Christmas is the perfect time to open up a classic holiday story that you’ve been meaning to read for what seems like centuries. Recently, I picked up Charles Dickens classic story, A Christmas Carol.
Boy, oh boy was this one a challenge for me.
First off, I want to say that, overall, I enjoyed the moral aspects of what is perhaps Dickens’ most well-known story. Most people may be familiar with the concept of this tale, though in case you’re not, here’s a quick synopsis: Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean old man who has a crazy amount of wealth (which he doesn’t deserve in the slightest). Due to his continuous wickedness, Scrooge is visited in the night by three spirits: The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present, and The Ghost of Christmas Future.
Each ghost aims to change the hollow blackness of Scrooge’s cruel and selfish spirit by showing him what will become of him, his riches, and ultimately his life if he continues to treat people horribly.
Source: Amazon
I think the main issue I had with this story was that I felt like it could’ve easily been told (and had the same positive emotional effect) in a much smaller amount of pages. (Around 50-60 would have sufficed.) Instead, A Christmas Carol drags on and on….and on, spending pages focused on minute details that, in my humble opinion, weren’t needed as much.
Another unfortunate con for me was the language. No, there’s no profanity or the like, though since this book was originally published in December of 1843, it’s understandable that those of us alive nearly 173 years later would stumble upon some trouble with the diction. I found myself rereading passages over several times just to gain a better understanding of what specifically was happening, though honestly sometimes I just gave up and read it through as best I could.
Nonetheless, this holiday classic still brings to mind feelings of happiness and joy for me as I do love its strong presence of a moral compass and because it takes place during Christmas time!
Next time when I’m in the mood for Scrooge, I’ll just pop in the Jim Carrey movie version or Mickey’s Christmas Carol.
Other Christmas Classics:
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
- The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum
- A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas
- A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
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Featured image via The Hymns And Carols Of Christmas
