twas the night before christmas

Tiny Tim, and Other Mysteries

Tiny Tim, and Other Mysteries

Before Christmas arrives, I feel like I ought to share with you a couple of SleuthSayers holiday posts I did that never really got much play here on my blog. In fact, I never mentioned an article I did on the enduring mystery at the heart of the immortal classic, A Christmas Carol. Namely, what ails Tiny Tim?

The Greatest Christmas Mystery, Ever!

I have a pair of lovely blog posts up at the Sleuthsayers mystery writers’ blog this month that I think are worth a look if you are a fan of all things Christmas. It’s the true story behind the making of one of America’s best-loved poems: A Visit from St. Nicholas (aka ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas).

Did you know that there is a very serious question about who really wrote that poem? Did you know the true story is mired in accusations of plagiarism, which only modern science could intelligently untangle?

If you’re interested in the full story, check out the first post, which went up back in November. That post is right here.

If you’re the sort of person who wants to cut to the chase, the sort of person who’s totally cool reading the last chapter of a mystery novel first, then by all means just read the stunning conclusion. I assure you that you will still understand the gist of the entire thing. The second post is right here.

Thanks, everyone, for your support this month and all this year. We’ll get through this.

May the rest of your December be bright!


Santa Image above courtesy of Markus Spiske on Unsplash