A Christmas Carol

As you all know by now, I read A Christmas Carol every year at Christmas time.  This year marks my 10th year reading it, and as such, I would like to dedicate every Thursday in December to A Christmas Carol.  I'll feature some of my most favorite passages and hope that they sow seeds of light and compassion in your hearts this Christmas Season.

(For the lovely Eleanor Q (and any other of my Jewish brothers and sisters who might be reading)--Happy Hanukkah!  L'chaim!  Just...you know...pretend it's Hanukkah instead of Christmas.)



"The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went.  Every one of them wore chains like Marley's Ghost; some few (they might be guilty governments) were linked together; none were free.  Many had been personally known to Scrooge in their lives.  He had been quite familar with one old ghost, in a white waistcoat, with a monstrous iron safe attached to its ankle, who cried piteously at being unable to assist a wretched woman with an infant, whom it saw below, upon a door-step.  The misery with them all was, clearly, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power forever."