I’m not annoyed that Christmas decorations have been on sale since October. Business has to make the most of the build-up and give children time to view their material desires and write their wish lists before the man in the red suit arrives. What I am miffed about is that traditional red, green, gold and silver are being outshone by baby blue and pink (yes pink) baubles in the Christmas shop this year. I could have been walking past the toy section but it is apparently the best Christmas decorations on offer at this major department store.
If the shops are spreading Christmas cheer already, albeit a little colourfully, then it can’t hurt to look at a book that epitomises the spirit of Christmas – A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, with original illustrations by John Leech.
We are all familiar with this tale of Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley who died seven Christmas Eves ago. Marley warns Scrooge that his shrewdness has had consequences in his afterlife and that Scrooge will be visited by ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future to help him mend his ways. Scrooge is a spend-thrift who believes that Christmas is “a time for finding yourself a year older, and not an hour richer.”
As Scrooge journeys through the night with the ghosts he sees his clerk and his crippled son Tiny Tim and the poverty they live in due to his miserly salary. Christmas future shows the inevitable death of Tiny Tim if Ebenezer fails to act.
Like all heart-warming Christmas tales, Scrooge realises how selfish he has been and delivers a turkey, raises wages and visits an estranged nephew. He finally realises that Christmas is about giving and being in the company of those who care for you.
Charles Dickens started writing this classic at the end of August in 1843 and had it printed and bound and ready for the public by Christmas Eve. He set the price at five shillings so that everyone could afford a copy and subsequently only made a profit of £726 for the year.
Dickens story was inspired by the poverty of his childhood. He had four children with one on the way and a hefty mortgage on his home. He had to write a story. Sounds a bit like J.K Rawlings. As he walked along the Thames he was shocked by the prostitutes, filth and beggars. People were living well below the breadline out of his privileged area.
As Dickens wrote this masterpiece he had a transformation and was affected by the story and reluctant to lay it down. The spirit of his book was not only impacting Scrooge but the Dickens’ heart as well.
If you get the chance to read this tale or even watch it, it may just remind us of what Christmas is truly about. Not the pink and blue baubles or the electronic gadgets (even my daughter asked for a pink D.S and admitted she has no idea what it is.) We all know what Christmas truly means and have one month to spread that Christmas cheer...
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