[[File:Portrait of Charles John Huffman Dickens.png|thumb|upright|Portreto de Dickens fare de [[Margaret Gillies]], 1843. Pentrita dum la periodo kiam li estis verkante ''A Christmas Carol''; ĝi estis en la somera ekspozicio de la [[Royal Academy of Arts]] de 1844. Vidinte ĝin tie, [[Elizabeth Barrett Browning]] diris, ke ĝi montris Dickens kun "la polvo kaj la koto de de humaneco super li, spite tiujn aglecajn okulojn".<ref name="Brown" />]]
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SoonTuj afterpost hissia returnreveno toal EnglandAnglio, Dickens beganeklaboris workpor onla theunua firstel ofliaj his Christmaskristnaskaj storieshistorioj, ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'', writtenverkita inen 1843, whichkiu wasestis followedsekvita byde ''[[The Chimes]]'' in(Sonorilado) en 1844 andkaj ''[[The Cricket on the Hearth]]'' in(La grilo en la koro) en 1845. OfEl thesetiuj, ''A Christmas Carol'' wasestis mostplej popularpopulara andkaj, tappingen intomalnova an old traditiontradicio, didfaris muchmulton topor promotehelpi aplinovigitan renewedentuziasmon enthusiasmpor forla the[[ludilo]]j joysde of Christmas[[Kristnasko]] inen BritainBritio andkaj AmericaUsono.<ref>{{harvnb|Callow|2009|pp=146–148}}</ref> The seeds for the story became planted in Dickens's mind during a trip to Manchester to witness the conditions of the manufacturing workers there. This, along with scenes he had recently witnessed at the Field Lane [[Ragged School]], caused Dickens to resolve to "strike a sledge hammer blow" for the poor. As the idea for the story took shape and the writing began in earnest, Dickens became engrossed in the book. He later wrote that as the tale unfolded he "wept and laughed, and wept again" as he "walked about the black streets of London fifteen or twenty miles many a night when all sober folks had gone to bed."<ref>{{harvnb|Schlicke|1999|p=98}}.</ref>
After living briefly in Italy (1844), Dickens travelled to Switzerland (1846), where he began work on ''[[Dombey and Son]]'' (1846–48). This and ''[[David Copperfield]]'' (1849–50) mark a significant artistic break in Dickens's career as his novels became more serious in theme and more carefully planned than his early works.
