For over 150 years Charles Dickens's story of the miserly, miserable Ebenezer Scrooge and his three ghosts has been a regular Christmas tradition throughout Western Civilization. Indeed, even Hollywood has fueled this tradition by producing more than 15 feature productions of "A Christmas Carol." Why is this story so powerful, so gripping and such a staple of the Holiday season? The answer lies in understanding the author, Charles Dickens.

Charles Dickens is arguably the most influential novelist in the English language. It was his Christmas stories and his struggle with Christianity that dominated much of his life and permeated his writings.

Born in 1812, Dickens's early life was one of poverty. His father, a lowly government clerk, found himself in debtor prison and young Charles consequently found himself laboring in the dismal factories and the workhouses of the day. These years marked him. When he finally escaped poverty later in life, he devoted his abundant writing gifts to exploring the lives of the poor, the frustrated and the unfulfilled. These themes we see in his Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickelby, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations, among others. Because of his success as a novelist, his life was truly a rags to riches story.

At the heart of Dickens's writing is a quest for significance, which eventually led him to explore the Christian faith. But he struggled with the consistency of Christianity; he saw so much hypocrisy and hurt in the supposedly Christian nation of England. He thus wrote innumerable essays on the disparity between Christian teaching and Christian practice and he lectured widely on the nature of Christian ethics and society. He even wrote a perplexing, yet searching life of Christ.

His annual Christmas stories, begun in 1843, were the most widely used forum for his musings on Christianity. The first, and in my judgment the best, was A Christmas Carol. Everyone knows the story: Ebenezer Scrooge and his clerk, Bob Cratchit, whose financially destitute, yet joyful, family ekes out an existence in old London constitute the story's main characters. Cratchit's youngest son, Tiny Tim, is the focal point of Scrooge's miserliness. The ghosts of Christmas past, present and future haunt Scrooge throughout Christmas Eve night, as they expose all of his sins and shortcomings. He comes to terms with his greed and selfishness as "the squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous" miser. In short, Scrooge is regenerated, born again, into a generous, compassionate, loving man who rescues Tiny Tim from death, and becomes one "who knew how to keep Christmas well." Powerfully and with crystal clear clarity, Dickens's story is thus the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge. Depravity, dispossession and depression are overcome by the power of repentance, redemption and resurrection. Perhaps, Scrooge is actually Dickens's alter ego, ending his quest for significance in the story of Christmas.

What lessons does Dickens teach us through his redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge? Dickens gives us no reason to believe that Scrooge has ever been dishonest in his business dealings. He is thrifty, disciplined and hard-working. But it seems to me that Dickens is arguing that these virtues are not enough. As Scrooge's early patron, Mr. Fezziwig, demonstrates, moneymaking, generosity and a spirit of goodwill are not only compatible but inextricably linked in a purpose- filled life. Private charity combines with hard work in Scrooge's personal redemption. Although considerably romanticized, Dickens also depicts hard-working families gathered for a day of well- earned rest, merriment and modest excess. Christmas day becomes a reassuring antidote to the factory jobs and crowded cities of Victorian England.

Today, we are far removed from Victorian England. But perhaps that is why we love the story so. We can identify with Scrooge in his miserliness, yet also long for his redemption. The message of Christmas is that God understands our miserly, selfish human condition and provides our redemption through His son, Jesus. The message of Christmas remains that the babe in the manger on Christmas morning was God's "unspeakable gift" to the human race. Until and unless we embrace that reality, we will remain in hopeless destitution as a modern Ebenezer Scrooge.

Back to top

CHRISTMAS 2000: SOME REFLECTIONS

This Christmas season, Hollywood released a blockbuster film that significantly revised a great Christmas classic Dr. Seuss's "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." The movie stars Jim Carey as the Grinch and is creatively done in both its setting and characters. It is enjoyable to view and it sparkles with all the techno-savvy gadgetry of Hollywood. Dr. Seuss has the residents of Who-ville frantically buying gifts, mailing Christmas cards, and trying to out-decorate one another. After the Grinch, dressed up as Santa Claus, steals all of their Christmas trappings and gifts, every Who, tall and small, joins hands and begins to sing joyously, demonstrating that Christmas is not about the gifts, the trimmings or the food. Perhaps, the Grinch muses, "Christmas does not come from a store. Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more."

But in the film, the Who react exactly as the Grinch anticipated: They are outraged that their gifts are stolen and they have nothing to celebrate. It is Little Cindy Lou Who that explains to them all that Christmas is about families, not all the trappings!!!! The film therefore steals the power of this 43-year- old classic. The movie posits a lame answer to the vacuous nature of our consumer culture. The material things of America are not what Christmas is about. Tragically, Hollywood has stolen the mystery and power of this classic! We wonder what the "little bit more" of the story is that gives Christmas its power. This "little bit more" is not about families it is about Jesus and His incarnation, the real power and hope of Christmas.

So, enjoy this movie but remember, it veritably destroys the powerful message of one of the classics of Christmas. Psychologists and counselors tell us that Christmas is a season where, come 2 January, depression and gloom set in why? We are the most affluent nation on earth; indeed, in all of history! As Gene Edward Veith has observed, "By all standards of the 19th century, we have attained the promised utopia. But for all of our wealth many of us are still miserable after all. Material prosperity has not led to stronger or happier families, or moral improvement, or better government, or cultural health, or stronger faith.." Material prosperity is simply not enough!! If one leaves out God, there is no meaning to all of the "stuff." For you see, prosperous America should be grateful to God, from whose hand comes "every good and perfect gift." G.K. Chesterton once remarked that one problem with being an atheist is that when something good happens, there is no one to thank. That is where America seems to be today. We have phenomenal abundance but we find it does not satisfy and instead of seeing a thankful, gracious people, we see frustration, dissatisfaction and misery!

As Veith concludes, "But ultimately, there is only one Christmas gift: the Christ child, who turns all of our other gift-giving and gift-receiving into types of His grace." May each one of you listening to my voice or reading this, find the purpose, meaning and fulfillment that comes through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He is God's "unspeakable gift" (2 Corinthians 9:15) to the human race and in that passage Paul exhorts us to thank God for that gift. May thankfulness be at the center of your Christmas celebration.

Back to top