Hello and welcome to the Storytime for grown-ups' Christmas Spectacular.

I'm Faith Moore, and for the months of November and December, we'll be reading A Little

Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett.

Each episode, I'll read one chapter from the book, pausing from time to time to give brief

explanations so it's easier to follow along. It's like an audiobook with built-in notes.

So gather your family together, brew a pot of tea or a mug of hot chocolate, find a cozy

chair and settle in. It's story time. Hello, welcome to our Victorian Christmas Spectacular.

Over the weekend, I had the servants in our lovely Victorian house dust away all the cobwebs,

and they have hung up lovely garlands made out of evergreen, and mistletoe is hanging from every doorway,

and there is a beautiful fire, log fire in the fireplace.

Tea is brewing, hot chocolate is simmering on the stove, and we are ready to get started.

So I admit that this is a little early to get started for Christmas.

And normally I am a stickler about when Christmas begins.

The Christmas season begins, by the way, in case you were wondering, when Santa Claus reaches

Harold Square in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. That's when you can turn on your Christmas

music. That is when the Christmas season begins, according to me. However, you now have a pass.

I am making an exception for all of us that we can begin the Christmas season right here, right now,

because we are going to get started with our Christmas spectacular,

which this year is a Victorian Christmas.

We are reading A Little Princess by Francis

Hodgson Burnett. And I'm so excited. It's going to be a complete change of pace from

Frankenstein. I hope you have put that behind you. You've put it in your closet, locked the door

...