Find Some Peace at Christmas Time
VOCABULARY
Sometimes, at this time of the year, when the shops are packed full of people looking terribly stressed, while trying to find the right gift for their loved ones, and the wonderful Christmas markets, that I raved about in my last article, are overcrowded with people who don't look very happy and shove each other out of the way to get a glimpse of the stalls selling Christmas decorations – I wonder what Christmas is all about. It is at times like these that I like to watch the film "A Christmas Carol", which reminds me that Christmas should be about giving and not receiving.
"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, was first published as a novel, in 1843, and it is probably the most popular piece of fiction that he ever wrote. At this time of the year, you can see many films or cartoons on television showing different versions of the story or go to the theatre and watch the play, in English. The story, told through the voice of the miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, is as popular today as it was then – and it makes us think about the meaning of Christmas.
Mr. Scrooge is a very selfish and greedy man, who hates Christmas. Even though he has a lot of money he refuses to give any to charity and just wants to spend Christmas Eve alone at home. Every time someone tries to convince him that Christmas is a wonderful, joyous time, he just says: "Bah! Humbug! Every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart".
However, Scrooge’s late colleague, Marley, visits him in the night and warns him that he has to change his ways, otherwise his lonely end looks very sad indeed. Marley tells Scrooge that he will be visited by three ghosts; the "Ghost of Christmas Past" shows the frightened old man how much fun he used to be, before work and money became the most important things in his life. He became so mean that he lost all of his friends and his fiancée. The second ghost to visit him is the "Ghost of Christmas Present" who shows Scrooge what he has become; a mean, lonely old man, who doesn’t care about the rest of mankind .He makes his office clerk, Bob Cratchit, work on Christmas Eve before he is allowed to go home to his wife and disabled son, Tiny Tim. They don't have enough to eat and certainly no money for presents, but they are happy.
I have to look away when the "Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come" arrives and takes Ebenezer Scrooge to his deathbed. Nobody comes to his funeral as the villagers hate him so much. Of course, Mr. Scrooge changes his ways; gives money to charities and buys the largest turkey at the butchers to give to Bob Cratchit’s family. He spends Christmas with his nephew and decides to live every day as though it were Christmas.
With only three weeks until Christmas Eve, I can honestly see similarities between Ebenezer Scrooge and myself; when I am standing in the shopping centre, with thousands of other last-minute shoppers, frantically looking around for that special gift – like Scrooge, I hate Christmas at this moment. I ask myself what this senseless present buying is about and decide that, if they play "Last Christmas" by Wham, one more time, I will scream. Bah! Humbug!
However, when I am sitting in my cosy living room, surrounded by candles and poinsettia and listening to Christmas Carols from King’s College in Cambridge, while I wrap the presents – or on Christmas Eve, when I am standings around the Christmas tree with my family, listening to Silent Night playing on the radio – I love it, don’t you? packed full – vollgestopft gift – Geschenk to rave about sth. – von etw. schwärmen overcrowded – überfüllt to shove – drängeln a glimpse – ein kurzer Blick to publish – veröffentlichen a piece of fiction – Dichtung cartoons – Zeichentrickfilme the play – das Theaterstück miser – Geizhals popular – beliebt meaning – Bedeutung selfish – selbstsüchtig, egoistisch greedy – gierig to refuse – sich weigern Christmas Eve – heiliger Abend to convince – überzeugen joyous – freudig, fröhlich to boil – kochen to bury – begraben a stake of holly – Stechpalmenzweig late – verstorben to change one’s ways – sich ändern indeed – in der Tat frightened – erschrocken he used to be – er war früher mean – geizig mankind – Menschheit office clerk – Büroangestellter disabled – behindert certainly – sicherlich deathbed – Totenbett funeral – Begräbnis similarities – Ähnlichkeiten frantically – verzweifelt to scream – schreien cosy – gemütlich poinsettia – Weihnachtsstern to wrap – verpacken