Ebenezer Scrooge was a cold, grumpy old man. He growled at children, frowned at carol singers, and thought Christmas was a waste of time. He worked in his counting-house with his kind clerk, Bob Cratchit, who shivered by a tiny fire. Scrooge wouldn’t give him more coal to keep him warm and didn’t even want to lt him have Christmas day off from work to spend with his family.
One night, Scrooge went home to his dark, lonely house. In Scrooge’s bedroom, the ghost of Scrooge’s old business partner Jacob Marley appeared, dragging long, heavy chains.
“Scroooooge!” he wailed. “Change your ways. Tonight three spirits will visit you.”
Then—poof!—Marley vanished.
At midnight the first ghost arrived – the Ghost of Christmas Past – a gentle spirit glowing like a candle. They took Scrooge back to his childhood. Scrooge watched his younger self reading alone in a cold schoolroom, and his face softened.
Next, he saw himself as a young man dancing happily at a Christmas party, and then losing his fiancée because he cared more about money than love.
Scrooge whispered, “Oh… I didn’t realise…”
The next spirit was big, jolly, and dressed in green – the Ghost of Christmas Present. He showed Scrooge how others celebrated Christmas. They visited Bob Cratchit’s home, where the family enjoyed a tiny feast. Bob’s little son, Tiny Tim, who walked with a crutch, lifted his cup and said, “God bless us, every one!”
The ghost said sadly, “If nothing changes, Tiny Tim may not live to see another Christmas.” Scrooge felt his heart wobble like jelly.
The final ghost – the Ghost of Christmas Present was silent and dark, pointing with a long, bony finger. He showed Scrooge people talking about a man who had died, a man that no one cared about. Then Scrooge was led to a grave. On the stone was written Ebenezer Scrooge.
Scrooge fell to his knees. “Please! I will change!”
The spirit vanished. Scrooge woke up in his own bed.
“I’m alive! And it’s Christmas Day!” and he laughed – a sound he hadn’t used in years.
Scrooge bought the biggest turkey in the shop and sent it to the Cratchits. He gave money to charity. He smiled at everyone he saw. When he visited Bob Cratchit the next day, he raised his wages and promised to help Tiny Tim. And he did so Tiny Tim grew up healthy and happy.
From then on, Scrooge became the warmest, kindest man in town. And every Christmas, he would hear Tiny Tim’s cheerful voice saying, “God bless us, every one!”
