The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Confession, before yesterday, I had never read  A Christmas Carol . Pitiful, I know. In truth, I've seen the movie a gazillion times, and when I relinquished to finally read Dickens's words, I was surprised. (Today's photos of London were taken by my daughter) The full title, now that I know the rest of the story is: A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being A Ghost Story of Christmas .  No, I don't think his original title received points either. Trimming it down to A Christmas Carol was a smart idea by whoever did it. The story takes place in horse and buggy days and seven years after Scrooges's partner, Jacob Marley died. So, why is this tale of " a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint,… secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster," better as a book than a movie? This photo of Big Ben is when it is under construction. The scaffolding designed to protect the building prevents us from seein...

This week I would like to tell you about two exciting "new." I leave the period there because I don't want to spoil what they are before you look below... First, I found a new restaurant--the Old Christmas Station located in downtown Frankenmuth, Michigan. I walked in the main door on the side of the building and found myself magically stepping into Europe. Music from France, Germany, and Italy, played with interludes from a German radio announcer. My German is a bit rusty, so I'm not exactly sure what was said, and I didn't care.  This cozy restaurant transported me to one of many restaurants I'd visited in France, Switzerland, and Germany.  A waiter came to our table. He was dressed in a white shirt, black pants as many waiters do in Europe. He didn't carry paper and pencil but slighly leaned forward as if fully engaged in the dining experience. We listened to his question and while we considered what we would order to drink, he stood with ...