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Love ‘em or hate ‘em, jolly ol’ Saint Nick and his cast of Christmas-time characters, from Frosty to Grandma’s manslaughtering reindeer, permeate the radio airwaves almost as soon as Halloween ends.

It’s big business! Write a memorable holiday jingle, and you’ll be fa-la-la-la-laughing all the way to the bank. Macca, Mariah & even Irish punk rockers The Pogues, all make close to half a million dollars a year off the royalties of a single holiday song. And don’t forget the cross-media potential: TV specials, first-run movies, fourth-run movies, internet memes… even book deals.

Unless…of course, the book came first.

Can you guess which of these Christmas denizens originated as book characters? Quirk “double-dog-dares ya’” to find out!  

Happy holidays from your friends here at Quirk Books! May your days be filled with friends, reading, and many bookish pleasures. Oh, and hot chocolate, too.

‘Tis the season to get crafty! The holiday season is the perfect time to get creative, whether it’s with decorating, baking, hand-making gifts, or even just hand-wrapping them with a new spin. For bookworms, it’s also a great time to show your love of the written word and do something with those books you are waiting to upcycle. Whether you are trying to add a subtle literary touch or go all-out for a specific series, we’ve got the perfect alternative wrapping ideas for you.

All the holiday shopping is done and gifts are under the tree. Not a stray piece of wrapping paper or bow out of place. Everything is just perfect. Oh no. We forgot about Mary. And Marge. And Myrtle and Mayella. Now riddle us this, dear reader. Why are all the forgotten characters of literature so hard to shop for? And why do all their names begin with the letter M?

Marley was dead to begin with. Just another of the many corpses in this filthy city. Scrooge was Marley’s partner, but what did that add up to, when all was said and done? Nothing more than a plugged nickel. You could still make out the “Marley and” over the “Scrooge Investigations” on the cheap door to the dark office they shared once. Bobbi Cratchet had twice asked Scrooge if he wanted to scrape it off proper, class up the joint. But Scrooge would have none of it.

For many, the end of the year comes with a sense of increased generosity and goodwill toward those in need, and we imagine literary characters are no different. Below, a few favorites let us know which charities and organizations will be receiving their donations this year, along with why they’ve chosen them.