Classic Holiday Traditions – A Christmas Carol (Movie)

There are many reasons that people look forward to Christmas but there is one reason that most people seem to share; a love for the Christmas movies that they know will be shown. There are many movies that people consider to be the best Christmas movies and the list varies as much as the people who rate them do, however, there is one movie that everyone agrees is to be placed in the top Christmas movies list; A Christmas Carol. There are many reasons for those who love A Christmas Carol to feel as they do, but the general consensus always tends to run along the same lines. To get a much better understanding of just exactly what makes this movie such a well beloved classic let’s take a look at the movie itself.A Christmas Carol is the story of one man’s life and how he seemed to have lost his own sense of humanity and kindness in his search for wealth and success and how his obsession for both cost him more emotionally than he realized. Ebeneezer Scrooge is the main character of focus in the story and the movie opens before being officially introduced to Ebeneezer. We find a lone figure, Bob Cratchett who is Scrooge’s clerk at his financing house, hard at work as usual, however, before long Scrooge enters to chastise Bob, as he is want to do. Scrooge’s business was, at one time, a partnership however, his partner, Jacob Marley had passed away some 7 years prior to our story. The work day progresses to find Fred, Scrooge’s only nephew, coming to wish his uncle a Merry Christmas as well as invite him to Christmas dinner. This is where we learn of Scrooges intense dislike for Christmas, and those who are in unfortunate circumstances.As the story continues Scrooge is visited by his former partner’s ghost to warn him of the necessity to change his ways in order to avoid his own fate. Scrooge isn’t fully convinced in what he saw, however, he soon becomes convinced as he receives visits from the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. The mission of the ghosts is to show Scrooge where he took the wrong turns in his life in order to help show him how to find his path again.
We see that Scrooge has known a life of neglect from his father after the death of his mother and the one family member; sister Fran who is Fred’s mother, died giving birth. This left Scrooge feeling alone and bereft of love until he met the love of his life; Belle. However, in his pursuit of wealth and success Scrooge lost sight of what was truly important and lost Belle to pursue his love for greed.
A Christmas Carol is truly one of the best Christmas movies of all time because of the lessons we are able to learn as well. Lessons such as having compassion for our fellow man as well as not losing sight of the love we should hold in our hearts for our fellow man. These are lessons that Scrooge learned from the ghosts and was able to turn his life around and earn the love that we all need in our lives.