Episode #31: Christmas in Old New York and a Chat with Charles Dickens
A special festive double episode tracing the history of Christmas and holiday celebrations over 19th-century New York City history and a very special look at Charles Dicken’s beloved A Christmas Carol.
Christmas and the holiday season is always extra special in New York City. From all the lights and the traditional treats of the Radio City Rockettes to the tree at Rockefeller Center and performances around the city of The Nutcracker, it’s hard not to feel festive. In this episode, licensed New York City tour guide and speaker, Jeff Dobbins, joins Carl for a look at the city’s holiday traditions dating back to the early Dutch days of New Amsterdam up to the Gilded Age and the early 20th century. Jeff shares how New Yorkers in some ways created the image of Santa Claus we think of today as well as how Hanukkah was celebrated and the influence of the waves of immigration on the city’s traditions.
In the second half of the show, actor John Kevin Jones joins Carl — Kevin has been performing an annual one-man adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at the Merchant’s House Museum, now in its 10th season. Kevin discusses the origins of Dickens’ famous story, why he wrote it when he did and how he adapted it for the stage. Put on a woolly sweater and pour a glass of eggnog and join The Gilded Gentleman to launch the holiday season.
LISTEN NOW: Christmas in Old New York and a Chat with Charles Dickens
Related Podcast:
Christmas Tales and Traditions in 19th-Century England