Morgan Ashleigh

Christmas is my favorite holiday. Time off from work allows me to see family and friends. I have fun wrapping presents and justify putting hundreds of twinkling lights up around my house. And, of course, I enjoy all the Christmas specials.

Christmas is a time to return to my familiar favorites. It’s not Christmas until I have heard Linus recite scripture to the Peanuts gang, cried over It’s a Wonderful Life, and reread A Christmas Carol.

If asked to say my favorite book, I would be at a loss, because who could possibly choose a favorite book?! However, if someone asked what my favorite Christmas book is, the answer is obvious: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

This short novella that the legendary Dickens wrote in the course of six weeks, has all the elements of an enduring story.

I adore a horrid character with a redemption arc. Ebenezer Scrooge is embedded within us all, which I only understand more and more as I get older. It is difficult to be generous and hopeful when you are consumed by a world that is threatening and ugly around you.

Dickens does an expert job bringing a “sledge hammer blow” on behalf of the poor. This tale with ghostly specters brings both a horrifying and hopeful account of the season. Scrooge learns to appreciate what he has and have a more meaningful life found in helping others.

I have enjoyed countless renditions of A Christmas Carol, from television specials to book adaptations to Hollywood movie releases. I would argue that Scrooge McDuck battles for the best adaptation with Michael Caine and the Muppets. However, I find myself returning to the original 1843 version every year.

Dickens is one of my favorite classic writers. I even made sure to visit his home when I was in London because I love his story of Oliver Twist and Great Expectations. I’ve always found Dickens to be an accessible writer. His writing was never haughty with language and the work was never too dense for me (except for A Tale of Two Cities, which I admittedly remember nothing past the first sentence).

A Christmas Carol is Dickens’ masterpiece. It relays a powerful message about charity without preaching to an audience. I also love that the text is short and focuses on the main conflict of the story.

Although Dickens intended the book to be read by a wide audience as an attempt to revive his dying career, it reads very much like a children’s book. In fact, Dickens makes several allusions to treating Christmas day like a child and enjoying the wonderment of the season. Scrooge himself takes on a child-like glee at the end of the book when he casts of his miserly ways and starts his charitable lifestyle.

Dickens was noticeably fond of nursery tales and delighted giving them a higher form through his novels. A Christmas Carol is the most fable-like story he ever wrote and I believe that in writing the narrative this way, he made it superior for all to enjoy.

So, this Christmas Eve, after I’ve spent time with my family. I will open my worn copy of A Christmas Carol and take a journey with ghosts so that by Christmas morning I will feel like Scrooge. “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”