Christmas at Thompson Hall

"Christmas at Thompson Hall" by Anthony Trollope is a funny short story from the late 1800s that shows how easily things can go wrong when families try to do the right thing during the holidays. It takes place in France during a cold winter and looks at how people acted and related to each other back then. The story is about Mrs. Brown, who really wants to spend Christmas with her family at Thompson Hall, even though her husband isn't so sure about it. As they travel, bad weather and some unlucky events cause Mrs. Brown to accidentally put a mustard plaster on Mr. Jones in a hotel room when she was only trying to get mustard for her husband's sore throat. This mistake causes some awkward moments, especially when everyone gets together for Christmas. Even though Mrs. Brown meant well, the story shows how hard it can be to balance what you're supposed to do with the chaos of family expectations during the holidays, all ending in a happy and unexpected way at Thompson Hall.