Sometime in the next week or so, I’ll begin one of my longest running Christmas traditions – the annual reading of A Christmas Carol.
Every year since the 4th grade, I have read this book. That’s right – this year will be the 24th reading for me.
People often ask me, “Don’t you have it memorized by now?” The answer is no, not really. I have never actively tried to memorize it. That said, I can quote sections of the book with little effort after so many readings (which helps when I’m looking for a non-abridged version to read, since I can tell on the first page – yes, the first page – if a copy is the full or abridged version).
Why A Christmas Carol? I don’t know. I mean, I do love the book, and I’m a Dickens fan, but as for why I picked this to read each year, I don’t know. I know the first reading, way back in 4th grade, that was an assignment, schoolwork. After that? I can’t say. Maybe I just wanted to have a tradition of my own.
Oh, and here is an odd bit of information – one of the most shockingly accurate screen adaptations of A Christmas Carol is none other than The Muppet Christmas Carol. Is it exact? No, but it does throw in a lot of direct quotes from the original. Plus, I’m a sucker for the music in that movie, which is all fantastic, especially Bless Us All. Gotta dig out that soundtrack…
See you all on Wednesday!
