One of the most enduring Christmas stories is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It’s been adapted into film form multiple times, including one particularly delightful version with the Muppets and Michael Caine. Its themes also run through many other popular Christmas stories. This is especially true of the main character of “A Christmas Carol,” Ebenezer Scrooge.
If you’re not familiar with the story, Ebenezer Scrooge, a cranky old man focused on being cranky and making a profit, is visited by three ghosts—one from the past, one from the present, and one from the future—who convince him to renounce his cold and uncaring ways and embrace the generosity and goodwill of the Christmas season.
Scrooge is the prototypical “character who hates Christmas.” We won’t make a list of Scrooge type characters, but some are probably coming to mind right now. It’s a character type so popular that anyone with disdain for Christmas is immediately labeled a “Scrooge” or a “Grinch,” another character clearly inspired by Scrooge.
The dirty not-so-secret secret about Scrooge is that people identify both with his redemption arc at the end of the story and his grumpy disdain of all things Christmas. As long as there are people excited to throw up their Christmas tree on November 1st, there will be people who take umbrage with that choice. For some people, the joy of Christmas comes harder than others, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But one of the most beautiful parts of his story is that the characters around Scrooge accept him back when he decides that maybe Christmas isn’t actually so bad. After all, Christmas is about forgiveness, generosity, and the grace that Jesus offers everyone, even Scrooges.
Conversation Starter: What does it mean to be forgiven? How does it make you feel to be forgiven by someone?