Scrooge – A Christmas transformation
BY ANDREA REDFORD
Are you a re-reader? Generally speaking, I’m not. As I see it, there are so many good books out there waiting to be read, and so little time to read them!
But there is one book I make an exception for: Charles Dickens’ classic novella A Christmas Carol.
I was given a gorgeously illustrated version of the book many years ago and I’ve read it most Decembers since. Every year I find it as compelling and enjoyable as the first time I read it.
And I’m hardly alone. The story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his visit from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future eclipses all other Yuletide stories in popularity. Old Ebenezer’s phrase, “Bah humbug” has been adopted as an expression of disgust for all things Christmas, and the very name Scrooge has become a byword for a mean or miserly person.
But to use Scrooge’s name in this way is to do Dickens’ protagonist a great injustice. From a man who has no love for Christmas, children or anything fun or joyful, Scrooge becomes a model of generosity and kindness.
Apart from a big fright, each ghost gives Scrooge a new perspective on his life. For the first time, he sees his “fellowmen” as they really are, and he sees himself as he really is. The reality is sobering, but the consequences are transformational. The man who once abhorred Christmas now promises to “honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year”.
With Jesus’ birth came the opportunity for the world to see God in an entirely new way. And, just like Scrooge, those who embraced this new perspective were transformed from the inside out.
I don’t plan to stop my annual A Christmas Carol tradition any time soon. For me, it’s a gift that keeps on giving.
