Lit GIFs: A Christmas Carol

Christmas Eve finds mean old Ebenezer Scrooge counting coins in his counting-house.

He refuses to spend money on extra heating, so his clerk, Bob Cratchit, gets to freeze in the next room

Fred, Scrooge’s nephew, stops by to invite his uncle to his Christmas party. Around the same time, two gentlemen ask Scrooge to donate money to charity.

Scrooge replies to all: “Bah! Humbug!”

That night, in his cold house, Scrooge is visited by his dead business partner, Jacob Marley. As punishment for his Earthly sins, Marley must move about the Earth under the weight of chains.

Marley wants Scrooge to avoid a similar fate. He tells Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits over the next three nights.

Later that night, the Ghost of Christmas Past shows up.

He shows Scrooge the Christmases from his past, including his engagement to Belle, who ultimately leaves Scrooge because his love for money comes before all else.

Scrooge cries with regret and the ghost takes him back home.

The next night, the Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge the Christmas he will experience that year. He watches Cratchit’s family prepare for Christmas.

Tiny Tim warms the cockles of Scrooge’s heart.

They watch the party unfold and Scrooge begs to stay until the end, but the spirit is aging. He lifts his coat to reveal Ignorance and Want–two children.

The spirit disappears as soon as Scrooge sees a dark, hooded figure approaching.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come takes Scrooge through a series of events connected to the death of a mysterious man.

Businessmen discuss the man’s money while other people sell his belongings. One couple even discusses their relief at the death of their creditor.

Scrooge insists on knowing the name of the dead man, so the spirit takes him to a graveyard and points to a gravestone. Scrooge finds his own name etched into it.

Scrooge begs the spirit to change his fate. He promises to renounce his selfish, unkind ways. He promises to honor Christmas with his whole self. So the spirit takes him home.

Scrooge is so grateful for the chance to redeem himself that the next day he gifts a giant Christmas turkey upon his nephew’s house and even attends the party.

As the years tick by, he keeps true to his promise. He even treats Tiny Tim as his own. He gives gifts to the poor and treats his fellow human beings with kindness and respect.