A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens

“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”

A story that haunts many readers around the world. Spooky or charming? It really depends on the age of the reader. A Christmas Carol is one of those reads you have to read at least one. Luckily, you can find A Christmas Carol for free on most ebook platforms or in your local library.

I have three words: old, vivid, and boring.

I have read A Christmas Carol a few times. I know, why? Between school and teaching, it was impossible to avoid it. Dickens is a wordsmith who weaves vivid imagery line by line into every section of his famous tale, so much so it is exhausting.

We all know the story: A beyond frugal banker man, Scrooge, refuses to give his workers a decent holiday bonus or time off to celebrate with their families. He also sees nothing wrong with this and is known for this behavior. But he wasn’t always this way or was he?

Scrooge goes home after days work or being his usual unjoyful self and is visited by three ghosts in the night. They show him visions from the past, present, and future. Through these fever-like dreams, Scrooge becomes a changed man. He wakes and has a new appreciation for life, charity, and the holiday season. 

Is this story really about a grumpy banker? No! It is about taking time away from work to be with loved ones during the holiday season and not being punished for wanting to do so. I can support the message, but the writing is miserably old. I know, I know it was written many years ago, but I would love to find a read that was a fresher version of this classic tale. I do enjoy the classics, sadly this is not one of them.

Do I recommend A Christmas Carol? If you haven’t read it yet, I suggest you do so. My favorite way to read A Christmas Carol is to listen to the audio. LibriVox has a few recordings and Audible recently had a free version. I did recently find an illustrated children’s edition in a used bookstore that was quite enjoyable. If you don’t see yourself reading and or listening to the novel, check out an illustrated version.

I did read this through Amazon Classics for free, but I have also read it for free in the ibook store.

If you are interested in more background/history about A Christmas Carol, check out this post.