It’s A Wonderful Tale

From INFOGALACTIC:

 In February 1938 Stern awoke with the story in mind. Inspired by a dream that was reminiscent of the 1843 Charles Dickens novella A Christmas Carol, Stern wrote a 4,000 word short story called “The Greatest Gift”. He began work on it in 1939 but didn’t finish until 1943, and was then unable to find a publisher. He sent 200 printed copies to friends as Christmas cards in December 1943. His daughter, Marguerite Stern Robinson, recalled “I was in the third grade and remember delivering a few of these cards to my teachers and my friends… My father, who was himself from a mixed religious background, explained to me that while this story takes place at Christmas time, and that we were sending it as a Christmas card to our friends, it is a universal story for all people in all times.”

One of those 200 copies ended up in the hands of legendary film maker,  FRANK CAPRA  who turned it into what is possibly the greatest Christmas movie of all time,  It’s A Wonderful Life.