This is a story about a man named Ebenezer Scrooge who lives in London. He is a greedy
and mean-spirited moneylender who despises Christmas. But because it’s Christmas Eve,
he reluctantly gives his clerks, among them Bob Cratchit, the following day off.
Just as Scrooge is about to enter his home for the evening, he sees the face of his old
business partner, Marley, in the door knocker. This frightens him, but Scrooge shrugs it
off and prepares for bed. Later that evening, Scrooge is visited by Marley’s ghost, who
warns him that in order to avoid an afterlife of torment, Scrooge will be visited by three
ghosts.
Scrooge can hardly sleep and the first ghost arrives on time. The Ghost of Christmas Past
takes him to special memories of his childhood and young adult years, where he becomes so
absorbed with making money that his fiancee leaves him.
Scrooge is then returned back to his room and is later visited by the second ghost,
the Ghost of Christmas Present. This jolly ghost takes him to the streets of London and
shows him how normal people celebrate Christmas, including Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, and his
clerk, Bob Cratchit. The Cratchits, although poor, make the most of what they have and
are held together by the love of Tiny Tim, a small boy with a crutch.
This trip to the present seems to revitalize Scrooge’s outlook on Christmas. However,
Scrooge is then visited by the third ghost, the Ghost of Christmas Future. This grim figure
shows how others react to Scrooge’s eventual death and portrays the Cratchits in the aftermath
of Tiny Tim’s death. Because of these signs, Scrooge vows to change and cherish Christmas.
Scrooge is then returned to his bedroom and finds that it is Christmas morning. He buys
a giant feast for the Cratchits and visits his nephew to celebrate Christmas.
In the end, Scrooge becomes generous and loves Christmas.