A version of this story first appeared in The Swell, Salon's culture newsletter. Sign up for early access to articles like this, for more culture that's made to last ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. NEW YORK — To hear Philip Palmer, the literary curator at the Morgan Library & Museum tell it, the story behind the writing of "A ...

Do you know what bobtails and wassailing are? We have experts explain the meaning of those weird Christmas carol lyrics. Many of our most popular holiday songs are from the 19th century, when ...

The pop-culture hallmarks of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” are ghosts, a boy on crutches and a mean old man. And while those are all central elements of the story, most people forget that the ...

There are many film versions of the holiday classic, "A Christmas Carol." The novel, "A Christmas Carol" was written by Charles Dickens, and was released in 1843. The novel depicts how the ...

From “Silent Night” to “Jingle Bells,” Christmas carols are some of the most familiar songs of the season, and some of the oldest. Stephanie Sy explores why most popular music changes with time, but ...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The cookies, the mistletoe, the lights…oh, and the music! For Christians, Christmas carols mark a season of hope and the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Even in ...