"A Ghostly Little Book"

This is how we spent the day.

The.  Whole.  Day.

Consequently I finished "A Christmas Carol" and re-read "Skipping Christmas" in its entirety and started a brand new holiday book.  What can I say?  This is what happens when two introverts think it's too cold to go outside.

And now a review of one of the best books I read this year:

Written by Charles Dickens; illustrated by P.J. Lynch

I will admit up front that I took all advanced English classes offered in high school and majored in English in college.  And to my knowledge, I have never read this book.  Ever.  I mean, I know the story from endless movie re-makes and plays (in VA, we made it a tradition to see this play in Ford's Theater each year that we could), but as far as I can tell I had never read the work itself.  Until now.

Dickens describes his book this way,

"I have endeavoured in the Ghostly little book to raise the Ghost of an Idea which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me.  May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it."

I was expecting stuffy old English and long, labored phrases.  That is not what I got.  From the beginning I was sucked into the story and the illustrations were as enjoyable as the plot.  Since I'm the last person in the world to read this, I'm sure you all have your own copies at home.  But if you don't, I highly recommend this illustrated version.  Going through the book took me back to my childhood days when I would sit in Gama's lap and take in the words she read while staring at all the pictures.  Not only are these pictures worthy works of art in their own right, but they will cause you to pause and reflect instead of ravenously turning the pages.  Since many of you are mothers, reading books with pictures is a familiar thing, but I recommend doing this for you, not just for the kiddos.

The story is such a classic example of second chances.  It reminds me of the gospel in that the second chance comes not to one who deserves it (because no one actually deserves it).  The ghosts visit an old Scrooge who, as far as we can tell, has spent his days withdrawing from life and scoffing at others.  He is outside in the cold, staring in at the warmth and coziness that could have been his.  Then he is shown a version of Judgment, which in reality is simply the consequences of his life lived out in its full measure, without grace thrown in, and he is humbled to the core.

He wakes up a new man and all of a sudden it doesn't matter that he's old and all but forgotten and has wasted all that time.  He starts over immediately and is embraced into the warmth and coziness forevermore.  He himself becomes a holiday legend in his hometown, the very embodiment of Christmas itself.  (Not unlike how Saul went from Christian murderer to Paul the selfless apostle in his lifetime.)

I appreciate how Dickens uses fear to balance out love.  The book isn't all hearth and kin; it's a scary, windy, dark, eery tale of what could be right around the corner.  The last ghost, the scariest of them all, never even speaks.  He gives Scrooge over to himself, to find out the ending of his story himself.

I am so glad I read this book; it will be an annual reading tradition from now on.  I hope you find time to read it, and that it haunts your house pleasantly.

Enjoy!