Bah! Humbug: What’s Christmas all about?

I find myself identifying with Charlie Brown and Ebenezer Scrooge this year. For some reason, I’m just not in the mood for Christmas. Normally, I love this time of year: the traditions, the music, the food, and the family togetherness. I like seeing the lights and decorations, smelling the apple spice and peppermint, and reminding my children that it is better to give than to receive. I enjoy donating to charities that help children have a present because all children deserve that regardless of their circumstances.

My favorite part of A Charlie Brown Christmas is when Linus, asked by Charlie Brown if anyone can tell him what Christmas is all about, stands on the stage and recites Luke, chapter 2, 8-14, as translated by the Authorized King James Version:

⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
¹²And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.

It’s a beautiful story—one that some people believe as truth and others think is fiction. I can understand both viewpoints.

A Christmas Carol is my favorite story by Charles Dickens. I first read it as a teenager on my own—not as a school assignment—from an antique book I inherited from my grandfather’s personal library. I love that his signature is in the front.

It’s the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, who hates Christmas and is a big jerk. Scrooge sees the ghost of his former business partner who warns him of the impending arrival of three more spirits that evening: The ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Dickens first published the story in 1843 and it has never been out-of-print. It speaks to so many people and has been adapted to plays, movies, and animated specials. Just about everyone knows who Ebenezer Scrooge was and his catch-phrase “Bah! Humbug” even if they haven’t read the novella. Spoiler Alert (if you’ve been living under a rock): Scrooge is compelled to change his ways in the end and embraces the true spirit of Christmas—generosity.

Christmas snuck up on me this year, and so did Thanksgiving. I am extremely thankful for all the good things that have happened this year. I had no idea when I began my rewrite in February that I would accomplish one of my biggest dreams in 2016, that of getting my first novel Caroline’s Lighthouse published. I have focused so much energy on my writing because I was so starved for it after a much-too-long hiatus. I am working on finding the right balance for everything: family, work, writing, reading, adulting, and any other creative outlet I can find.

For now, I will turn off The Chainsmokers, turn on some Christmas music, and bake cookies with my children. I will borrow their excitement for the season until I find some of my own. If not, I’ll fake it for their sake. These memories we’re making now are what Christmas is all about.

-Brandi Easterling Collins