The Tale
Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol has been a Christmas favorite ever since it was first published on December 19, 1843. It has been portrayed hundreds and hundreds of times in many different forms - countless times on screen, both live action and animated, on stage, opera and even by the Muppets. It has been so popular that it has never been out of print since it was first published a hundred sixty nine years ago.
The Place
At the corner of Post Office and Kempner (22nd) streets in Galveston, TX, sits a building that is a part of the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1914 with the original core of the building dating back to 1870. It is known as Eibands and at one time housed, among other businesses, Eibands Department Store. In days gone by, department stores were a much bigger deal that perhaps they are today - especially at Christmas time. Going to the department store in town and seeing the awesome window displays was always a treat.
In 1935, Eiband's obtained window displays for their store that were hand-made in New York, which depicted the story of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
At Home in the Ozarks
That display is now housed at The World's Largest Toy Museum and is enjoyed by thousands, young and old alike, every year.
