A Christmas Carol

I've always loved the Christmas season. I love the decorations, the music, the movies, and remembering what my Savior did for me 2000 years ago. And yes, I am well aware that Jesus was actually more likely to be born in the Spring and the Catholic Church made "Christ Mass" on the 25th of December to capitalize on some sort of pagan holiday, but I don't care. I also love Santa Claus, and love listening to the music and movies that have him as a main character. :) So for this month I'm going to give you some Christmas stories to enjoy. I have decided to divide the month into four sections, an "adult" story, a children's story, a "Vintage" Christmas movie, a Christmas cartoon, and a more modern live action movie. I thought I would start with a new post that I was thinking of adding to this site. I will call them "World" blog posts. These are books and movies that are based in a single world. These are not sequels or remakes, but different authors taking up the pen to write about an already established world. These lists are not all inclusive because there are many versions I have never seen and/or read, but I hope you enjoy them all the same. :)  With that said let us start off the season with Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Dickens first wrote Christmas Carol in 1843. It tells the story of the miser Ebeneezer Scrooge who mistreats everyone around him. Scrooge is visited by four spirits. The ghost of his late partner Marley comes first to warn Scrooge that if he doesn't listen to the message of the next three spirits he will be damned for all eternity forced to wear chains even greater than his. Scrooge is then visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come that come to show Scrooge the "true" meaning of the season. (Peace on earth, goodwill towards all). When Scrooge awakes Christmas morning he turns his life around and as Dickens says, "It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge." A true Christmas classic for the whole family, even if the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come always scares the socks off me in his creepy Grim Reaper robes. He never speaks either except in Mickey's version where he only says one line when Scrooge asks whose grave they stand at. "Why it's yours, Ebeneezer."  So now that we have gone over the original book, let's look at some of the movie adaptations.

Mickey's Christmas Carol

This is actually the first version I ever saw. In it we have Scrooge McDuck playing the main character with a host of all your favorite classic Disney characters playing the rest of the roles. As I mentioned before, this is the only time I have ever heard the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come utter a word. Pete still scares me in that role. :) A fun and fitting addition to the cannon.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Michael Cain joins the cast of the Muppets to bring the classic story to life. Gonzo plays Dickens/the narrator and joins you on your journey through the classic journey that includes Kermit and Miss Piggy as the Cratchetts and other favorite Muppet characters.

A Christmas Carol (1984)

I have to admit that I've never actually seen this version, but it is my mother's favorite, so I decided to include it. This version has George C. Scott as Scrooge. My mother always tells me that he plays a very elegant Scrooge, not dirty and dingy as some have portrayed him, and Scott is a good actor. Sooner or later I'll actually watch it.

Looney Tunes Christmas Carol

There are actually two Looney Tunes Christmas Carols, this post is about the original with Yosemite Sam as Scrooge. In this version there are actually no ghosts, it's just Bugs Bunny deciding that old Scrooge needs to be taught a lesson. One of my favorite scenes is where Bugs as the "Ghost of Christmas" tells Scrooge he's taking him to see the man in the red suit. "You mean Santy Claus?" Scrooge asks.

"No, the other man in the red suit," Bugs replies.

"You mean down there," Scrooge asks, pointing to the floor. Bugs nods. Really quite amusing. It is followed by a short where Bugs has the Tasmanian Devil over and has to get him to leave.

A Christmas Carol (1999)

There is nothing really different about this version except that Patrick Stewart plays Scrooge. Really a faithful adaptation.

Chasing Christmas

In this version, a fed up Ghost of Christmas Past strands his "Scrooge" in 1965 and goes AWOL. It is then up to the slightly ditsy Ghost of Christmas Present to help our main character to get back to the present.

A Carol Christmas

Carol is a TV producer that has it all. She is also a jerk and treats everyone horribly. She is visited by the classic ghosts to be taught a lesson and possibly find the love she left behind in the process.

Black Adder Christmas Carol

If you know anything about Black Adder, you know he's a bit of a jerk. In this version, Black Adder is actually a nice guy who is visited by the ghost by mistake. He then shows him what his ancestors were like as a lark. Black Adder decides that the jerks had all the fun and changes his ways for the worst.

Karroll's Christmas

The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future come to Karroll's house by mistake, meaning to go to his neighbor's house. Karroll then decides to help out by teaching the true meaning of Christmas to his neighbor, learning some things about himself along the way.