Dickens' a Christmas Carol; Where to Find and Enjoy the Christmas Classic

Dickens' remarkable story introduces us to characters we find comfortably familiar and painfully recognizable. Through the lens of A Christmas Carol readers can see the pathetic result of apathy, greed, and inhospitable behavior.

The avarice of the irascible Ebenezer Scrooge has given us a name for those whose heart is not in the holiday season. We call them "Scrooge." The noble Dickens offers the greedy, old, miser Ebenezer Scrooge a chance at redemption. The theme gives A Christmas Carol universal appeal, because we all seek redemption when we, like Scrooge, see the error and grave impact of our selfish ways.

A Christmas Carol is reread and relived on stage and screen each year by thousands of seekers. They seek the holiday spirit and a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. Charles Dickens rewards their search in his timeless Christmas classic.

Where to find and enjoy A Christmas Carol; Read the book.
The easiest way to relive Dickens' story of Christmas is by picking up a copy of the book. New or used, you will only pay a few dollars (Barnes and Noble, $3.55). Young readers and those who find Dickens's words a muddle of old English can enjoy A Christmas Carol in one of hundreds of rewrites and adaptations. From children's books, to young adult novels, to rewrites of the classic for adults, if you want to read A Christmas Carol, you'll not search long to find a suitable adaptation.

A Christmas Carol - The Movies
The list of movie adaptations of A Christmas Carol is also quite extensive. One of the first films was a silent movie released in December 1908 starring Tom Ricketts as Ebenezer Scrooge. In 1910, a seventeen minute version of the film was released by Edison. Time constraints ground the story down to the essential elements and character of Ebenezer Scrooge, played by Marc McDermott. In 1914, another silent film was released.

Watch a classic movie adaptation of A Christmas Carol on TCM
The 1938 film is a considered a classic an can be viewed December 12, 2009, 12pm and Friday, December 25^th, 9am on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Directed by Edwin L. Marin and featuring Reginald Owen as Scrooge, this is considered by movie mavens the first real US movie adaptation.

Throughout the 1940s various versions of the film were released for television. The 1938 movie remained an American favorite, until the release of Scrooge: A Christmas Carol in 1951. Alastair Sim played Ebenezer and Glyn Dearman won our hearts as Tiny Tim.

In the 70s A Christmas Carol was once again picked up by the movie industry, and from that time various adaptations of the movie included animations and modern-day take offs were produced. Among the most notable are Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), Scrooged starring Bill Murray (1988), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992).

A number of other movie versions of A Christmas Carol were released during the same time period, including one starring George C. Scott, as Scrooge. However, none of the movies carry the shadowy impact of the 1938 and 1951 movies and the exhilaration of a transformed Scrooge on Christmas Day.

Disney's A Christmas Carol in 3D and IMAX, featuring computer animated imagery and Jim Carey as Scrooge , is currently playing in theaters during the 2009 holiday season. Disney's 2009 version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is the best version I've seen in years. It is suitable for the entire family. It stays accurate to Dickens' novel as well as most other versions, without dragging on too long to bore children or creating ghosts that are too scary for children.

Disney's A Christmas Carol is quite enjoyable, regardless of how many times you have read the book or seen the movie. I recommend it as a must-see for the holiday season. I foresee the Disney version of the movie becoming the unbeatable classic for years to come. That is next to the old black and white versions, in my opinion.

Listen to A Christmas Carol
Don't miss enjoying Charles Dickens's classic Christmas story because you don't have time to read and you are too short on money to go to the movies. This classic tale is available on audio CD and mp3.

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens can be downloaded right now in MP3 format at LearnoutLoud.com. Listen to it on your computer, MP3 player, or IPOD. Learn out Loud will take you through a checkout process to get to the download, but there are no hidden fees for downloads or memberships requirements. Your download of A Christmas Carol will be free, without any catches. No credit card is required for free downloads. It is divided into five MP3 chapters. Be sure to download all five chapters or the zipped file which contains all of the necessary files.

You can move the audio files from the downloaded files to your iTunes library if you wish to upload them to your iPod.

Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol puts you in the Holiday Spirit
Whether you read the book, watch the movie, or listen to an audio version of A Christmas Carol it is one surefire way to shake off the holiday mully grubs and get into the holiday spirit.

Remember to introduce your kids and grandkids to this holiday classic, so that it can become an inspirational part of their Christmas traditions.

Sources:
A Christmas Carol (1908 film), Wikipedia.com
A Christmas Carol (1938), TCM
A Christmas Carol, a European Classic, LearnoutLoud.com
A Christmas Carol DVD, Classic Movie Guide
Imbd User Comments for A Christmas Carol (1910), Imbd.com
Scrooge Movies and TV Specials, The Best of 'Bah Humbug!', Sharon Knolle, Moviephone.com