A Christmas Carol 1

A Christmas Carol 1

Late in the afternoon one Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge and his clerk, Bob Cratchit, were hard at work. Ebenezer Scrooge was perhaps the cheapest, most cold-hearted, mean-spirited man that ever lived. He had no friends. On the street, not even the beggars would beg from him. Cratchit was a good and honest man, but working for Scrooge had kept his family poor. Cratchit was working as hard as he could, but it was difficult because Scrooge kept the office terribly cold.

He was too cheap even to buy coal. Suddenly they heard a cheerful cry, “ Merry Christmas, Uncle! ” It was Scrooge’s nephew. Being surprised, being interrupted, and hearing the words “ Merry Christmas, ” all angered Scrooge. “ Bah! Humbug! ” he replied. “ Christmas a humbug, Uncle?” His nephew laughed.

“ Christmas is for fools who waste their money, ” grunted Scrooge. “ There is no profit. ” To this, his nephew replied, “ Christmas is a time to remember the birth of Jesus, and to be kind, forgiving, loving, and pleasant to others. It is a time to know that all people are brothers and sisters. While it may not bring me profit, I say, ‘God bless Christmas. ’ ” “ Bah! Humbug! ” Scrooge replied. With a smile his nephew asked, “ Would you at least come to dinner with us tomorrow?”

“ No, I will not. Now, good afternoon, ” snorted Scrooge. “ Merry Christmas, Uncle, ” replied his nephew with a smile. With that, his nephew left, and two gentlemen walked in. “ Mr. Scrooge, we are taking a Christmas collection for the poor, ” said one of the gentlemen. “ Many have little or nothing to live on. ” To this, Scrooge replied, “ Are there no prisons or workhouses?”

“ Mr. Scrooge! Most people would rather die than go to those terrible places, ” replied the gentlemen. “ If they would rather die, then fine, ” declared Scrooge. “ Let them die. I will not waste my money on helping people who are lazy. Good afternoon, gentlemen. ” Shocked and disgusted, the men quickly left. Then, looking at his watch, Scrooge realized that it was time to close the office.