toys to the passing along of eerie stories surrounding various childhood haunts. This sweet short story told from the Christmas tree's point of view is one of the best Christmas stories ever told. Christmas has not always been a public holiday; before the mid-1800s, it was primarily a religious celebration enjoyed by the wealthy. It was during Victorian times in Britain that Christmas became a national holiday and that many of the traditions. If there is one figure who shaped Christmas as we know it today, it is the author Charles Dickens. His seasonal short stories and books, and particularly his novella A Christmas Carol and A Christmas Tree published at the height of his popularity in 1800's, were wildly fashionable.