Ebeneezer Scrooge is Waiting

We took our family to a stage production of, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens some years ago right before Christmas. On our way to the theater one of our young daughters said with relish, “I hope Scrooge is bad enough!” She knew the story well enough to know that if Ebeneezer Scrooge wasn’t believable, the whole story would fall flat on its face. That same daughter grew up to be cast in the live production of A Christmas Carol on that very same stage as one of Cousin Fred’s gregarious friends.

As it is for many families, A Christmas Carol is a cherished part of our Christmas memories and the timeless story helps us grasp in tangible terms exactly what Christmas is all about: the possibility of repentance, changes of heart, and redemption—no matter how wicked or dark or selfish the past looms behind us.

When the ghost of penny-pinching old Marley says, “I wear the chain I forged in life. I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it,” we consider the links in our own chains and how we might escape them. When Dickens says, “Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it,” we consider just how much we cling to darkness ourselves, and it makes us want to run for the light.

In a world filled with darkness—much of which I often feel compelled to write about in this space—I think it is time we return in earnest to the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge and let it chase the darkness from us and fill us with hope.

And let’s bring our children along with us. Let’s not let a single one of our descendants be left without the redemptive story of Ebeneezer Scrooge ringing in their hearts. I’m going to start with my son. As some of you may know, my husband and I had four daughters all very close together and then we took a hiatus from having children for 12 years. Then, as a joyous exclamation point at the end of our family, our son joined us! He’s now 7. And while he’s read shortened (slightly slaughtered) versions of A Christmas Carol, he’s yet to hear the story in Dickens’ own words. I think it’s time.

Here’s my plan and I invite you to join me! During the first week of December, I’m going to wrap a copy of A Christmas Carol in festive paper and give it to my son. I’ll write him a note about how special this old, treasured story is and how I’m ready to share it with him. And I’m going to tell him that as part of our Christmas celebrating this year, we get to read the whole, real story together and finish it before Christmas.

Then I’m going to cozy up with my adorable boy every day and sip from the pages of this book, savoring it like a cup of warm cocoa. Even if some of Dickens’ masterful prose goes over his 7-year-old head this time, I’m going to let it fall on his ears anyway, acclimating him to it and binding it to his little soul.

I’ll let you know how it goes. And I’d love to hear if you decide to join us in this Christmasy endeavor! Perhaps your family has already read the story together for years. If so, I’m glad to be in such fine company. If, on the hand, you find yourself thinking you don’t have time to read a book with your family this year, perhaps it’s a good time to find time.

We have tickets to the stage play of A Christmas Carol this year right before Christmas. I absolutely can’t wait. I hope Scrooge is bad enough!

To make it easy for you, here are some buying options for A Christmas Carol:

Classic hardback copy with gold lettering: A Christmas Carol

High-quality, affordable paperback edition: A Christmas Carol (Puffin Classics)

Large print edition: A Christmas Carol: Large Print Edition

Illustrated picture book for the littlest among us: A Christmas Carol

Abridged (but good) version to ease into it: A Christmas Carol (Abridged)

Stunning bonus material version: A Christmas Carol: An Engaging Visual Journey

And for good measure, here are three respectable movie adaptations of A Christmas Carol:

George C. Scott version (a favorite): A Christmas Carol : George C. Scott

Patrick Stewart version: A Christmas Carol : Patrick Stewart

Muppet version! Michael Caine is superb: The Muppet Christmas Carol

As December wraps around us like a glittering robe, I say, “God bless us everyone!”

With love,

Kimberly

My daughter in costume for A Christmas Carol