Who else loves A Christmas Carol? I've read it, and every year I watch the movie version with Patrick Stewart on the 25th. So you know what I'll be doing today, in addition to enjoying the coal I'll probably get in my stocking. ;)
I laugh at Scrooge for being so grouchy (I have plenty of grumps in my own family), but I also realize how easy it can be to slip into his attitude. We may complain about how irritating other people can be, or about the expense of all the presents and food and charitable giving and parties and other things that come up in this season, and find ourselves no richer in the new year. Financially, at least.
During the rest of the year, if we're not careful, we may find ourselves acting like Scrooge in other ways. We may start seeing people as burdens and nuisances. We might start believing that looking out for ourselves first is an acceptable way to live. We might decide that anyone we deem not useful to ourselves be sent away and gotten rid of, to 'decrease the surplus population' - forgetting that, as Jacob Marley said, mankind is our true business.
Everyone knows that Scrooge's miserly attitude with money is one of his worst traits, and we tell ourselves we'd never act like that, but there are other ways of being stingy. We might be stingy with our time, or our patience, or our listening, or kind words, or our other resources, and even with our love. We tell ourselves that there's a good reason to withhold these things, that they don't deserve it for this or that. And Scrooge lives on to scowl at and devalue his fellow humans another day.
We need more Freds in the world who give and love without conditions or demanding anything in return. We need more reformed Scrooges who keep Christmas all year and urge others to do the same before it's too late. And we have to start with ourselves before we can point fingers. We have to be the ones who set the example in love before we can expect others to follow suit.
Okay, I'm done. Get out of here and eat your goose and your pudding. (I'm having duck.) Have a merry Christmas.
And God bless you, every one.
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