Things I'll Love Forever: A Christmas Carol

I can't think of a better way to kick off the holiday season proper.

I don't know if this makes me a literary snob or just a sentimental ol' fool, but A Christmas Carol is, without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite stories ever written in the history of ever. Enough hyperbole? THERE'S NEVER ENOUGH HYPERBOLE!!!

1 - I know we've all seen about a tetra-bajillion different film adaptations of this Christmas classic, but have you ever actually read the book? It's beautiful! I read the book for the first time in a British Literary History class back in college. I had to shut myself in my room to read it, because I couldn't help but repeat all the words to myself out loud. It's THAT GOOD. Dickens writes DELICIOUS words.

2 - You want proof that these words are tasty? Check out the audioplay performed completely by Patrick Stewart. He even makes little high-pitched voices for all the women and Tiny Tim. Good stuff.

3 - Now, you know those tetra-bajillion film adaptations I mentioned earlier? Yeah, THEY'RE ALL GOOD TOO!

(Okay, I haven't seen them ALL. I reserve the right to hate on the new Jim Carrey adaptation until I've seen it

You've been warned - don't mess up my Christmas spirit!

Personally, I love some of the cheesey musical adaptations, like Scrooge starring Albert Finney and, of course, A Muppet Christmas Carol (I just love me some Michael Caine).

4 - The message of A Christmas Carol speaks to the optimist in all of us (yes, I do have an optimist in here somewhere). The potential for good is in all men. Yes, it's true that people like Ebenezer Scrooge do a lot of harm to their fellow men, but with the right motivation (and perhaps a bit of divine intervention), that evil can be turned into something good.

5 - This one just now occurred to me:

A Christmas Carol may be the absolute best Christmas story this side of the Nativity. While the story itself focuses on the holiday, it's meaning transcends the usual month-long, holly-and-ivy banalities. Sure, there's some talk about Christmas being the season of giving or love or some @#$% like that, but the holiday for Dickens is more a celebration of the human spirit of kindness that should exist within our hearts ALL YEAR. For those who are mean and stingy (a phrase that should really only be used when speaking to a three-year-old), Christmas is a time of redemption, a chance for them to reflect on who they are and who they should be.

A Christmas Carol is a timeless holiday classic, well worthy of being loved forever. Which I do.