BHB Compares A Christmas Carol w/ A Halloween Carol
With the holiday season just around the corner, it’s time to compare two of the best holiday books:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and A Halloween Carol (The Legend of Decimus Croome) by Kevin Purdy
We’ll take a look at everything from the authors, to the holidays, to the timeline to the characters in the novel/novella. For quick reference, take a look at the infographic on the right-hand side of this column or view it in a larger size by clicking on the infographic or viewing the Halloween infographic on Pinterest
| Novel | A Christmas Carol | A Halloween Carol |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Charles Dickens | Kevin Purdy |
| Holiday | Christmas | Halloween |
| Words | Fewer than 30,000 | More than 48,000 |
| Published | 1843 | 2017 |
| Main character | Ebenezer Scrooge | Decimus Croome |
| Main character sidekick | Bob Cratchit &/or Mr. Fezziwig | Black Magic |
| Sick child | Tiny Tim | Tommy Bobbich |
| First Ghost | Jacob Marley – dead business partner | Patricia Croome – deceased wife |
| Country Setting | England | America |
| Town setting | London | Timberton |
| Time setting | Late 18th – mid 19th Century | Mid 20th to early 21st Century |
| Moral/theme | Don’t be a Christmas humbug. | Don’t be a Halloween humbug. |
| Best line | “Marley was dead, to begin with…” | Remember the part in our wedding vows about until death do we part? Consider this a bonus round. |
| Main character catch phrase | “Bah, humbug.” | “Pish posh & poppycock!!” |
| Genre | Holiday novella | Holiday novel |
| Cameo appearance | Ignorance & Want | Apathy & Greed |
| Divided into… | Staves | Chapters |
