There are some remarkably unhappy Christmases in literature. My favorite (?) fictional awful Christmas is the one in Great Expectations. Pip has stolen a pie to give to the escaped prisoner, and is dreading the moment when his horrible sister will discover the theft. Meanwhile, the assorted guests keep teasing him in a nasty way. Dickens was, of course, a genius, and the sense of impending doom Pip feels is brilliantly conveyed, as is a child's despair at the cluelessness of adults. This is not, however, one of his characteristically joyful Christmas scenes.

Frank O'Connor's memoir, An Only Child, depicts another depressing Christmas. It is Christmas Eve, and his mother is waiting for his father to come home with his wages so she can buy something for the boy. He grudgingly gives her a small sum. The poor kid wakes up and finds that Santa has brought him a cheap trifle.

Can anyone think of another miserable Christmas in literature?