Charles Dickens. He wrote the novella "A Christmas Carol" in 1843, which is considered one of the most popular Christmas stories ever written. It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly and bitter man who is visited by three ghosts and shown the errors of his ways, leading him to become a more compassionate and generous person. It has since been adapted into many different forms of media, including films, television shows, and musicals.