Charles Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol” in 1843 and it has become a legendary scenario for numerous cartoons, movies and theater plays. It’s hard to imagine it now that the story was written at a period when Britain was just discovering its Christmas traditions of decorating a tree, singing carols and cooking turkey.

Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean old man who is stingy with money and emotions. His employees suffer from cold because he is too cheap to pay for the wood to make a fire, his family is left without his attention because he is too cold, bitter and uncaring. He refuses his nephew’s invitation to a Christmas party, people’s request for charitable contributions and returns alone to his dreary and empty apartment.

There he receives an uninvited visitor. His ex-business partner comes to him as a Christmas ghost. He takes Scrooge on a trip into his past, present, and future. The partners pretty much deserve each other: both are greedy and cruel. But Jacob has already experienced the punishment for his actions and now wants to save his friend Scrooge.

At first, Scrooge is sent into all of the previous Christmas Eves he has experienced. He sees again his ex-wife and remembers a kind and warm relationship that he exchanged for the lust for money. The second ghost shows the protagonist his present from another perspective. All of the sudden, Scrooge wants to stay at his nephew’s party till the very end.

Last, the third ghost takes Scrooge into the future where people are relieved with his death. He begs the ghost to spare him and promises to make amends to his lifestyle. In all the upcoming years he turns into a generous and kind man loved and respected by the others.

The book is generous in meanings and concepts. Along the trip of Ebenezer Scrooge down the memory lane, the reader experiences joyful family gatherings, tasty food and drink treats, seasonal games and dancing traditions.

Author: Frank Frazier