A Christmas Carol
Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly and heartless London moneylender, despises Christmas and treats his employee Bob Cratchit with contempt, while rejecting his nephew Fred's invitation to Christmas dinner. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him that he will be visited by three spirits and advises him to change his ways to avoid Marley's own fate of eternal suffering for his greed. The Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge his lonely childhood and the painful memories of his lost love, Belle, due to his growing obsession with money. The Ghost of Christmas Present reveals the joyous, albeit poor, Christmas celebrations of Bob Cratchit's family, including his ailing son Tiny Tim, and the warmth of Fred's gathering. Finally, the terrifying Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge a future where he is unmourned, his possessions are plundered, and Tiny Tim has died, realizing that the cold, lonely grave belongs to him. Horrified by these visions and filled with remorse, Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning a changed man, embracing the spirit of the season by showering gifts upon the Cratchits, raising Bob's salary, attending Fred's dinner, and becoming a kind and generous member of the community.