The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club

It's that time of year again.  The time of year when I pick up one of my favorite books, Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, and immerse myself in the antics of the rather inept members of the traveling Pickwick Club.  Mr. Tupman, the ladies man who never quite manages to make a conquest, Mr. Snodgrass, a poet who never writes a poem, Mr. Winkle, the sporting gentleman who is totally hopeless at sports, and of course, Mr. Pickwick, the kindly and naive old gentleman who is the shining light of the Pickwick Club.

I fell in love with Dickens in high school.  While my classmates were grumbling about reading Great Expectations, I found myself swept away by the story.  While others found Dickens longwinded, I found him engrossing.  How could I not love an author who gave his characters such wonderfully descriptive names?  Who could create characters named, for example, Pecksniff, Sweedlepipe, Honeythunder, Pumplechook, Squeers and BuzFuz?

I love the Christmas scene in Pickwick Papers, set in Dingley Dell.  Who wouldn't want to spent Christmas in such a jolly place?  I know I do, and so I return every year.

Happy Christmas, everyone!