Can't Get Enough "A Christmas Carol" This Year...

 My friend Bryan posted the above picture on Facebook. I had to include it. Today, as I channel surfed, I happened upon Scrooge, the Albert Finney version. I had to watch it. Of course, since it's a musical and since I've been in productions of that very show several times over the years, it makes the show that much more enjoyable for me.

The story's the very definition of "classic." 

Some of the film versions of A Christmas Carol are better than others--as with everything in life. I tend to identify them by who plays Ebenezer. There's Alastair Sim (the first Scrooge I remember), George C. Scott, Albert Finney, Patrick Stewart, Kelsey Grammer, Jim Carrey, Henry Winkler, Michael Caine, and Bill Murray (sort of...), and others that in productions I haven't seen. Each of those listed have strengths they've used to make the part their own.

Like most classics, A Christmas Carol speaks to us differently depending on what stage you are in life, at least it does to me. As a child, I thought, "Well, this is easy to understand--don't be a jerk and love money more than people and ghosts won't haunt you seven years after your business partner dies."

But then you get older.

It's not like I put money in front of love, at least, not on that grand of scale, but I have been selfish and kept when I could have been selfless and given? Sometimes, it's the small battles that have the biggest impact.

And then, you reach that "Scrooge age" and you go from "I'm not going to be that way when I grow up," to "I hope I haven't lived my life that way and do I have time to change?"

Maybe it's the year we've had...maybe it's the fact we're entering a new year on shakier ground. Whatever the reason, I feel drawn to the story and more importantly, its message. It could be because we need to hear those four words more now than ever before...God bless us, everyone.

Cartoon Credit: John Atkinson, @WrongHands