Christmas, for Charles Dickens, was a magical time, when people opened 'shuttered-up hearts', and let the threads of their lives become entangled with their fellowman. It inspired some of his finest and most memorable writing, together with many unforgettable characters. Christmas Stories is a collection of sketches and tales of the first order. This was Dickens' own miscellany, complete with a host of the most pleasant villains, heroic children, tyrants and, of course, a ghost. This volume captures all the excitement and sparkle of a very special time of year.