As my final blog post for this short holiday season, I decided to write a bit about a masterpiece that fits the theme. Since my previous post was a James Stewart film, I’ll steer clear of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and instead discuss an even more infamous holiday classic: “A Christmas Carol.”
The title means something different for everyone. Perhaps, like me, the childhood memory of watching the Disney version, “Mickey’s Christmas Carol,” comes to mind. Maybe you’ve seen a play at a theatre. You may just think of Charles Dickens’s classic novella. Whether your favorite version of Ebenezer Scrooge is Mickey Mouse, Jim Carrey, Patrick Stewart, Mister Magoo, Bill Murray or Yosemite Sam, “A Christmas Carol” and all its adaptations are worth the watch or read.
Most everyone knows the classic Christmas tale—it involves Ebenezer Scrooge, an old and selfish miser. Around the holidays, he is visited by the ghost of his ex-business-partner who warns that if Scrooge does not change his life, he will spend eternity in chains. Scrooge takes little stock in the visit from Jacob Marley’s ghost, but he is soon taken on a journey by The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Through these glances at his own life and his impact on others, Scrooge realizes that he must change his ways.
The tale, old as it is, still remains an uplifting reminder for people of the true meaning of Christmas and the holiday season.
The original story, entitled “A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas,” was published in 1843. Unlike some works of literature, the book was met with immediate critical acclaim and it has since thrived through the years. Since Charles Dickens wrote the classic, it has never once been out of print, and there are new adaptations created every few years.
If you haven’t read Dickens’s original version, pick up a copy this season. If you have, or if you’d rather enjoy a film adaptation, challenge yourself to see as many versions as possible—there are countless to choose from.
Thanks for reading. Happy holidays!
