A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Fiction — eBook. Top Five Books, 2011. Originally published 1843. 153 pgs. Free download.

For those unfamiliar with Dickens’ classic tale, the story focuses on the grouchy Ebenezer Scrooge, a man who absolutely abhors Christmas. On Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Marley, who warns Scrooge about the errors of his ways and informs him that he will be visited by the ghost of Christmases Past, the ghost of Christmas Present, and the ghost of Christmases Future.

I decided to reread Dickens’ classic while stuck at the airport for three hours due to plane delays. I was on my way home and anxious to be back with my family and, because school ended so late this semester, I hadn’t been feeling in the holiday mood. While this book did nothing to ease my anxiousness, I was able to immerse myself in the spirit of the season.

I hear my dad’s voice whenever I read the first line of Dickens’ iconic Christmas story. I can only recall one time when he read the book aloud to my brother and I but it is always his voice I hear. It’s a comforting memory I hope I can hold onto forever because, as my grandparents age, I am realizing no one can elude death.

Something I did not know before reading the introduction to my copy is that Dickens wrote more Christmas stories than just this particular one. It became his most famous and is one of the rare books where the film and stage versions I have seen have stayed substantially true to the original text. (My favorite is the Muppets’ version, which is also a musical.) Maybe I’ll pick up some of his other Christmas stories next year.

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