Trust & Obey

“I have endeavored in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an idea, which shall not put my readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.” – Charles Dickens 1843

If you know who Ebenezer Scrooge is, know about three ghosts that visit one night, or have heard “God bless us, every one!” congratulations you know a bit about A Christmas Carol! This is a classic Christmas story. It’s been made into countless movies, retold many ways, and has been ingrained in Christmas culture for quite awhile. I’d have to say my favorite movie retelling is “The Muppet’s Christmas Carol,” in case you were wondering. Because I think it’s safe to say that we all know this tale, I won’t worry to heavily about spoiling the story for you. If you somehow know nothing about it, then skip to the last paragraph!

This is the famous story of the old, greedy, and snooty Ebenezer Scrooge and his meeting with the three ghosts of Christmas. He has bah humbug-ed the holiday for years and considers it only a commercial holiday that’s a waste of one’s money. Well, this idea gets challenged when his long dead partner Jacob Marley pays Scrooge a visit Christmas Eve night.

This book was a wonderful read that ushers in the Christmas season beautifully (I read it a week and half ago but still). It’s one of those that makes you feel Christmas is here and puts you in an enthusiastic mindset for the month of December. I think this was a must read for anyone ready for the Christmas spirit.

I do have one complaint for A Christmas Carol. Unlike the movie, Jacob Marley tells Scrooge that he will have a ghost visit each night. That’s fine and dandy. So, the Ghost of Christmas Past rolls around and they have their little adventure. Cool, cool. The next night comes by and the Ghost of Christmas Present grabs Scrooge to show him the Cratchit Christmas and it’s pretty cruddy. Tiny Tim really pulls at your heart strings, like he always does. Then comes the Ghost of Christmas Future- my favorite ghost- and shows Scrooge all the bad stuff. This is all good too. Here’s where my problem comes in, Scrooge ended up having all of the ghosts come to him in one night. Well, if that’s true then when the Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge the Cratchits on Christmas day, wouldn’t that be the future, not the present? I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong. Please tell me in the comments if I’m wrong here!

Now that that’s out of the way, here’s the good stuff. This book is a good two hours long and I loved that. I just love short stories, especially classics. I get to expand my knowledge a bit without spending countless hours trying to figure out what is happening! I won’t keep going with this. (If you want to about more on some great short stories, I got an article on it!) I also thought the descriptions of the ghosts were awesome. Particularly the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Future. You feel the sickening chill that slinks down your spine as the Ghost of Christmas Future enters the scene. “As the last strokes ceased to vibrate, he remembered the prediction of old Jacob Marley, and, lifting up his eyes, beheld a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded, coming like a mist along the grounds towards him.” When I watched the movies as a child, I remember just feeling nauseous knowing that he was coming last. Dickens was smart to save him for last, the Phantom definitely haunts the book for those who know and haunts the rest of the books for those who didn’t.

A Christmas Carol truly was a fantastic read. The length makes it a great little read to kick off the Christmas season or to read the week of Christmas! Either way you can’t go wrong. I love to find my favorite quote when I read a book and for this one I found: “It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that, while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humor.” I liked it because Dickens took something that’s scary or hard (like illness) and spun it around to be hopeful. I think this is important to remember all year round but I think it’s especially true during December.

Do you have a favorite Christmas movie or book? Tell me about it in the comments!