At Christmas-time I enjoy reading Charles Dickens's story A Christmas Carol. In my mind there is nothing better than to imagine the story through Dickens's own words verses watching one of the movie renditions. One passage in particular stands out this year as I think and ponder about what Christmas-time is.
Scrooge's nephew has come to his office in a cheerful mood proclaiming Merry Christmas. As can be expected Scrooge is disgruntled and wants nothing of the cheerful merrymaking. Now in Dickens's own words:
"Nephew!...Keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine."
"Keep it!" repeated Scrooge's nephew. "But you don't keep it."
"Let me leave it alone then," said Scrooge. "Much good may it do you! Much good it has ever done you!"
"There are many things from which I might have derived good by which I have not profited, I dare say...Christmas among the rest. Bit I am sure I have always thought of Christmas-time when it has come round - apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that - as a good time; a kind forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creature bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"
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