For the Victorian audience, the Christmas tale represented one of the most popular and widespread types of short fiction. Acting under the ubiquitous influence of Charles Dickens, various periodicals and annuals regularly commissioned Christmas stories from the popular authors of the day. While Anthony Trollope produced his share of these stories over the years, he never cared for the practice, finding it artificial and distasteful. Comparing the calling of literature to the call to upholsterers and undertakers to supply funerals, he complained in his autobiography that his Christmas stories "have had no real savour of Christmas about them." It was a task to be endured, not enjoyed. It is not surprising, then, that he found himself making excuses to the publisher Edmund Routledge. In a 23 April 1870 letter he apologized for the brevity of his annual contribution, explaining, "There is no probability that I shall write another Christmas story as I have very much work on hand,--and stories do not come as thick as blackberries." Referring to the enclosed story, he added, "but I fear mine for you will not exceed 20 pages, as your pages are long and I have always found that a short story does not require about 18 to 20 pages to tell itself."
Trollope's comments to Routledge suggest a good deal about his practice and production of short fiction.
