Illustrations for a Christmas Carol by Carter Goodrich 1996 The Impact and Origins of Dicken's A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol is based off legends of the Wild Hunt, with wandering spirits and ghosts traveling around Christmas Eve, while the Three Ghosts of the Christmas Past (Faeries), Present (Holly King), and Yet to Come (Grim Reaper) are all based off deities and spirits of European folklore. A Christmas Carol can also be credited with saving "Yule" as the holiday had almost evaporated beforehand. Making Charles Dickens the man who saved Christmas and also effectively invented the modern incarnation of it. Though as a consequence what was once a season or at least 12 days was shortened and became a single day and many traditions once spread out over all of Yuletide became condensed on a single day.-TLK