Recap / A Christmas Carol

Ebenezer Scrooge is an elderly miser, a successful businessman who finds himself a polarizing figure for his stingy nature, but not so much as his hatred of Christmas. One Christmas Eve, he brusquely turns down an invitation to Christmas dinner from his nephew Fred, turns away two charity workers asking for donations for orphans, and reluctantly permits his overworked and underpaid assistant Bob Cratchit to take Christmas day off from work.

When Scrooge returns home to retire for the evening, however, he finds himself confronted by the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, whose incorporeal body is weighed down by chains and money boxes. Marley explains that the chains are his punishment for leading a life of greed. He further explains that Scrooge would be visited by three spirits, and that he must heed their words if he hopes to change his fate. Otherwise, Scrooge's chains would be even heavier than Marley's.

At first, Scrooge dismisses Marley's appearance and prepares to go to bed, but is visited by the first spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Past, who appears before him as a beautiful angelic figure. The spirit takes Scrooge back to his childhood, a time when he was innocent. Scrooge's parents died when he was a young boy, and he would reside mostly at boarding school, his one respite being spending the holidays with Fan: his elder sister, and Fred's mother, who unfortunately died young due to illness. They didn't have much, but they had each other. Later, Scrooge would be employed by Mr. Fezziwig, who treated Scrooge like a surrogate son and helped to lift him out of poverty. Mr. Fezziwig would host lavish Christmas parties, and it was at one such party that Scrooge met Belle, the love of his life. The two soon became engaged, but in time, as Scrooge found greater financial success, his lust for more money began to eclipse his love for Belle. Eventually, Belle would break off the engagement, leaving Scrooge embittered. Belle would find new love in time and foster a happy family, and Scrooge would demand the spirit end the vision, incensed at what happened after Belle left him...

Afterwards, Scrooge is visited by the second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, a large and jolly figure. This spirit shows a vision to Scrooge of people merrily preparing for Christmas day before taking him to observe the Christmas party his nephew Fred invited him to. There, Scrooge witnessed as Fred's family and peers disparaged him as a selfish and cold-hearted misanthrope, although Fred would speak up in defense of Scrooge's character, believing there to be some good in his uncle's heart. Afterwards, the spirit takes Scrooge to the home of Bob Cratchit, who took care of a large family in spite of his poverty. They had very little, but took comfort in one another. Of particular note was Cratchit's youngest son, Tiny Tim, who suffered from a serious illness that stunted his growth and forced him to walk with a cane. The spirit warns Scrooge that if things do not change, the illness will claim Tiny Tim's life. Before departing, the spirit shows Scrooge a vision of two starving children, which he calls "Ignorance" and "Want", and warns him to avoid them, but the former most of all. When Scrooge asks if there was anything that could be done for the children, the spirit dismisses his concerns, the same way Scrooge dismissed the charity workers...

After the second spirit leaves, Scrooge is visited by the third and final spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, a silent and haunting figure clad in dark concealing robes. Intimidated by the foreboding spirit, Scrooge is shown visions of a local businessman who had recently died, and was reviled by all, his workers stole his possessions to pawn for money. When Scrooge asks the spirit to show him someone showing compassion over one's death, he is shown a vision of the Cratchit family as they mourn Tiny Tim's death. Finally, the spirit shows Scrooge a vision of a grave that had been left neglected. The name on the tombstone: Ebenezer Scrooge. At this, Scrooge, fearful and sobbing, vows to change his ways and keep Christmas in his heart, this year and for always.

Scrooge awakens shortly after, a changed man. With a newfound sense of generosity and goodwill, he makes a sizable donation to the charity workers he turned away the previous night, offers a young boy money as a reward for making an anonymous delivery of Christmas dinner to the Cratchit household, and visits his nephew Fred to partake in his party. The day after, when Cratchit returns to work, Scrooge makes a shocking announcement to him: he would give him a raise! He would go on to become like a second father to Tiny Tim, for whom he would pay to have him cured of his deadly illness as he celebrated Christmas and kept it in his heart from that day forward.