"A Christmas Carol" Book Chat

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 Welcome to another episode of A True Good Beautiful Life! It is almost Christmas! Are you giddy like me? Are the twinkling lights reawakening the wonder of that first Noel? 

Today I am letting you in on my first "Book Chat" with my dear friend Amanda Smedley, whom I have known for over 28 years, and is a great lover of books. Because this month I’m talking to you about Christmas things, starting last time with my discussion with Esther Anderson of Story of this Life regarding Advent and its history, today we continue by entering into the world of Charles Dickens’ novella, A Christmas Carol. We could have talked for hours on this little book. I enjoyed it so much that I hope we can do it again sometime soon!

So for our TRUE,  GOOD, and BEAUTY segments, we are going to dig into this classic Christmas text. Do you think it is possible to find TRUTH, GOODNESS, and BEAUTY in this story? Is there anything we can learn from this "ghost story of Christmas," a phrase used in Dickens' original title? Stick around and you will hear how this famous Christmas fairy tale shows how we are all like Mr. Scrooge and demonstrates the BEAUTY of a transformed life.

 Some favorite resources:

• Read with Me Kids Classics: A Christmas Carol by Bushel and Peck Books
• A Christmas Carol: Book and Bible Study Guide
• A Christmas Carol: A Facsimile of the Original 1843 Edition in Full Color

 "There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,” returned the nephew. “Christmas among the rest. But 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 creatures 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!” -spoken by Fred, A Christmas Carol, Stave 1

“But you were always a good man of business, Jacob,” faltered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself. “Business!” cried the Ghost, wringing his hands again. “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business." - spoken by Jacob Marley, A Christmas Carol, Stave 1

“Ghost of the Future!” he exclaimed, “I fear you more than any spectre I have seen. But as I know your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was, I am prepared to bear you company, and do it with a thankful heart. Will you not speak to me?” It gave him no reply. The hand was pointed straight before them. “Lead on!” said Scrooge. “Lead on! The night is waning fast, and it is precious time to me, I know. Lead on, Spirit!” - spoken by Scrooge, A Christmas Carol, Stave 4

“I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world." spoken by Scrooge, A Christmas Carol, Stave 5

"Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them . . . . His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him. He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon  the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny TIm observed, God bless Us, Every One!" - Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, Stave 5

“education is of the spirit and is not to be taken in by the eye or effected by the hand; mind appeals to mind and thought begets thought and that is how we become educated. For this reason we owe it to every child to put him in communication with great minds that he may get at great thoughts; with the minds, that is, of those who have left us great works ; and the only vital method of education appears to be that children should read worthy books, many worthy books.” - Charlotte Mason, Volume 6:  A Philosophy of Education, p. 12

. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174

1. This year, my husband, daughter, and I were able to catch a wonderful show of "A Christmas Carol" put on by a lovely local theatre right in the next town of Malvern, People’s Light theatre. I was amazed at the quality of singing and the original music composed that incorporated traditional carols and the sound of bygone days. Ian Merrill Peakes played Scrooge and he made you feel the cold of his heart as well as the miraculous transformation of it as it softened and warmed with the help of the Christmas Spirits.  People’s Light still has performances up through December 31st, so if you are local to Chester County, PA, you still have time to enjoy this wonderful production. If you are not local, try and find your local production and see it for yourself! You will walk away a little transformed yourself!
2. A Christmas Carol is a short book. Take this next week to read through it with your family or students and see what kind of discussions will grow out of it. It may be a ghost story. It may be a fairy tale. But it is chalk full of deep thoughts and poignant life lessons that every person should consider right now.
3. Here's a thought: If you could see your future, how might that impact how you are living right now? Journal what you would change and how you would go about doing it. Consider memorizing the speech Fred declared at the beginning of the novel (quoted above) to help spur in you some Christmas Spirit. How can you help the poor and needy this Christmas and New Year? How does this novel show that having money doesn't ensure happiness? What does?