It's not surprising that my husband proposed to me just after midnight December 25th, right after watching “A Christmas Carol” on home video.
The
classic Dickens story has been a presence in my life for a long time.
I first read the story when I was 10 years old – about the same age
my husband was when he did. Don't get me wrong; we have plenty of
other things in common. Most of them are probably even less hip. We
both love classic horror films, country music and the rock 'n' roll
of the 1960s.
But
the Christmas season in general, and “A Christmas Carol” in
particular, ranks high on the list of our favorite things. Based
on a very quick count, we have at least nine film versions of the
story, and we try to watch as many of them as we can work in every
holiday season. (A sad by-product of this is that our children, now
19 and 15, have been known to shudder at the very mention of the
tale. But they'll come around.)
A
sane person might ask, why the obsession? What makes us relive
multiple viewings of Scrooge's past, present and future every year?
(Not back-to-back. That would be silly.) But a better
question might be, what's made this story so enduring? My husband and
I aren't the only “Christmas Carol” geeks, and Dickens' work has
held up some 171 years now.
The
trite, but probably correct, answer is that “A Christmas Carol”
is a tale of redemption, and that's something that resonates with the
human race. We love to see Scrooge's transformation and the stages
that take him there. And it's not too big a stretch to believe it's
because that's something we all want for ourselves – a chance to be
kinder, gentler, better people. To get our priorities straight and
remember what's really important.
The
Christmas season is really a microcosm of the best things in life:
God, family and caring for others. We celebrate with some of
the things we love most: food, music, decorating, shopping. But those
external celebrations are also where it can start going haywire for
many of us. We get consumed by the need to get all those things done,
and that's where the heart of Christmas can be lost.
This
year, it's my hope that we all find and remember the joy of the
season, and that we're able to share it with others. In the words of
Scrooge's nephew Fred: “And
therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver
in my pocket, I believe that it has
done me good, and will
do me good; and I say, God bless it!”
And
as a final word to the curious, I believe I've arrived at my personal top
three film renditions: the 1984 George C. Scott made-for-TV-movie;
the 1953 Alastair Sim film; and the 1938 MGM film starring Reginald
Owen. If you'd like to weigh in with your own favorite(s), I'd
love to hear it!
