The Ubiquitousness of “A Christmas Carol” 12.19.21

I wrote last year in a letter to James that “A Christmas Carol” is one of my favorite Christmas movies. And there are many adaptations, including “The Muppet Christmas Carol”- a beautiful musical that sticks very close to Charles Dickens’ original language with an incredible performance by Michael Caine. Others include the original 1938 version, the 1951 version starring Alastair Sim (maybe the best) and the 1984 version starring George C. Scott.

But why is “A Christmas Carol” one of my favorite Christmas movies? The following podcast, In Our Time, recommended by Carter, helped me understand why I am so attracted to this story of redemption. Click on the link and enjoy four Brits explain Dickens’ book and why it has become so ubiquitous and ingrained in our culture. As the podcast points out, people who have never read the book or seen the movie – which I find difficult to believe – know the story. 

The book and the movie is an allegory on the key Christian themes of charity, compassion and selflessness and is a celebration of family and community. It also tackles social issues facing western culture in the mid-1800s including the dangers of excessive capitalism, which include not paying people a livable wage. These are universal themes that are as relevant today as they were 150 years ago. And this is all told through the eyes of a very dislikable, yet sympathetic character, who evolves and is given a second chance.

What most people do not know is that the inspiration for the book “A Christmas Carol” was Charles Dickens’ desire to write an essay on the brutal reality of child labor in 1843 in an increasingly industrial and capitalistic society. However, he instead wrote “A Christmas Carol”, and we are forever indebted to Mr. Dickens for it. So, I hope you listen to this podcast and watch “A Christmas Carol” with a whole new appreciation of the themes that run through this timeless story.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-our-time/id73330895?i=1000545157770