It started with a book. I suppose it always does. A book about redemption and second chances. A book of supernatural occurrences. A book of the past, present, and future. From the simple words we all could read came everything we have ever loved about the most wonderful time of the year. Whether you prefer the tale of a green mutant who experiences a rapid and clearly unhealthy engorgement of his vital blood-delivering organ, or the tale of a naive young man who, with the magic of Christmas cheer, melts the heart of a miserly children’s book publisher, it matters not. Christmas media as we know it has changed many of our lives, if only by giving us a little belief in joy to the world and peace on earth. Yet if we look at it closely, each grand Christmas tradition, be it Miracle on 34th Street or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer can be traced to themes penned long before the movie camera shot a young and not-yet-ridiculously-hot Natalie Wood enticing Edmund Gwenn to fill his beard with bubble gum, and before the likely substance induced Rankin and Bass decided to provide a hapless reindeer with clay companions the likes of which were a dentistry obsessed Christmas elf and a clearly insane, dog-sledding prospector. Go back with me and see where I think it all began.
Part 1: What in the Dickens?
In 1843 Charles Dickens established the gold standard for all Christmas media with his novella, A Christmas Carol. Only Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker has received anywhere near the Holiday attention this work has received (and that was only since the late 1950’s), but for our intents and purposes, let us dispense with The Nutcracker. For those of you who don’t know the story of A Christmas Carol (I certainly hope there are fewer than one persons reading this to whom this applies), it concerns a wealthy but miserable man who, through encounters with four very unalike spirits, finds an appreciation for the Holidays and his fellow man. I imagine many of you have seen more than one versions of this tale on stage or screen. Many of you may have even been fortunate enough to have read the book (at fewer than 100 pages, it is truly worth your time). The reason this tale has been so often depicted is that, in a few short pages, Charles Dickens gave us every thematic element we will ever need in order to find the true meaning of Christmas. In fact, even if you’ve never seen a version of A Christmas Carol, you’ve probably seen a version of A Christmas Carol without knowing it. If I may explain further…
Part 2: An Ebenezer by Any Other Name
As you all know (Let’s assume I’ve lost all non-consumers of A Christmas Carol by now anyway), the central figure of Dickens’ Christmas classic is the miserly wretch, Ebenezer Scrooge. To name all the actors who have portrayed this character would take lines which you don’t want to read and I don’t want to research, but if I were to go off the top of my head, the list would comprise: Patrick Stewart, Michael Caine, Reginald Owen, Bill Murray, Kelsey Grammar, George C. Scott, and Jim Carrey. We’ve even seen Scrooge voiced in animation by Will Ryan as Scrooge McDuck and by Jim Backus as Mr. Magoo. Now here’s a list you, perhaps, didn’t think of. Ebenezer Scrooge by a different name might have been played by James Caan as Walter Hobbs (Elf), or voiced by Boris Karloff and played later by the already mentioned Jim Carrey (How the Grinch Stole Christmas). Certainly even Walt Disney animation gave us a cursed Prince who deserves mention in Beauty and the Beast, as we see both in the film and its Christmas themed sequel that his most dramatic internal transformations occur at Christmastime. In order to not be sexist, I will also add the name of Maureen O’Hara as Doris Walker (Miracle on 34th Street) into the mix. Even the characters not named Scrooge were so far gone into the realm of cynicism and misery that only a Christmas miracle could save them. Of course Christmas miracles certainly have a knack for salvation.
Outlying Scrooges phase 1:
Let’s take a step back away from the archetypal cynical Scrooges for a second and enter a few more names into the drawing. How about James Stewart as George Bailey (It’s a Wonderful Life), David Niven as Bishop Henry Brougham (The Bishop’s Wife) or even Charles M. Schultz’s beloved Charlie Brown: “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!”. These examples, while admittedly more beloved characters, find themselves at the ends of their proverbial ropes and are miraculously revived on the night of all nights, Christmas Eve.
Outlying Scrooges phase 2:
Even Rankin and Bass’s animated television specials include equally Scroogey figures. Santa Claus is coming to Town has the Winter Warlock (voiced by Keenan Wynn) who miraculously learns to “put one foot in front of the other,” and eventually uses his magic to save Santa Claus from certain execution. Frosty the Snowman has the villainously bad magician Professor Hinkle. Rudolph has a slew of Scrooges. The Abominable Snow Monster of the North is the first which comes to mind (but who can blame him after being rejected from Disney’s Matterhorn attraction) but how about Rudolph’s father Donner, the elf boss, and most importantly, yes, the old bigot himself, Santa
“Donner, you oughta be ashamed of yourself; and he had such a nice takeoff too.”
Clearly not all Scrooges are created equally but by now, I think you get the point. Onto more trends exemplified by Mr. Dickens’ classic.
Part 3: Ghosts, Angels, and the Supernatural
Scrooge was haunted by four spirits, none of them entirely nice. In comparison to his fellow archetypes, he got the bad end of the supernatural stick. All the same, these spirits, for all the grief and fear they cause Scrooge, bring about change that can be described as nothing less than miraculous. While many Scrooge figures are turned and changed by fewer and far less vindictive spirits, it is not difficult to note the supernatural element playing a part in the lives of our conflicted protagonists. Briefly touching back on my lifelong fascination of Disney, it might be said of Beauty and the Beast, that though the Beast was only visited by one enchantress, his deal was equally as raw as Scrooge’s. It’s up for debate.
In two classics, supernatural intervention comes in the form of angels. Once in the form of a dopey and loveable old man played by Henry Travers (It’s a Wonderful Life), and once in the form of Cary Grant (The Bishop’s Wife). Let’s just say we can all agree George Bailey got jipped on this one. While not as vindictive or as urgent as Marley’s ghost is towards Ebenezer Scrooge, these guiding figures bring about necessary changes in the lives of our misguided protagonists.
We’ve covered ghosts and angels, so what other supernatural things have we to mention? I submit to you: Song. We all know “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” Well, it certainly seems something quite magical occurs when Walter Hobbs (James Caan in Elf, please try to keep up), starts singing. In fact, Santa’s sleigh would not have taken off were it not for the raspy pipes of Buddy’ old man. A rousing chorus of “Dah who doraze” obviously has a similar effect on the Grinch, managing to grow his heart 3 sizes, and giving him the supernatural ability to lift what is equivalent to three or four Uhauls full of Who Christmas presents, food, and decorations. (One roast beast alone weighs at least 15 pounds, most of the time). I rest my case on the supernatural, it is clearly a fine addition to any Christmas yarn.
Part 4: The Past “Long Past?,” “No, your past.”
If you’re still digging my words, this has all started making sense to you and my writing has simply become a witty companion piece to your own exploration of these texts. When the first spirit visits Scrooge, Scrooge must relive his past. The past is not always depicted the same for all Christmas fiction, and sometimes it’s not depicted at all, but when it is depicted, there is always a good reason. For Scrooge it reveals to him a time when he was once a happy man, and shows him how he grew to be cold, selfish, and bitter. For George Bailey, his past reminds him of all the good he’s done and encourages him to keep up the good fight. In the live-action Grinch, the audience gets to view his past and gains a modicum of sympathy for the hostile Christmas hater. Let’s leave it to the fact that a person’s past is a powerful ally when arranging their future…and move on.
Part 5: Ghost of Christmas Present, or shall we call him Buddy?
“Have you ever noticed that everything is wonderful at Christmas?” “In all honesty, Spirit, no.” While these words are clearly spoken between the jolly bearded Ghost of Christmas Present and our much explored Ebenezer Scrooge, could we not hear an equivalent conversation held between Buddy the Elf and Walter Hobbs? I certainly could. How about between Kris and Susan, or Fred and Doris in Miracle on 34th Street? Linus and Charlie Brown, perhaps? Cindy Lou Who and the Grinch? Kris and the Winter Warlock? Alright, I’ve made it clear. Scrooge figures are often confronted by figures who understand Christmas and its joy. Always the unbounded spirit of joy from these characters rubs off on our Scrooges and brings some of that same joy out in them. Many of these figures bubble over with what almost seems insanely childish Christmas cheer (in the case of Buddy the elf, it might be legitimate insanity), but the magic of Christmas is so alive in them that our questioning protagonists cannot help but take notice.
Part 6: The Not So Wonderful Life
Alright, so in this case I could only come up with two examples, but since they come from the two most important icons represented thus far, A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life, they certainly bear mentioning. These two Christmas classics take a dark turn to explore the possibilities of the worst decisions the protagonists could make. Scrooge’s decision to continue in his miserly ways results in his own lonely death and the death of an innocent child. George’s decision to off himself has implications as horrid as his mother being childless, his wife becoming a librarian, and (I’ve always considered this a distinct possibility) Harry Bailey’s inability to grow up and become a war hero causing Hitler’s imminent rise to world domination (the last is pure speculation). Needless to say, these are the events that we thankfully are not left with in these tales.
Part 7: The Poor, the Ignored, the Misfits
The Cratchets (previously unmentioned in this long-winded treatise, but integral in Dicken’s novella), are a poor family caught under the tyranny of Ebenezer’s Scrooge’s penny-pinching will. They are completely invisible to him until the Ghost of Christmas Present allows Scrooge to witness their humble Christmas together. In many ways, this humble family is the single biggest reason for Scrooge’s transformation. He witnesses what the true love of Christmas time is through them. Yet, as usual, a trend set by Dickens cannot afford to be overlooked. In It’s a Wonderful Life, consider the many lives that George Bailey’s “building and loan” establishment were able to improve. While George was never ignorant of these people, his transformation ensured he did not forget them in an attempt to take his own life. In The Bishop’s Wife was not the guidance given from Dudley the Angel to Henry the Bishop that which would focus his efforts not on the personal glory of building a new chapel, but on helping the poor?
Poor and invisible groups make their mark in the old television specials, too. In Rudolph, an island of misfit toys is finally given to the children of the world, while an abominable snowman finds his calling putting stars on top of giant Christmas trees (I hear Disney underpays its bumbles anyway). A reindeer who never belonged leads Santa’s sleigh and an elf dedicates himself full time to ensuring oral health in the North Pole. Even in A Charlie Brown Christmas, the most unlikely measly little tree makes all the difference in the lives of a few children learning the true meaning of Christmas. So take from this element what you will, but I think that when we learn about Christmas from the poor in spirit, we truly learn about Christmas.
Conclusion: It all started with a book.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1).
So what is the quintessential Christmas story? Indeed Dickens wrote the gold standard of commercial literature on the Holiday, but Christmas is not defined by a book penned nearly 200 years ago. It is defined by one penned nearly 2000 years ago, and conceived of at the dawn of creation. So why do these recurring story lines epitomized by Dickens’ classic story resonate with us so? Perhaps every time we sat down for our favorite Holiday film, we were watching the Bible’s Christmas story without realizing it. I submit to you that before the very first Christmas, we were all as lost as Scrooge, finding as little meaning in life as George Bailey. The transformation of our lives became only became available through intervention of the supernatural: a star from heaven, angels singing in the desert, and most importantly God miraculously choosing to dwell among us. At this time, our gruesome pasts of then being lost without the love of God we once knew became brutally clear. The joy of the angels made us understand what “Joy to the World” really was. The alternative to this realization joy is as sad and bleak as the home of the Cratchets weeping for Tiny Tim, and as hopeless as “Pottersville”. Indeed didn’t God reach out first to the misfits when he brought the first Christmas? Shepherds in the field, animals in a barn, and a savior laid in a feeding trough, these are the poor that Christmas asks us to remember. No wonder we are always filled with emotion when we see Scrooge shouting “Merry Christmas” to the streets of London, when a Beast gleefully has a snowball fight with a young woman named Belle, or when the Grinch cuts that roast beast, or . What we’re seeing is the glorious potential of our own salvation, the greatest joy we could ever know.
I say again: It all started with a book, I suppose it always does. A book about redemption and second chances. A book of supernatural occurrences. A book of the past, present, and future. From the simple words we all could read came everything we have ever loved about the most wonderful time of the year.
Merry Christmas, and God bless us, every one.
Referenced Material
Literary:
- A Christmas Carol (Dickens, 1843)
- The Bible
Film:
- A Christmas Carol (Numerous adaptations)
- Its a Wonderful Life (Dir. Frank Capra, 1946 RKO)
- The Bishop’s Wife (Dir. Henry Koster, 1947 RKO)
- Beauty and the Beast (Dir. Gary Trousdale, 1991 Walt Disney Studios)
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Dir. Ron Howard, 2000 Universal Pictures)
- Elf (Dir. Jon Favreau, 2003 New Line Cinemas)
Television Specials:
- Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964 Rankin/Bass Productions)
- Santa Claus is Coming to Town (1970 Rankin/Bass Productions
- Frosty the Snowman (1969 Rank/Bass Productions)
- A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965 United Feature Syndicate)
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 MGM Television)
Image Sources:
- Featured image: FREEBigPictures.com
- IMDB
- Wikipedia
A Mann's Lesser Hoff 