My Own Personal Christmas Tradition

I have a Christmas tradition that somewhere along the line evolved to be my personal one. I think it's because no one else in our family enjoys black and white movies. Several years ago I bought the VHS version of the 1951 classic A Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge. A few years later I bought the DVD version that has both the black & white and colorized versions. It is still much better in black & white.

Here's a bit of trivia; The word "humbug" is misunderstood by many people, which is a pity since the word provides a key insight into Scrooge's hatred of Christmas. The word "humbug" describes deceitful efforts to fool people by pretending to a fake loftiness or false sincerity. So when Scrooge calls Christmas a humbug, he is claiming that people only pretend to charity and kindness in an scoundrel effort to delude him, each other, and themselves. In Scrooge's eyes, he is the one man honest enough to admit that no one really cares about anyone else, so for him, every wish for a Merry Christmas is one more deceitful effort to fool him and take advantage of him. This is a man who has turned to profit because he honestly believes everyone else will someday betray him or abandon him the moment he trusts them.


I think I enjoy the movie, and the book, because of the complete transformation of a person at this wonderful time of the year. On the day after Christmas, he is so different, that he is beside himself in trying to fool poor Bob Cratchit when Bob arrives a few minutes late for work. Poor Bob is so intimidated by E. S., that he can't even begin to figure out that he has been transformed. After "playing with Bob", and then giving him a raise, E.S. says "I don't deserve to be so happy. [starts laughing uncontrollably again] I can't help it. I-I can't help it!" On Christmas morning when he discovers he is still alive, and that it is Christmas morning, he nearly frightens his maid to death. He dances around his room singing a made up song "I don't know anything!/ I never did know anything!/ But now I know that I don't know/ All on a Christmas morning!" Then he proceeds to stand on his head while his maid throws her apron over her head and runs out of the room in complete panic. She is absolutely sure that E. S. has gone mad. When Bob questions his change, E. S. says "Bob, I haven't taken leave of my senses. I've come to them."


Last night I had a few hours to relax, and I spent part of that time watching A Christmas Carol again. I really enjoy that movie. I'm not sure I deserve to be this happy, but I am...