Modern viewers: Scrooge doesn’t discuss what he’s learned or ask for redemption. He swiftly negates the life he would have led, had it not been for the ghostly interventions.
Holiday movies offer us a glimpse into how the world is could be, often in sharp contrast to our lives as they are. In that way, the annual act of viewing them is like a religious ritual.
Most modern Christmas films angle for comedy with a touch of schmaltz, but literary Christmases frequently tap into the anxiety and sadness that can accompany the “happiest time of year”.
In much of the English-speaking world Christmas dinner involves the consumption of turkey – but that was not always the case. The origins of this ritual can be traced back to the generous act of one Ebenezer…