It was on this date in 1843 that Charles Dickens published what must be the second most popular Christmas story of all time, outshone only by the story of the Good Shepherd's birth over two thousand years ago. While "A Christmas Carol" is not the greatest story ever told, this tale by Dickens does cause us to stop and think, to consider our lives, to think about times past, today's times, and those yet to come. It gives us pause to count our blessings, to consider how we have lived and how we have cared for those dear to us.
Charles Dickens himself had every reason to despise the Christmas season. When Dickens was still a teenager, his father was arrested and thrown into the debtor's prison. Charles Dickens was forced, at this young age, to go to work in a factory. In those days in England, the Industrial Age was well underway and labor was in high demand. In fact, labor was in such high demand that children well under the age of eighteen were forced to work. Although Dickens had to work because his father was in prison, many families were so poor that all of the children as well as both parents had to work to make ends meet. The terrible things Dickens saw as a child laborer made indelible impressions in his memory that were never forgotten. Dickens, however, was not defeated by these terrible events in his life; instead, he used these memories as fodder for many of his novels, including "A Christmas Carol."
While many of Charles Dickens' works were dark reflections of the oppressive lives commoners lived in France and England during his time, "A Christmas Carol" showed one man's transformation from an arrogant miser who's heart was dead to the world into a happy man who came to care for his relatives and his employee. "Scrooge" even came to care for Bob Cratchit's family, including young "Tiny Tim," the sickly lad who survived only because of Scrooge's generosity. Scrooge was forced to review his life through the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Present. Unlike you and I, Scrooge was allowed by the Ghost of Christmas "Yet To Come" to see exactly how his life would end if he continued on his present path. Scrooge, as we all know, was a changed man after these otherworldly visitations. He, like that famous tax collector in St. Matthew's Gospel, agreed to share his wealth and to make amends to those he had wronged throughout his life.
At the time "A Christmas Carol" was published, Charles Dickens was already a famous author, both in England and the United States, as well as in several other nations. Within a few years, "A Christmas Carol" was standard fare every Christmas, being adapted into plays, operas, and eventually into one of the most popular motion pictures of all time. I remember as a younger child waiting eagerly each Christmas to catch "A Christmas Carol" on television. Of course my favorite movie production of "A Christmas Carol" is still the old black and white version that was released in 1938 and that starred Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge. Years later, in 1984, another great version of the movie was released, with George C. Scott in the starring role.
I have to say that I am eagerly scanning the channel guide this Christmas season in search of "A Christmas Carol" in the black and white version. I love to sit back with the family (assuming Child A and Child B grace us with their presence), eat popcorn and Christmas cookies, and watch that grand old story. It was a sort of "tradition" while the kids were younger. These days we can't depend on the children to be present for the "viewing" but we still enjoy it ourselves. And it was today in history that Charles Dickens gave us "A Christmas Carol."
Charles Dickens himself had every reason to despise the Christmas season. When Dickens was still a teenager, his father was arrested and thrown into the debtor's prison. Charles Dickens was forced, at this young age, to go to work in a factory. In those days in England, the Industrial Age was well underway and labor was in high demand. In fact, labor was in such high demand that children well under the age of eighteen were forced to work. Although Dickens had to work because his father was in prison, many families were so poor that all of the children as well as both parents had to work to make ends meet. The terrible things Dickens saw as a child laborer made indelible impressions in his memory that were never forgotten. Dickens, however, was not defeated by these terrible events in his life; instead, he used these memories as fodder for many of his novels, including "A Christmas Carol."
While many of Charles Dickens' works were dark reflections of the oppressive lives commoners lived in France and England during his time, "A Christmas Carol" showed one man's transformation from an arrogant miser who's heart was dead to the world into a happy man who came to care for his relatives and his employee. "Scrooge" even came to care for Bob Cratchit's family, including young "Tiny Tim," the sickly lad who survived only because of Scrooge's generosity. Scrooge was forced to review his life through the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Present. Unlike you and I, Scrooge was allowed by the Ghost of Christmas "Yet To Come" to see exactly how his life would end if he continued on his present path. Scrooge, as we all know, was a changed man after these otherworldly visitations. He, like that famous tax collector in St. Matthew's Gospel, agreed to share his wealth and to make amends to those he had wronged throughout his life.
At the time "A Christmas Carol" was published, Charles Dickens was already a famous author, both in England and the United States, as well as in several other nations. Within a few years, "A Christmas Carol" was standard fare every Christmas, being adapted into plays, operas, and eventually into one of the most popular motion pictures of all time. I remember as a younger child waiting eagerly each Christmas to catch "A Christmas Carol" on television. Of course my favorite movie production of "A Christmas Carol" is still the old black and white version that was released in 1938 and that starred Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge. Years later, in 1984, another great version of the movie was released, with George C. Scott in the starring role.
I have to say that I am eagerly scanning the channel guide this Christmas season in search of "A Christmas Carol" in the black and white version. I love to sit back with the family (assuming Child A and Child B grace us with their presence), eat popcorn and Christmas cookies, and watch that grand old story. It was a sort of "tradition" while the kids were younger. These days we can't depend on the children to be present for the "viewing" but we still enjoy it ourselves. And it was today in history that Charles Dickens gave us "A Christmas Carol."
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