Does A Christmas Carol count as a time travel story? I can pretty much guarantee Charles Dickens didn’t intend it to be, but for my purposes, it totally counts. What can I say? There’s something about a story where a man confronts his past and decides to change his future that just really appeals to me.
Now, 99% of the time, if there’s a movie adaptation of a book, I will say that I liked the book more. As in, sometimes I will stuff my mouth full of popcorn just to stop myself from saying “That’s not how it was in the book!” throughout the movie.
However.
There have been hundreds of movie, tv, and theater adaptations of Dickens’ novella in the ~180 years since it was published. Out of all of these, I am hands-down a lifetime fan of A Muppet Christmas Carol. I’m especially fond of Statler and Waldorf as Marley & Marley:
Not sure if Charles Dickens would be delighted or horrified to see his Christmas story acted out by Muppets, but I like to think he’d be pleased. Particularly because the movie is just so much fun.
This year, I was more invested than ever while I watched Scrooge visit his past, present, and future. Undeniably, Michael Caine does a masterful job playing the lead role. But what stood out to me when I watched the movie this year was that Scrooge’s life had never been perfect. Choosing joy and celebration would have been hard for him, even as a little boy. It’s no wonder he chose to bury himself in hard work year after year. Sometimes being a scrooge isn’t just the easier choice—it’s the safer choice. After all, if you go ahead and remove yourself from community, you don’t have to risk being rejected.
And speaking of safe choices…
How ironic is it that in a season of togetherness and spreading good will toward men, the safest choice in 2020 has been staying apart? As the months of the pandemic have worn on, it’s especially bittersweet to try connecting virtually when we just miss being with our loved ones in person. On Easter—was that really eight months ago?—attending church services online and doing egg hunts over Facetime was a novelty. There was still a feeling of we’re-all-in-this-together, a sense that “soon” our lives would go back to normal. The Christmas holiday season has been different. Exhaustion is setting in and optimism is running out. We haven’t been able to gather with our community for almost a year, and Zoom is a poor substitute for hugs. There were times this month when it seemed easier to wait “until the world goes back to normal” to try and celebrate anything.
For Scrooge—and for all of us—it’s a risk to continue seeking out light and joy in a world that feels overwhelmingly dark. Never mind the comparisons to Christmas(es) Past. Facing down the 2020 holiday season invited a visit from the specter of Christmas Future. That was the ghost that scared Scrooge the most, wasn’t it? Me too. I’ve kept myself afloat for much of this year by convincing myself that I just have to make it through until next year, when the pandemic would end and everything would be better. Denial is a powerful tool. But at night, when the rest of my family was asleep, I was haunted by my fears for the future. We are grateful that our little family stayed healthy this year and devastated by the illness and loss that continues all around us. When we can safely gather again, some people will be missing. Next year is not promised for anyone.
Those dark thoughts, in a strange way, cleared the way for me to wake up choosing light. I did put up the Christmas trees this year (and yes, we have more than one…) We made a lot of homemade ornaments. We lit candles and sang Silent Night while watching a virtual Christmas Eve service. Taking the risk and choosing joy made for a lovely Christmas Present.
I hope that’s what we’ll remember about Christmas this year: that in the midst of so much darkness, there was still joy. And I hope that in the future, we’ll keep taking risks and looking for light and community, however they appear.
