I know, before you even think it, I'm late. I should have done this about three weeks ago, but I completely forgot about this classic, and I actually think I block it out during the holidays.

A Christmas Carol is the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge, a miserable miser that hates pretty much everyone and everything. It's a story that has been done over and over again on stage and screen starring everyone from Scrooge McDuck to Patrick Stewart.

I think everyone says “God bless us, every one” at least once in the month of December. I could spend this entire article talking about what this is about, but you already know it. It's ran a hundred times through the holidays and you've seen it. It will continue this way until Ted Turner buys the rights and only allows the George C. Scott version to be shown only once a year.

What I find interesting about this book is how it has become a phenomenon through the past two hundred years. There have been countless books written about Christmas, but this is the only one that becomes synonymous with the holiday. The moral is simply one of redemption and is common in many works of literature. Ghosts have been used in literature since before Shakespeare.

What makes A Christmas Carol so special? I think people can identify with Scrooge on some level. We are a money driven civilization and it's easy to forget the meaning of the season when waiting hours in a shopping mall spending you life savings. We watch or read this and realize that being angry and surly at Christmas isn't a way to celebrate it.