Can you believe it? We’re just a few days away from the Agatha Awards and
the Edgar Awards! Preparations are in full swing here in Myrtle’s world,
with travel plans and bookstore signings and all sorts of shenanigans (maybe*
one* shenanigan). Keep reading for all the details on my East Coast Tour
schedule!

First up, this weekend is *Malice Domestic* and the *Agatha Awards*, where *Myrtle,
Means, and Opportunity* has garnered Myrtle’s FOURTH Agatha nomination! I’m
so very excited to celebrate this honor with my fellow nominees and mystery
community. See us in Bethesda, Maryland from *April 26-28.*

Then it’s off to New York City for the *Edgar Awards* and surrounding
festivities. Yes, *Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity* is an Edgar finalist,
too! This is our third time being honored by *Mystery Writers of America*
and I can’t wait to share Myrtle’s big moment with my team from *Algonquin
Young Readers/Hachette Books*.

You can’t have too many of these…

I’m in NY for just a few brief hours, but they will be JAM-PACKED! In
addition to the posh awards banquet on *May 1*…

On *Wednesday, May 1, at 11:00,* I’ll be joining some fellow Edgar nominees
at *Books of Wonder *in Chelsea. Pop in and see us and get your Myrtles
signed!

But the fun’s not over yet! On *May 18*, I’ll be swinging back to Maryland
for the *Gaithersburg Book Festival*. Myrtle and I have participated in
this event a few times before, but only virtually. Now we’ll be there live
and in person—and what’s more, we’ll be chatting with literary luminary *Margaret
Peterson Haddix*! Margaret and I will have A Lot to talk about (Historical
fiction! Textile history!! Ghosts!!!)—you won’t want to miss it! This
amazing event is free to the public.

All of this is leading up to a Very Important Event in the Myrtleverse this
summer (*hint: boxed set!*), and I will have all the details on that very,
very soon!

The post #MyrtleMondays: Spring Tour Starts This Week!! appeared first on Elizabeth
C. Bunce.

Dear Myrtle Fans, as if last month’s Edgar Award nomination wasn’t exciting
enough (it was! It really was!), I am beyond delighted (belighted?!) to
share the news that *Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries Book 5, Myrtle, Means, and
Opportunity*, has been nominated for an Agatha Award! This is Myrtle’s
FOURTH NOMINATION… IN A ROW!

A tableau from last year’s Agatha Awards, with mystery luminaries Lori
Rader Day, Vaseem Khan, Marcia Talley, ecb, Martin Edwards, and Dame Ann
Cleeves |Photo: Susanna Calkins

The Agatha Awards honor the best in classic mysteries, written in the
tradition of the Queen of Crime herself, Agatha Christie.

A HUGE congratulations to all my fellow nominees this year, both in Best
Children’s & YA, as well as all the other categories!

The Agatha Awards reflect mystery readers’ favorite books of the previous
year, and I am so honored that Myrtle continues to build such a loyal
following of fans.

The Agatha Awards are the jewel of mystery conference *Malice Domestic* in
April, but my celebration of Dame Agatha will kick off a little early. I’ll
be a guest at *Kansas City’s Planet Comicon* next month…

The Myrtle-Christie connection deepens! Here’s the venerable Belgian sleuth
Hercule Poirot in the flesh with a copy of *Premeditated Myrtle*! (Planet
Comicon 2023)

…and in a longstanding tradition of cosplaying characters from Kenneth
Branagh movies…

The Bunces in our finery from *Much Ado About Nothing*

…husband C.J. and I are planning an ensemble from last year’s film *A
Haunting in Venice,* based on Christie’s novel *Hallowe’en Party!*

Branagh with co-star Tina Fey as mystery authoress Ariadne Oliver, who
appeared in several Agatha Christie novels and stories, often alongside
Hercule Poirot.

Plans are afoot! *Maniacal laugh*

If you have not yet seen *A Haunting in Venice*, it is by far the best of
the Branagh Poirot series! Spooky, atmospheric, and perfectly mysterious. I
highly recommend it.

Come see me at *Planet Comicon* March 8-10 at Bartle Hall in Kansas City,
at *Malice Domestic* for the Agatha Awards, April 26-28 in Bethesda, MD! (I
can’t promise I won’t be wearing my new trilby at the Agathas. I’m rather
attached to it), *and* find me at Myrtle’s third Edgar Awards ceremony in
New York City, May 1!

Congratulations to my fellow Agatha nominees, and a huge thanks to the
voters who nominated *Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity*!

The post #MyrtleMondays: Agatha, Myrtle, and Me Part 4! appeared first on Elizabeth
C. Bunce.

Dear friends, I’m fair gobsmacked to share the incredible news that the
Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries have received a third Edgar nomination! Book 5, *Myrtle,
Means, and Opportunity* joins *Premeditated Myrtle* (which won the award in
2021) and *Cold-Blooded Myrtle* for this amazing honor.

Gettin’ intae the spirit…

This week, *Mystery Writers of America released their annual Edgar Award
nominations*, honoring the best in mystery writing. I am so honored to be
included again.

*Read More: Myrtle & The Rue Morgue *

*Read More: Another Edgar Nomination!* (a look at Poe’s “The Purloined
Letter”)

This week, I have more fun tales of America’s father of mystery fiction.
Edgar Allan Poe is known as an American author, and rightly so, with roots
in Boston and much of his career spent around Baltimore. But his poetry and
stories are cosmopolitan, set in France, Italy, and the Near East, and
reflect an early life spent traveling. In fact, some of young Poe’s years
were spent just a hop, skip, and a ferry ride from the very setting of *Myrtle,
Means, and Opportunity*: Ayrshire, Scotland!

Ayrshire and Argyll, both in the southwest of Scotland, are neighbors
separated by the Clyde.

Poe’s parents both died when he was very young, and he was raised by the
Allan family. Foster father John Allan had emigrated to Virginia from his
native Scotland, and in 1815, when Poe was six, they returned to the United
Kingdom. Poe attended school at Kailyard Grammar School in Kirkgatehead,
Irvine.

Young Edgar’s grammar school in Irvine, Scotland

Portrait of Edgar Allan Poe as a boy (detail), artist unknown | Cornell
University

Although Poe never wrote directly about his time in Scotland, it’s hard to
imagine the striking landscape and culture *not* creeping into Poe’s
writing. Scottish writer Al Herron discusses the influence of Ayrshire on
Poe’s work in his essay *“Sacred to the Memory of Scottish Strangers,”*
courtesy of DMR Books.

I hope Poe would appreciate my own tale of a Scottish haunting, murder, and
lost treasure! You can read more about Poe’s life and times, including his
Scottish connection, at *The Poe Museum* and *Nevermore: The Edgar Allan
Poe Collection of Susan Jaffe Tane* at Cornell University.

My heartfelt thanks to Mystery Writers of America for recognizing *Myrtle,
Means, and Opportunity, *and a huge congratulations to my fellow 2024
nominees! The Edgars will be announced on May 1—plenty of time for you to
get caught up on the entire award-winning *Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries*
series.

The post #MyrtleMondays: An Edgar nomination for Myrtle, Means, and
Opportunity! appeared first on Elizabeth C. Bunce.

Welcome to 2024! As you may know, New Year’s Day is my second favorite
holiday (after Hallowe’en, naturally). And what better way to ring in the
new year, in our season of All Things Scottish, than with some Scottish New
Year’s traditions!

Although Myrtle’s Scottish adventure takes place in the spring, one can
easily imagine the Hardcastle crew visiting the auld hame for the holidays!

New Year’s has a special place in the Scottish calendar, full of unique
festivities born in Scotland and observed worldwide. Celebrations begin
during the Daft Days, the week between Christmas and New Year’s (or, for
some, stretched out for the whole twelve days of Christmas). The term comes
from 18th century poet Robert Fergusson, who captured the spirit of this
week in his poem *“The Daft Days.”*

*Now mirk December’s dowie face*
*Glowrs owr the rigs wi sour grimace,*
*While, thro’ his minimum of space,*
*The bleer-ey’d sun,*
*Wi blinkin light and stealing pace,*
*His race doth run.*

*…For nought can cheer the heart sae weel*
*As can a canty Highland reel;*
*It even vivifies the heel*
*To skip and dance:*
*Lifeless is he wha canna feel*
*Its influence.*

Fergusson’s Scots verse perfectly contrasts the dreich, dreary weather
without, against the merry spirits within—and the Daft Days are still
warmed with music, dancing, song, and festive gatherings to chase off
winter’s chill.

In the *1897 Punch Almanack*, Mr. Punch observes a Scottish custom: *“The
first foot in a house brings good or ill luck for the year.”* Judging from
his hosts’ reactions, 1897 will be a good ‘un! (Personally, I’m rooting for
the wee bulldog.)

As the Daft Days wind down, Scots gear up for Hogmanay, the celebration of
New Year’s Eve. A Scots word of uncertain heritage, Hogmanay (pronounced,
roughly, *HUG-ma-nay*) might come from ancient Greek (“holy month”), French
(“the new year”), or Gaelic, or Norse, or… Whatever etymological theory you
subscribe to, the holiday itself is all Scottish! Age-old traditions have
been recorded at least since the 16th century and hold firm to this day.

*The Glasgow Looking Glass*, c 1825, depicted upper-crust Scots rather
enthusiastically ringing in the new.

Many Hogmanay traditions embrace Scotland’s ancient heritage, including
fire festivals and mummers’ processions. Communities big and small across
Scotland put on local Hogmanay celebrations—just like watching the ball
drop here in the States. Music, dancing, feasting, and toasts bid farewell
to the old year and welcome the new.

Edinburgh’s Tron Kirk (church) was the informal home of Hogmanay
celebrations for centuries. This 19th century image shows revelers carrying
fireballs and torches—still a feature of the big night.

At the stroke of midnight, a tradition we all know ensues: the singing of
Robert Burns’s famed “Auld Lang Syne.”

Burns’s *sentimental poem about old times* was based on old Scots folk
songs, and has been associated with its familiar tune almost since its
inception. But its international fame as a New Year’s Eve song is a 20th
century arrival, thanks to Scots-Canadian bandleader Guy Lombardo, who
often featured the song as a nostalgic nod to the Old Country and its
traditions. Beginning in 1929, Lombardo’s Royal Canadians performed one of
the earliest nationally-broadcast New Year’s Eve radio shows in North
America. One year “Auld Lang Syne” happened to fall at the stroke of
midnight—and a worldwide tradition was born! People all over the globe
began singing about drinking a cup of kindness when the year turns over…
and the song soon made its way back home for Hogmanay.

Some fifteen years before its appearance in *Punch*, this 1882 depiction of
First Footing from *Illustrated London News* demonstrates how far across
Victorian Britain Scotland’s New Year’s customs had spread.

Amid the revelries, one of the most auspicious observances is First
Footing: the first guest to visit “after the bells” will portend whether
the new year will bring good luck or bad. Tradition holds that a
dark-haired stranger is the luckiest, and a blond forfends ill fate! *(ecb
shoves husband C.J. away from the* *door*…) The First Footer must bring
gifts: whisky, salt, coal or peat, and bread or black bun (fruitcake
wrapped in pastry), to symbolize good cheer, flavor, warmth, and prosperity.

Black Bun (BBC) Click here for a recipe and more!

Now, these gifts are only the traditional *suggestions*, of course. Any
house would surely feel lucky indeed to have their guests appear bearing,
say, a gift of books instead! (For all those *New Year’s Resolutions* to
read more!) A lovely volume of Burns’s poetry, *your favorite Victorian
mysteries*, some Sir Walter Scott to while away the chill winter evenings…

Here in the U.S. we’re all heading back to work on Tuesday, but in Scotland
the festivities continue through 2 January—so we shall not hold it against
you if you want to celebrate a wee bit mair.

However you ring in 2024, we in the Myrtleverse are wishing thee and thine
the happiest and luckiest of new years!

The post #MyrtleMondays: Hogmanay, First Footing, and Auld Lang Syne: A
Scottish New Year! appeared first on Elizabeth C. Bunce.

Ah, Christmas morning… is there anything more blissful than curling up with
one of the brand new books you got for a holiday gift? What stories were on
your holiday wishlist this year? If you’ve already burned through your own
TBR pile (you know who you are), I have some wonderful recommendations to
share for your Yuletide reading pleasure!

First, we’ll start with the obvious. In fact, I’ve been feeling quite
nostalgic about this myself, and may well pull it off the shelf for another
go this week:

*Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries book 3, Cold-Blooded Myrtle*, features an
Exceptionally Victorian Christmas interrupted by a series of bizarre
murders in Swinburne Village. Can Myrtle & Co. stop an “unhinged villain” (*Buffalo
News*) from ruining Christmas? Will Myrtle ever find the Perfect Christmas
Gift for Miss Judson? And what delectable inedible clue will Peony the Cat
eat next?

Chock full of the erudite H.M. Hardcastle’s pithy observations on the
holiday, and positively dripping with traditional Yuletide spirit, this is
a Christmas mystery sure to delight even the Grinchiest and Scroogiest
readers. And since it’s also available as an audiobook, it’s perfect for
those long drives over the river and through the woods!

Our next recommendation is that Most Exceptionally Christmassy of Victorian
Christmas classics, the book that launched, and then cemented, a thousand
holiday traditions, *A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of
Christmas by Charles Dickens*. That link will take you to Project
Gutenberg, where several free, illustrated versions await your reading
pleasure.

Those who do not finish their To Be Read pile in life are doomed to roam
libraries forever after…

Speaking of ghost stories, *Read More: ‘Tis the Season to be Spooky: The
Ghost Stories of a Victorian Christmas. * Even more wonderful tales of
hauntings to get you in the, ahem, spirit.

We’re still speaking of ghost stories! Our Irrepressible Sleuth and her
Stalwart Governess go ghost hunting—Victorian style (viz, in an
Exceptionally Modern and Scientific Manner)—in the latest *Myrtle
Hardcastle Mystery, Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity*! Downloadable on that
brand-new e-reader you just got… or likewise available on audio, for the
dull drive back home.

And what would a Victorian Christmas be without a goose on the table for
Christmas dinner? In 1892, Arthur Conan Doyle gave that holiday tradition a
diabolical twist in the only Sherlock Holmes story set at Christmas, “The
Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.” You can read more about this tale here: *A
Sherlockian Christmas*, or just dive right in to one of my own favorite
Holmes mysteries at *this link (sroll past the spoilers!).*

Wherever you are celebrating this December the 25th, everyone here at
Myrtleverse World Headquarters wishes you the very happiest of holidays!

The post #MyrtleMondays: Happy Holiday Reading! appeared first on Elizabeth
C. Bunce.

A fortnight ago, we began our celebration of The Greatest Christmas Movie
Ever, *The Muppet Christmas Carol.* Today we conclude the series with a
little miniature cosplay!

As detailed in that post, there are clearly manifold reasons to love *The
Muppet Christmas Carol*, from the performances to the skillful adaptation
to the music… to the costumes—including Scrooge’s magnificent wool paisley
dressing gown. It’s such a glorious piece, and my hopeless desire to
possess, and then make, such a garment of my own only grew over the three
decades since I first laid eyes upon it.

All the costumes in the film are masterworks, especially the Muppets’.
Created by longtime Muppet costumer Polly Smith*, the exquisite detailing
helps the illusion that the Muppets are simply more actors on the stage,
and contributes to the exceptional worldbuilding of the film. “The costumes
that the Muppets have worn meant that they are better dressed than we are.
They always have been. The Muppets have real pockets in their costumes.
They have real lining in their jackets. There’s so much fidelity,” Gonzo
performer Dave Goelz recalls. And the costumers didn’t stop there,
including gorgeous, telling elements like signs of wear and age on Bob
Cratchit’s (Kermit the Frog) dated suit.

Check out the incredible detailing–and the layers! Shirt, waistcoat,
jacket, cravat, scarf, topcoat—every piece a real garment, from tophat to
shoes. (And pockets.) And then check out Rizzo’s even smaller version!

As impressive as the Muppet costumes are (Ghost of Christmas Present!!), my
personal favorite is one of Scrooge’s outfits—specifically, that
aforementioned dressing gown and nightcap.

Scrooge’s robe is inspired by the lavish dressing gowns worn by wealthy
gentlemen of the era. Characterized by exotic, imported fabrics in the
“Orientalism” style influenced by the flourishing British Empire, dressing
gowns, banyans, and smoking jackets kept gentlemen warm at night,
especially those who were too miserly to light their fireplaces, and
instead enjoyed the cold.

*He carried his own low temperature always about with him; he iced his
office in the dog-days, and didn’t thaw it one degree at Christmas.
External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could
warm, not wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he,
no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open
to entreaty. Foul weather didn’t know where to have him. —A Christmas Carol*

*Read more about Charles Dickens and the Victorian Revival of Christmas*

Contrary to expectations for gentlemen of his class, original *A Christmas
Carol* illustrator John Leech depicted Scrooge in the simplest and meanest
of nightclothes:

“Marley’s Ghost”

But thankfully for us, Polly Smith chose to lean into the era’s gorgeous
fashions and bless us with a very finely-turned-out Scrooge, indeed. From a
filmmaking perspective, it makes sense: you want your star to be
well-attired if he essentially wears the same costume for the whole film.
But the garment must fit with Scrooge’s character, and not outshine the
action and message of the story. The muted colors of Caine’s robe give an
impression of luxury, but a suggestion of age: we suspect he’s had this
dressing gown *forever*. He bought one good one, once, and has kept it all
this time. (*Glances down at own threadbare robe. Ahem.*)

And we are talking *Luxury*-with-a-Capital-*L*. Fabrics like this were a
status symbol in the 1830s; nowadays they are well beyond the reach of a
humble scribe with eight mouths to feed. (This similar dressing gown is
going for a bargain £3,500.00! In case you want to know what to get your
favorite author.) So each year I would turn on *The Muppet Christmas Carol*,
ogle the dressing gown, and sigh. Humbug.

And then. And *then*! When I flicked on the flick for its annual screening
in 2021, I had a Scrooge-style epiphany: I could keep Scrooge’s dressing
gown in my heart—er, I mean, make one, after all!

A doll-sized version would be perfectly affordable! I could sew up a
luxurious miniature Scrooge dressing gown without sending my entire family
to the poorhouse.

Clearly ranking among the best fabric finds *ever.* The colors! The
texture! The scale! The luxurious hand! Perfection!

The secret? An inexpensive wool-blend pashmina/scarf! The scale was perfect
for a doll, the price was perfect for the seamstress (just $8.00), and the
entire affair became a splendid little project to celebrate my love for
this most wonderful of holiday movies and its glorious costumes, large and
small (and *very* small).

Even the “meeces” wear tiny, intricately crafted 1830s garb

After the fabric, the next step was selecting a pattern.

*Simplicity 5276*, by toy and doll designer *Elaine Heigl*, was the perfect
choice–a shawl-collar robe with sash, pockets, and piping. I lengthened the
sleeves to include lush cuffs, and added some beautiful rust twisted cord
(one of the best features of Scrooge’s robe). My pashmina was very soft and
drapey, so I underlined the fabric for a little more weight and stability,
like the finer details Goelz noted as part of Muppet costuming.

But the dressing gown is only part of Scrooge’s iconic ensemble. No
self-respecting, freezing Victorian Gentleman of Quality would dare
traverse space and time without proper headwear! And having achieved the
Magnificent Paisley Dressing Gown of my dreams, I could hardly call my
miniature ensemble complete without its matching hat.

Man’s dressing gown and hat, 1834 (detail), showing the seamlines

Although Leech’s Scrooge has the long, pointy nightcap we usually think of,
Smith once again turned to the day’s high fashion, creating a hat with
intricate seaming and a refined-yet-slouchy structure. I auditioned
multiple fabrics before selecting a flannel in a lovely tone-on-tone
ivory/beige herringbone print… and tossed out patterns altogether to draft
my own from screencaps.

A beige-and-ivory tassel and some red stitching complete the miniature (cat
paws for scale). Behold that perfect slouch.

All the warmth and luxury any Victorian hero, antihero, or heroine could
want

There you have it! A tale of how thinking small made this big ambition
totally achievable, in the best way possible, by valuing the little things
while keeping the big picture in mind—a sentiment Dickens could appreciate.
I finished this in December 2022, just in time for the 30th anniversary of *The
Muppet Christmas Carol*. I am delighted that my own journey into Victorian
life, including Everything Christmas for *Cold-Blooded Myrtle*, took me
full circle to bringing one of my favorite holiday traditions to life in
glorious miniature.

Remember, *The Muppet Christmas Carol* is streaming on Disney+ and
available for purchase on Vudu—so you can keep the Dickensian holiday
spirit alive all the year round, in whatever way you choose to celebrate
(may I suggest mittens for your meeces? Or, you know, a mystery novel. Or
five.). Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a doll to dress. Christmas and its
spirits are just around the corner!

*Female athletes everywhere are indebted to Polly Smith for inventing the
sports bra in 1977. *Read more: Sports for Victorian Girls*

The post #MyrtleMondays Featuring “The Muppet Christmas Carol” Part 2
appeared first on Elizabeth C. Bunce.

Recently I had the chance to chat about the latest Myrtle news with one of
my favorite people, *Kansas Public Radio’s Kaye McIntyre*! Our episode of *KPR
Presents* aired last night, but thanks to the Wonders of Modern Technology,
you haven’t missed your chance to catch up with us.

ecb with Kaye McIntyre, on a beautiful autumn day at the University of
Kansas’s marvelous *Sensory Garden* | Husband C.J. got to spend the day
*here*, while Kaye and I were cloistered in a tiny sound booth. Unfair!
(It’s actually quite a commodious sound booth.)

I’ve been lucky enough to chat with Kaye on a few prior occasions, and it’s
been a brilliant experience every time. The setting could not be more fun—a
splendid Victorian building nestled in a magical garden… sound familiar?

Seriously, it could be Redgraves from *Premeditated Myrtle*!

Now that you can picture the setting, grab a cuppa and settle in for a cozy
half hour in which we cover everything from epigraphs to indigenous
languages to sadly defunct holiday traditions (we may have disagreed on
that one).

*Click Here: KPR Presents Elizabeth C. Bunce, Myrtle, Means, and
Opportunity*

Thanks, Kaye and KPR!

The post #MyrtleMondays: An Interview with Kansas Public Radio appeared
first on Elizabeth C. Bunce.

*Christmas is the summer of the soul in December —The Muppet Christmas
Carol (1992)*

Charles Dickens might not have written those splendid words that songwriter
Paul Williams put in his characters’ mouths almost 150 years later. But
Dickens would undoubtedly have appreciated the sentiment in this and the
more than 100 other versions of his holiday classic that have appeared on
film over the years. 2022 marked the 30th anniversary of this holiday
classic—but better late than never, this week we’re taking a closer look at
The Best Christmas Movie *Ever.*

It should be no surprise that my alltime favorite Christmas movie is a
version of that Exceptionally Victorian tale *A Christmas Carol. *And
you’ll never convince me that *The Muppet Christmas Carol* isn’t the best
of the best. From the genius casting of Jim Henson’s Muppets in the various
roles—Gonzo as Charles Dickens! Statler and Waldorf as the Marley Bros.!
Fozzie Bear as Fezziwig!—to the irreverent humor, to the emotional
soundtrack that evokes Dickens’s sentimentality without ever becoming
sappy… the film is a technical and artistic triumph. And for me, the
holiday season isn’t in full swing without at least one annual screening.

Never has there been a better on-screen Scrooge than Michael Caine. (Or a
better on-screen dressing gown!)

*A Christmas Carol* hit the Victorian presses in 1843, just when Christmas
festivities were seeing a resurgence, thanks in part to the Royal Family. *Read
more about Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens, and the Victorian Christmas
Renaissance here.*

The Muppets seem an obvious choice to us *now,* but that wasn’t necessarily
the case at the time. It had been 8 years since their last big-screen
appearance, and this time they’d be forging ahead without creator Jim
Henson, who died in 1990. But crew and cast rallied, embracing everything
Dickens *and* everything Muppets, to create a lasting masterpiece.

Statler and Waldorf as the Marley Bros (you’ll recall Dickens only had
Jacob) are unsurpassed in the cinematic universe.

A magnificent musical soundtrack by the legendary Paul Williams is half of
the film’s success. Lyrics that could well have come from Dickens’s pen are
set to delightful and catchy tunes you can’t help but sing along to. *“Wherever
you find love, it feels like Christmas!”*

We all love the Muppets—Kermit the Frog as the put-upon clerk Bob Cratchit
is an obvious choice, but Gonzo as Charles Dickens is as left-field and
Muppety as it gets, yet it works, adding a lighthearted tour guide to a
dark tale. Yet it’s the human cast and their absolute conviction that they
are performing with other *actors*, and not puppets, that makes it all
truly magical.

Ah, Nephew Fred… (Scottish actor Steven Mackintosh), little did you know
you’d be reincarnated one day as a young fictional solicitor…

From his very first “Humbug” to “I will keep Christmas,” Caine inhabits the
role of Scrooge with his whole being, somehow being simultaneously
loathsome and lovable, just as Dickens hoped. His secret was approaching
his role, and his Muppet co-stars, as if they were all members of the Royal
Shakespeare Company—a level of gravity new to the consummately silly
Muppets that has set the standard for Muppetdom ever since.

*The Muppet Christmas Carol* was *at least the twentieth time* Dickens’s
tale had made it to the big screen (and that doesn’t include countless
small screen and stage productions). The first version we know of is 1901’s *“Scrooge,
or Marley’s Ghost”* by British filmmaker Walter R. Booth. Originally
running around six minutes long, only three minutes of the silent film have
survived—but they tell the tale so familiar to viewers then and now. Watch
for the masterful special effects, like the appearance of Scrooge and the
Ghost of Christmas Present at the Cratchits’ holiday feast:

Just like today, Victorian audiences and filmmakers loved seeing—and
putting–Christmas on film. Pioneering French filmmaker Georges Méliès made
his own holiday movie, *The Christmas Dream*, in 1900. And Clement Clark
Moore’s *The Night Before Christmas* made it to film for the first time in
1905, thanks to the Edison Company.

But possibly the very first depiction of the wonder of Christmas on film is
1898’s *Santa Claus* by British filmmaker George Albert Smith, in which two
children are visited by Father Christmas himself. Watch the onscreen magic
unfold:

This and many other classic early British films are available at the *British
Film Institute*.

*The* *Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries* are set in the 1890s—a bit too early
for motion pictures. But I have a good feeling Myrtle would appreciate the
humor, festivity, and faithful adaptation of *The Muppet Christmas Carol*.

Hoity-toity, Mr. Godlike Smartypants! (Dickens wishes he wrote that.)

*The Muppet Christmas Carol* is now streaming on Disney+ by subscription,
or check your local TV listings for upcoming air dates. But if you want my
advice, just pick up a copy to watch all year. Even Scrooge would think
that a worthwhile expense, if it means honoring Christmas and keeping it in
your heart.

Stay tuned next week for still more *Muppet Christmas Carol* fun! (Remember
that glorious dressing gown? Yeah.) I will expect you to have watched the
film several times and be prepared, because there will be a quiz. (There
won’t. But go forth and know it better anyway.)

The post #MyrtleMondays Featuring “The Muppet Christmas Carol!” (Part 1)
appeared first on Elizabeth C. Bunce.

This weekend marked the unofficial beginning of the Yuletide season—both
here in the US, with Friday’s kickoff of holiday shopping, and across the
pond, with yesterday’s (or today’s, as I’m writing this) Stirring-Up
Sunday: the day when English families traditionally make their Christmas
puddings. And thus it marks the beginning of an annual tradition here at
*#MyrtleMondays*, too: when I stir up your holiday spirit by filling your
inboxes weekly with all things Victorian Christmas! This year we have some
familiar classics and some fun new features planned. Let’s get started!

In *Cold-Blooded Myrtle*, we discover that Myrtle (not to mention her
erudite alter-ego) has some Strong Opinions regarding holiday food.

When carolers sing, “Bring us some figgy pudding,” they mean a British
pudding—a solid, cakelike pastry made of breadcrumbs, fruit, and sugar
steeped in alcohol. It may or may not contain figs or plums, but raisins
and currents are definitely traditional.

*Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management *includes this color plate of
recommended holiday dishes, including a most magnificent plum pudding

Plum pudding, figgy pudding, Christmas pudding, whatever you term it, 19th
century Christmas wasn’t Christmas without the pud.

This collectible illustration from the 1896 *Pears Annual* (a holiday
magazine produced by English soap company Pears) celebrates the arrival of
this most quintessential dish. Charles Green’s painting depicts a Christmas
feast of a much earlier age—note the old-fashioned clothing of the diners
from three-quarters of a century before. Even the Victorians were nostalgic
about Christmas!

Plum pudding was made weeks in advance, to allow the alcohol and other
ingredients to become fully… potent. The last Sunday before Advent, known
as “Stirring-Up Sunday,” became the traditional day for families to make
their puddings. In the Book of Common Prayer, the church service for that
Sunday begins, *“Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy
faithful people.”* And what better way to get into the faithful spirit of
Advent then stirring up some Christmas cheer?

If you want to plan a traditional 19th century holiday feast, you’ll
appreciate the guidance and recipes of Isabella Beeton, the guru to whom
generations of cooks and housewives *have turned for advice since 1861*. A
bestseller for well over a century, *Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household
Management* contains all you need to know to cook up the perfect Victorian
Christmas dinner. You may consult all of Mrs. Beeton’s recipes at Project
Gutenberg at the link above.

If you’re a last-minute cook, she also offers an alcohol-free version:

But the holiday meal only begins—and ends–with the pudding. F.W. Dawson’s
treatise on the history of the holiday, *Christmas: Its Origins &
Associations* (1902) contains no fewer than sixteen illustrations featuring
Christmas food and feasting through the centuries, including this look at
Renaissance wassailers:

Wassailing was an early incarnation of Christmas caroling, in which people
went door-to-door to toast the season with their neighbors (“Wassail,” or *waes
hael,* is an Anglo-Saxon toast meaning “Good health”). A popular carol from
the mid-1800s immortalizes the tradition:

*Here we come a wassailing, among the leaves so green Here we come a
wand’ring, so fair to be seen. Love and joy come to you, and to you your
wassail too, And God bless you and send you a happy new year!*

Revelers fortunate enough to be invited inside would be welcomed with a
holiday spread for the ages (including, if they were lucky, the figgy
pudding!).

“Christmas Eve Dinner,” 1904 by Swedish artist Carl Larsson

Charles Dickens, *who did much to promote Christmas to an eager Victorian
audience*, offered several lively depictions of grand holiday meals (even
among his characters of modest means).

*There never was such a goose. Bob said he didn’t believe there ever was
such a goose cooked. Its tenderness and flavour, size and cheapness, were
the themes of universal admiration. Eked out by apple-sauce and mashed
potatoes, it was a sufficient dinner for the whole family; indeed, as Mrs
Cratchit said with great delight (surveying one small atom of a bone upon
the dish), they hadn’t ate it all at last! Yet everyone had had enough, and
the youngest Cratchits in particular, were steeped in sage and onion to the
eyebrows!* *—A Christmas Carol, 1843*

This particular goose is from the Cratchits’ celebration of Christmas
Present (of course, they later have an even *more* spectacular goose,
thanks to Scrooge). But where would the poor Cratchits have gotten such a
meal? From their local Goose Club.

The mysterious goose from “The Blue Carbuncle,” Sidney Paget, 1891

Goose Clubs were a type of layaway, sponsored by neighborhood pubs or other
organizations, in which families could put in a few pence each week and be
sure to have a nice fat goose for their Christmas tables. A sinister twist
on this custom (including quite a detailed explanation of its workings)
appears in *the only Sherlock Holmes story set at Christmas, “The Blue
Carbuncle.”*

Although Victorian Christmas celebrated time-honored traditions (even if
they were brand new), some on-trend revelers were eager to try new
delicacies. A dish making the rounds at the end of the century was France’s *bûche
de noël*, or Yule log cake. Last year, this tradition became part of our
own holiday feast.

*Read more here: Joyeaux Noel!*

Have fun stirring up some holiday cheer in your own kitchens this year!

Wassail!

The post #MyrtleMondays: Stirring-Up Sunday! appeared first on Elizabeth C.
Bunce.