Merry Christmas, friends and FoGgers! We're still in our off-season for regular episodes, but in keeping with recent tradition we're jumping in again to cover an adaptation of Charles Dickens' immortal classic, A Christmas Carol.

This time, we're covering a decisively less traditional and straight-forward version of the story with a conversation about Bharat Nalluri's film THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS, based on the book by Les Standiford. The story focuses on Dickens himself (played by Dan Stevens) who, following a disappointing streak of low-selling works, hurls himself into a swift bid for success by attempting to write and publish a small book for Christmas within 6 short weeks. The film explores Dickens' various personal troubles, including tensions with his father and his peers, and the ways in which the creation of his timeless story pointed to a personal redemption and sparked a fervor for a holiday that too-long been ignored. It also deploys a creative narrative device by having the characters from A Christmas Carol blur the lines between Dickens' imagination and his experiences.

Our conversation also features a brief excursion examining the classic animated short MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL and a Patron-only return of the long absent WHATCHA segment, this is a lively and heartfelt discussion about the ways the stories in our hearts can teach and guide us and how the season of Christmas can point us to so much more than a mere celebration.

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Patron Only Segment: Whatcha Watchin' / Readin' / Listenin' To (Task, It: Welcome to Derry, The Chair Company, and Freakier Friday)

6:53 - The Christmas Carol Tradition

11:56 - MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL

27:56 - THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS

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