Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" Returns: The Ghost of Christmas Past


I must have listened to "A Christmas Carol" on audio book a dozen times over the course of the year, all the while soaking up the details of Charles Dickens classic narrative. I took some liberties with this illustration, mainly omitting the spirit's hair "which hung about its neck and down its back..." in addition to the "great extinguisher for a cap" that the spirit carries under its arm. 
"It was a strange figure - like a child, yet not so like a child as an old man, viewed through some supernatural medium, which gave him the appearance of having receded from the view and being diminished to a child's proportions." 
Despite the masculine reference I felt safe making the spirit more feminine in stature, perhaps a bit androgynous in order to foreshadow Scrooge's upcoming transformation from darkness to light. As Scrooge receives each spirit, he question what is real and what isn't, as well as how he might influence his destiny and that of those around him. 
We can all use a reminder of the Spirit of Christmas in our own lives. It is wise to reaffirm that while we are the driving force of our own destiny, we are also incredibly well-positioned to make a difference with those we love and interact with every day. 
Merry Christmas!

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