Charles Dickens originally wrote A Christmas Carol because of crippling debt and out of obligation to his publisher. Despite his success with prior works, Dickens returned to London in 1843 with very little money. A Christmas Carol supplemented his family's relatively small income. Over time, it has become a perennial favorite during the holidays, as much a part of that time of year as holly, mistletoe, and presents. Ebenezer Scrooge's strange spectral encounters are equal parts mysterious and n