Charles Dickens

At Christmas it would be lovely to find a connection between Dickens and the Vlielands would not it.
Dickens came often to Exeter. But years before Charles James was living there.
Dickens leased Mile End Cottage in Alphington for his parents and their youngest son. He wrote "I took a little house for them this morning"...."and if they are not pleased with it I shall be grievously disappointed. Exactly a mile beyond the city on the Plymouth road there are two white cottages: one is theirs and the other belongs to their landlady." - written on 5 March, 1839, from the New London Inn in Exeter. They lived there for three and a half years. He also stayed at the New London Inn on 29th October 1842 before visiting his father in Alphington and then travelling on to Lans End.

Dickens also refreshed himself at the Turk's Head Inn in the High Street. It was while sitting in the corner that he observed the customers that frequented the tavern and that became characters in his novels. The Fat Boy in Pickwick Papers was straight out of the Turks Head. He was also inspired by his observations to create the characters of Mrs Lupin of the Blue Dragon in Martin Chuzzlewit, and Pecksniff.

Dickens also visited Exeter to give a reading of a Christmas Carol, in August 1858 at the Royal Public Rooms. The Flying Post reported on the event with "... Mr. Dickens possesses great dramatic ability, wonderful powers of facial expression, and a rich sonorous voice, of which he is a perfect master–changing it from the rough tones of Scrooge to the sweet and delicate key of Tiny Tim with an easy and remarkable facility."

But then for the descendants of Jerome that have been abroad for the holidays .
We consult Jeromes own books.
Christmas, noel ; christmas eve, la veille de noel ; christmas gifts, des étrennes.

new-year's day, le jour de l'an ; the first day of the year, le premier jour de l'an: and in generai, when expressing the era ; as, The year of our Lord, L'an de notre Seigneur. N. B. New-year's day is very often expressed by le jour des étrennes ; as it is on that day presents are inade, as in England on Christmas day : étrenne, new-year's gift.