WA Advent Calender 2025 - Monday 8th December

byGail-UK

3.8K followers

1 week ago

"BAH! Humbug!!"

These are the now infamous words of one of Christmas's best-loved characters i the last 200 years - Ebenezer Scrooge, when his nephew wishes him a "Merry Christmas".

I'm sure that everyone will have heard of this tragedy-in-reverse tale of the redemption of Ebenezer when he is visited by 4 spirits in the space of Christmas Eve, and warned to repent of his greedy and miserly ways.

A Christmas Carol was written by Charles Dickens, a Victorian author from England whose other novels included Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, David Copperfield and Nicholas Nickleby to name but a few. He published A Christmas Carol as a novella in December 1843, when Dickens was in his early 30s, and some say he was running out of money! With its tale of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and his supernatural Christmas Eve visitations, it quickly became a classic, selling thousands of copies in just days. (And filling up Mr Dickens' coffers quite a bit too, no doubt!)

A social commentary

Dickens was a sharp critic of Victorian society and the privileges of the wealthy at the expense of the poor, often highlighting the injustice and poverty that surrounded him, especially the 1934 Poor Law, which only allowed help to be given by the state through workhouses, rather than money or food at home. Workhouses were deliberately harsh to discourage people from relying on charity, and the idea was that only the truly desperate would accept help.

In A Christmas Carol, when 2 gentlemen come calling on Scrooge to ask for money for the poor as a charitable donation, he replies:

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“‘Are there no prisons?’ asked Scrooge.
‘Plenty of prisons,’ said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.
‘And the Union workhouses?’ demanded Scrooge. ‘Are they still in operation?’
‘They are. Still,’ returned the gentleman, ‘I wish I could say they were not.’
‘The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?’ said Scrooge.
‘Both very busy, sir.’
‘Oh! I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course,’ said Scrooge. ‘I’m very glad to hear it.’

‘Under the impression that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind or body to the multitude,’ returned the gentleman, ‘a few of us are endeavouring to raise a fund to buy the Poor some meat and drink, and means of warmth. We choose this time, because it is a time of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices. What shall I put you down for?’

‘Nothing!’ Scrooge replied.

‘You wish to be anonymous?’

‘I wish to be left alone,’ said Scrooge. ‘Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. I don’t make merry myself at Christmas and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned — they cost enough — and those who are badly off must go there.’

‘Many can’t go there; and many would rather die.’

‘If they would rather die,’ said Scrooge, ‘they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.’”**

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Luckily, Scrooge learns his lessons by the end of the play and becomes "a man who knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.”

A Christmas Carol is one of the most studied books in English Literature, and many of our 16-year-olds study it as part of their GCSE English Literature.

Scrooge on Film

Over the decades, A Christmas Carol has been adapted extensively — both in film and theatre. Some estimates suggest there have been more than 120 portrayals of Scrooge on screen and television.

Here are just a few of the most famous actors who have played Scrooge:

• Alastair Sim - often considered the definitive Scrooge in the 1951 film Scrooge
• Michael Caine - Scrooge in the much-loved 1992 The Muppet Christmas Carol
• Patrick Stewart - in the 1999 adaptation of the story, praised for sticking close to Dickens’s original tone
• Albert Finney - in the 1970 version of Scrooge, giving a memorable musical take on the classic
• Jim Carrey - as Scrooge (and even the Ghosts) in the 2009 animated version

What the story really means — its heart and message

At its heart, A Christmas Carol isn’t just a ghost story; it’s a vivid call to compassion, generosity and transformation. Scrooge starts as a miser, cold and unkind. But through the spirits’ revelations of his past, present and possible future, he comes to understand the impact of his selfishness. By the end, he transforms into a kinder, more generous man, embracing human connection, empathy and charity.

For me (and I suspect many of you), that’s the true meaning of Christmas. It’s not about gifts or glitter, but about kindness, redemption, community and hope. A Christmas Carol reminds us that no matter how bleak things may seem, there’s always room for change and love.

A Christmas Carol Quiz

In honour of this wonderful story, and to test your English Literature knowledge, here's a quick quiz for you all to try... and no cheating!

1. Who wrote A Christmas Carol and in which year was it first published?
2. Which phrase does Scrooge famously repeat at the start of the story to show his attitude toward Christmas?
3. Which character visits Scrooge first on Christmas Eve before the other spirits arrive?
4. In what form does the Ghost of Christmas Past first appear?
5. Who does Scrooge work for when he returns with the Ghost of Christmas Past?
6. What is the name of Bob Cratchit’s sickly but optimistic young son?
7. Which ghost shows Scrooge two symbolic children, and what are their names?
8. Scrooge is described as: “As solitary as an oyster” and “… a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone.” What literary techniques are these?
9. What does Scrooge send to the Cratchit family on Christmas morning?
10. What promise does Scrooge make at the end of the story after waking up on Christmas morning?

"Oh! But he was a tight‑fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!"

Let me know how you got on in the comments below!

Gail

And if you' like to read it again, you can find it here: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/24022/pg24022-images.html

Answers

1. Who wrote A Christmas Carol, and in which year was it first published?
   → Charles Dickens, first published in 1843.
2. Which phrase does Scrooge famously repeat at the start of the story to show his attitude toward Christmas?
   → “Bah! Humbug!”
3. Which character visits Scrooge first on Christmas Eve before the other spirits arrive?
   → Jacob Marley’s ghost (his former business partner).
4. In what form does the Ghost of Christmas Past first appear?
   → As a strange childlike figure with the appearance of both youth and age, crowned with a bright light.
5. Who does Scrooge work for when he returns with the Ghost of Christmas Past?
   → Fezziwig, a kind and generous employer.
6. What is the name of Bob Cratchit’s sickly but optimistic young son?
   → Tiny Tim.
7. Which ghost shows Scrooge two symbolic children, and what are their names?
   → The Ghost of Christmas Present, who reveals Ignorance and Want.
8. Scrooge is described as: “As solitary as an oyster” and “… a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone.” What literary techniques are these?
   → Simile (“as solitary as an oyster”) and metaphor (“tight-fisted hand at the grindstone”).
9. What does Scrooge send to the Cratchit family on Christmas morning?
   → A large prize turkey.
10. What promise does Scrooge make at the end of the story after waking up on Christmas morning?
    → To honour Christmas in his heart and keep it all year, living with compassion, generosity, and kindness.