A Christmas Carol, Past and Present

My Christmas goal this year was to watch every Scrooge movie made. 

Including Mr. Magoo's Scrooge. 

I succeeded. 

My favorite, without doubt, is Scrooged, with Bill Murray.  

I'm not exactly sure why, either. There are more yucks in it, but the movie has no old world charm and I am a lover of all things Victorian. 

About the author

Charles Dickens was having a rough go after his last flop, Martin Chuzzlewit. So he set out to write A Christmas Carol, the story of an old guy who is rich but has nothing of value. This is a similar take off from other stories Dicken's had written, so with a few twists and turns and several ghosts, Dickens popped out his novella to a hungry crowd of readers. 

At the time, England was not a socialist state. It was pure monetary opportunism and those who could be taken advantage of, were. Women, children, and the poor were abused for monetary gain and no one did anything to stop it. The only way the disadvantages could be brought to light and rectified were through religious and/or moral stories, hoping to strike fear into the hearts of the wealthy. 

Dickens succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. 

Like I told my husband, where are you going to get ghost and Christmas miracle stories except in Scrooge? Of course they must all be watched and it's fun that you can pick and choose things from the different movies. Like how many people know this? 

1. Sometimes the Cratchit kids get toys and sometimes they don't. 
2. Sometimes it's a goose and sometimes it's a turkey on the Cratchit table. 
3. Sometimes Christmas Past is a girl, a boy, a fairy, and sometimes the being is androgynous.
4. Christmas Present is almost always a big, loud, happy, overstuffed Victorian Santa with want and ignorance hidden beneath its folds.  Sadly, it is still hidden unless you look hard at the world around you.
5. Christmas Future is always the wicked, caped, figure of death that instills fear into all who watch and the one to whom Scrooge must bow his will recognizing his imminent death will not bring a single mourner. 

If you get the chance, record them, buy them, rent them. All the different Scrooge's have something to say about growing our hearts and our generosity. During this year of fire, flood, and pestilence, it is a good idea to remain grounded. Instead of buying that Maserati, throw some cash toward California. We need it. If it isn't taxes, it's fire. 

Merry Christmas everyone!