by Annie Tipton and soon published, Sept 1 by Barbour Publishing, keep close to you a box of Kleenex because they will be necessary. This book is truly moving and A Christmas Tale is able to touch our most profound cords of the soul. There are few books in the history of Literature that, to me inspired directly by God. One of them The Comedia by Dante Alighieri and in most recent centuries, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
A Christmas Carol is the most powerful, true, sincere and real book about the meaning of Christmas.
There are in this magical story all the ingredients of a feast that should be a moment of union and reunion with family and friends. A feast that should embrace the person in difficulty, the one who has experienced a hard time because of the departure of some beloved relatives and a moment in which harmony and serenity should reign in all the Earth thanks also to the Christmas Spirit.
Sometimes story is completely different...
Sometimes we can meet along our way people like the protagonist of the story, Ebenezer Scrooge. People without an apparent heart, closed, disenchanted about life and Christmas and the beauty of this feast. Someone who don't love other people at all because superfluous and unnecessary. Scrooge's God and Best Friend is Money and to him exist just it.
People are irrelevant, convivial moments shouldn't exist, because senseless and people in feast and excited for the arrival of little Jesus Christ? They lose their precious time!
Ebenezer Scrooge hasn't been always a man so heartless.
He was also a normal guy, although this part of his existence now behind and forgotten.
Forgotten by a life dedicated to accumulate money just for himself.
His girlfriend at some point, when he was young, decided to move on, because she was seeing that Ebenezer was more interested in creating more money than in the construction of their relationship.
No children, no friends. Scrooge alone in this world.
The product he is now, at the moment of the story the one he became thanks to his passion and devotion for money.
Not only: the man didn't just love money, he was also very stingy and his worker, Bob Cratchit constricted at working bullied, without a decent fire, and at the limit of dignity. A dignity Bob reached into himself thanks to his hard work and his responsibility on his family. He was the one who brought food on the table of his numerous family. He couldn't risk his workplace because Scrooge did want to let him suffer cold.
The pay of Cratchit insufficient for living with dignity, for buying good food, for curing his beloved Tiny Tim the latest son suffering of an important illness.
Scrooge didn't see anything. Scrooge didn't know anything. If his employee was happy of his work, of his treatment, if he had some afflictions at home. No: Scrooge didn't know anything because, just he didn't see that there was real life all around him. He didn't feel suffering, joy, happiness, harmony, problematic of the various families he knew and the few people with which he interacted with. He was absorbed by his spasmodic research and determination of not spending money.
He was rude with people who tried to better the existence of poorest ones, he was rude with his nephew Fred, he was rude with everyone. Fred wanted to invite him for the Christmas Dinner, but Scrooge thought that this on was absolutely a horrible idea.
I think that from the Other World his partner Marley must have thought: I must stop him! And he decided to present to Scrooge the latest chance for save his soul from a secure perdition. Marley hasn't had this chance. He didn't see any signal during his life. He didn't recognize that he wasn't living a christian life. He was a sinner and he paid in the other life as well.
Something he would want to avoid to Scrooge. Because they were friends and because it is always, always a pity to lose a soul. In particular when this soul is a soul of a sinner. Too simple to save a good soul. Better to try to save the soul of someone considered lost.
Marley visited him one night telling him that he was a ghost without peace and that he was there, at least, for saving his soul.
He added that Scrooge would have been visited by various ghosts: the Ghost of Christmas Past, of Christmas Present and Christmas not yet arrived.
These visits a true revelations for Scrooge. Not only Scrooge had the privilege of seeing his past Christmas for trying to have an idea of who he has been, but he understood.
At least, he understood.
He understood that once when he worked as apprentice with Fezziwig, the Christmas' Eve was a big feast for his boss and for all of them.
His boss was not just human with him but much more than that.
A loving and cheerful man, someone everyone wanted to have around.
Fezziwig wanted to celebrate Christmas staying in company, opening the door of his house and his heart to everyone.
With the ghost of the Christmas Present Scrooge understood the joy and good spirit of his nephew Fred who, anyway wished him with all himself a Merry Christmas!
Scrooge didn't imagine. He didn't have any pale idea that his worker, Bob Cratchit lived in a house so poor, with children in great difficulties and a heavy financial situation. He fell in love for poor Tiny Tim. He needed to be cured that little kid.
With the third ghost he understood that without any change his end would have been horrible and no one would have cried or noticed that he was passed away.
Maybe people would have been happier now. After all what kind of contribution for better this man Ebenezer Scrooge brought to the world? Nothing.
The man who met these three ghosts a regenerated and new man able to opens the heart (and wallet) to everyone. And so Bob his worker worked with much more and great dignity after that moment, Tiny Tim who risked to dying, would have survived thanks to the help of Ebenezer Scrooge and the best pay received by Bob at work.
Fred would have received and shared his uncle's visits and company often during the following years and starting from Christmas Season.
Christmas, first of all became the fixation of Scrooge: the biggest occasion for celebrating his new-reborn. Because Christmas is this: our re-born of the soul for starting a new beginning accompanied by Little Jesus Christ.
In this book, beautiful, trust me, felt, accurate, the author, Annie Tipton analyzes 54 passages of A Christmas Carol implementing these passages with the word of God, with some Bible passages and with some suggestions for all of us.
Some example?
Do you know during the period of Christmas someone in need? Let's try to stay close to this person. Let's also try to live Christmas with the sanctity of the family of Bob Cratchit. Frugality is not a bad idea in a world where there is too much food and too much opulence and where social differences terribly visible. Let's try to think also at people in need.
Other suggestions will involve the preparation of Christmas, the festivity. It mustn't be perfect a Christmas for being real. More it will be "messy" more it will be perfect, because it won't be a perfect postcard, but it will be...life and at the end you can tell: "I did it!!!"
This one is the most wonderful, wonderful book you can think of presenting during the Christmas season because it's...Christmas itself that you will present!
Dickens wrote a book inspired, truly inspired by the most authentic Christmas Spirit. (I do truly truly believe and feel the Christmas Spirit!)
The book plenty of wonderful, precious illustrations and at the beginning of the book a special page dedicated to your gift with an "Especially for..." and you can add also "Date and From" in a second page. Price is too good for not buying a lot of copies of it, for you and for all your dear ones.
It will be an unforgettable and appreciated gift.
Wishing you of living Christmas Every Day...God Bless Every One!!!
Anna Maria Polidori
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