And the I'm going to be. Welcome to Snuscast, the podcast designed to help you fall asleep.

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So newscast is intended to be listened to one episode at a time,

rather than through continuous play.

The episodes get softer as they get to the end, and we don't want you to be woken back up

Most podcast players have a sleep timer function you can use

If that doesn't suit you feel free to listen directly through our website,

snuscast.com, where it will only play one episode at a time.

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at snuscast.com. This episode is brought to you by our Patreon supporters, including our newest patron, Kara,

and also by Sugar Plums.

Tonight, we'll read a short story by Charles Dickens called the Christmas Tree from 1850.

It was only 10 years earlier in 1840 that Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, introduced the German concept

of a Christmas tree to England.

Before then, nobody in England had placed a Christmas tree in their home.

Justice Dickens' A Christmas Carol isn't actually a song.

A Christmas tree is barely a story, and the tree is barely a

a launching off point for a series of dreamy impressions

from the author's mind.

Let's get cozy. Close your eyes. Relax your body. Relax your body into the softness of your bed. Now, take a few deep breaths. I have been looking on this evening at a merry company of children assembled around that pretty German toy, a Christmas tree.

...