A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, upon which so many movies have been based, is a thought provoking and uplifting story about redemption. Ebenezer Scrooge is a selfish, miserly gentleman of middle years who goes about life looking out for himself and no one else.

We first meet Mr. Scrooge on a Christmas Eve in the early Victorian Era in his counting house. It has been 7 years since his business partner, Jacob Marley, a man much like himself in thoughts and feelings, died. Mr. Scrooge is impatient with his clerk, Bob Cratchit, dismissive to his nephew Fred, and rude to two gentlemen who stop in seeking donations for a charity that helps the poor. After work, he goes home, and is startled when the knocker on the front of his door seems to take on Jacob Marley's face for a moment. But then the moment passes, and he goes inside. What happens after is well known to fans of A Christmas Carol. Jacob Marley's ghost visits him, and tells him that if he doesn't change his ways he will end up miserable and in chains for the rest of eternity, just like Mr. Marley. To help convince Scrooge, Marley sends three other ghosts, the Ghosts of Past, Present, and Future Christmas to remind Scrooge of what is really important in his life. One of the important characters is Tiny Tim, whose presence helps readers see that Mr. Scrooge's change is not done just because of concern for his own welfare, but for the welfare and benefit of others. It is a great story that I highly recommend to adults and to children. The book was first published in 1843.