The Holly Tree by Charles Dickens

A heartbroken young man plans to emigrate to America by getting a ship from Liverpool.  He believes that his best friend has set his sights on his sweetheart and so the only option for the poor thing is to run away to another country to make a new life.

Unfortunately the winter weather means that he cannot travel very far. Because of a blizzard he is snowed in for a week in the Holly Tree Inn. Cold and bored he indulges in some story telling about the inns he has stayed in throughout the country. This appears to be a solitary act, so he is recalling memories and retelling them to the reader.

The short story is made up of three chapters: 'First Branch - Myself', 'Second Branch - Boots' and 'Third Branch - The Bill'. The second chapter is told by a gardener who tells the charming tale of two children who plan to run away together to get married at Gretna Green, while the third rounds off the stay at the inn and nicely ties up the loose ends.

A rather unknown Dickens' Christmas short story (at least these days), which I stumbled across when going through some compilations. Nothing tops A Christmas Carol of course: there are no redemptive character arcs or original plots. But this is Dickens, the master wordsmith who is always a joy to read for the sheer joy of language.

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Originally published in the periodical magazine Household Words on 25 December 1855. The first book format was titled The Poor Traveller; Boots at the Holly-Tree Inn; and Mrs Gamp in 1857. Many other editions are available.

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