A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
‘tis the season to be jolly! What a wonderful story to
revisit during the Christmas season. The story is one of realizing how living a
good life will provide us with the happiness we all seek. Many versions of this
movie show over the days and weeks leading up to Christmas Day. The version I
love is the 1938 version with Reginald Owen, usually shown on Turner Classic Movies channel. The technology in 1938 of course
was minimal when it came to magical and ghostly beings appearing in a scene,
but this early movie technology adds to the charm of the presentation. Each
year I watch this movie I tell myself I need to read the classic story. I have
a copy of The Oxford Illustrated Dickens
Christmas Books with Original Illustrations on my bookshelf. I attempt each
holiday season to take the book off the shelf and enjoy a good read by my
fireplace. Unfortunately, with the hustle and bustle of the season, I never
have finished the book. The book contains not only A Christmas Carol but other stories written by Charles Dickens (The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The
Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man).
It is amazing to me that A
Christmas Carol was first published in 1843. When I sit back and consider
the messages that resonate throughout the story, such as to treat your fellow
man with respect, the importance of family, and the difference a charitable
heart can make in another’s life, I realize that this story is truly timeless.
Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all made it a point to be kind to
one another and help those in need throughout the year, not just during the
holidays?
Once again, I am going to try to
make the time to sit down and read this classic literature. I love the idea of
reading words from over a century ago, and applying the message to present day.
The final paragraph of A Christmas Carol reads,
“He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total
Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he
knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May
that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God
bless us every one!”
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