnated, walking amongst us, the truth of Christ dying in our place on the cross, the truth of his physical resurrection from the dead, his ascension to the right hand of God. Oh God, I pray that you would now fill each of my brothers and sisters in Christ with a sense of supernatural joy, that despite anything they may be going through right now in their lives, that they feel a foretaste through the Holy Spirit, a foretaste of their heavenly inheritance, which is joy in Christ. And Lord, I finally pray for those that walked in here as yet unconverted, speak to them, speak to their hearts, let them know, Lord Jesus, that you are a tender-hearted and merciful Savior and that you can and you will save them of sins if they will simply call on the name of the Lord. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

The Real Christmas Past, Present and Future

Simon Morris checks out James Franco's tribute to a one-of-a-kind director in The Disaster Artist, assesses festive fare The Man Who Invented Christmas and bemoans a lack of surprises in Wonder.

Charles Dickens at first struggles to name his leading man in The Man Who Invented Christmas, Starring Dan Stevens and Christopher Plummer.​

A new Christmas classic on the man who gave Christmas its meaning. How did Dickens write A Christmas Carol? Here you have the answer. The post Bharat Nalluri – The Man Who Invented Christmas #TFF35 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

A new Christmas classic on the man who gave Christmas its meaning. How did Dickens write A Christmas Carol? Here you have the answer. The post Bharat Nalluri – The Man Who Invented Christmas #TFF35 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

A new Christmas classic on the man who gave Christmas its meaning. How did Dickens write A Christmas Carol? Here you have the answer. The post Bharat Nalluri – The Man Who Invented Christmas #TFF35 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

A new Christmas classic on the man who gave Christmas its meaning. How did Dickens write A Christmas Carol? Here you have the answer. The post Bharat Nalluri – The Man Who Invented Christmas #TFF35 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

A new Christmas classic on the man who gave Christmas its meaning. How did Dickens write A Christmas Carol? Here you have the answer. The post Bharat Nalluri – The Man Who Invented Christmas #TFF35 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

A new Christmas classic on the man who gave Christmas its meaning. How did Dickens write A Christmas Carol? Here you have the answer. The post Bharat Nalluri – The Man Who Invented Christmas #TFF35 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

A full Holiday movie special! We review new releases we have already seen, talk about trailers that make us excited and of course start getting pumped for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. All links lead to the movie's trailers. We are joined by past guests and official FOTP (fiends of the pod) Joe Moyer and Nico Mitchell.The Run Down: (Timestamps to avoid spoilers and jump to faves!)Amelia reviews Wonder (3:10)Amelia, Joe and Chris review Pixar's Coco (7:30)Previews of:Thor & Justice League (14:45)The Greatest Showman & The Man Who Invented Christmas (18:37)The Breadwinner (21:54)Star Wars The Last Jedi Hype Squad (26:40)Help Amelia & Chris decide what to see Saturday night December 2nd: Thor or Justice League? Tweet us, Gram us, Email us and help break the stalemate.This episode of the pod is brought to you by Brooklyn Bandanas,If you enjoy The Larry's Pop Pod on iTunes please give us a rating and a review, it really helps! Once we get to 1o reviews we will pick a reviewer at random who will receive a Brooklyn Bandana!You can now listen and subscribe to The Larry's Pop Pod on iTunesSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherOvercast:Follow us on Instagram: thelarryspoppodLike our Facebook pageFollow Chris Larry on Twitter: chrislarry33Find our Spotify playlist Vol. 4. hereFind our Spotify playlist Vol. 3 hereFind our Spotify playlist Vol. 2 hereFind our Spotify playlis Vol. 1 herePlease subscribe, rate and review us on your favorite listening platform! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coco, The Man Who Invented Christmas, and more! Guest: Rick Forchuk - Movie blogger at Rick's Picks

Join Hope and George for a look at what's new this week in theaters and on home video...

We're thankful for many things, but not necessarily the three movies we review this week: Pixar's important but undercooked COCO, the hamfisted retelling of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol inspiration in THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS, and the crowd-pleasing but by-the-numbers feminist activism of THE DIVINE ORDER.

Happy Thanksgiving! On this week’s show I Preview Review Coco and The Man Who Invented Christmas. Follow me on Twitter @Baconknight

On tap:Recap (4:05), Winners & Losers (9:00), Angry Geek-ish Reviews of Justice League (12:30), Coco (16:24), Pixar Washington (21:25), Roman J. Israel, Esq. (23:38), The Man Who Invented Christmas (27:18), Loving Vincent (28:54), Holdovers/BP/WP/Wildcard (33:07), THUNDER ROUND (36:24), Our Turkey's of the 2010's (48:10), FML Community (1:03:04).Note: if downloading this episode, please add 30 seconds to the above timesFollow us on Twitter @fmlmylifepod

Dave and Alonso discuss boom tubes and Christmas let-downs. Subscribe for free (and review us) at iTunes, follow us @linoleumcast on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, if I could make you see. Join our club, won't you? Alonso's DVD pick of the week: BOOK OF LIFE Dave's DVD pick of the week: AQUARIUS

Listen in as we talk about the Wonder, The Man Who Invented Christmas, Coco, Ferdinand, and Home Alone 2. Hosts Gerry O. and Samantha M. are joined by KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Calista, Jolleen, Michelle, Imani, and Raquel. Before you spend your hard earned dollars at the movies, be sure to listen to what our youth reporters have to say.

Do you know the story behind "A Christmas Carol"? Today's film wants to tell you that story with an eccentric Charles Dickens leading the way. Find out if it will be your new favorite Christmas movie. Website: popcornfanfilmreviews.weebly.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/popcornfanfilmreviews Twitter: @popcornfans Tumblr: popcornfilmreviewers.tumblr.com