The Ghost of Christmas Past

The Ghost of Christmas Past is a character from the novel A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Role in the story
The Ghost of Christmas past was the first of the three spirits (after the visitation by Jacob Marley) that haunted the miser Ebenezer Scrooge in order to prompt him to repent. He showed him scenes from his past that occurred on or around Christmas, in order to demonstrate to him the necessity of changing his ways, as well as to show the reader how Scrooge came to be the person he was and his particular dislike for Christmas – most of the events which negatively affected Scrooge occurred around the Christmas holiday season.

According to Dickens' novel, the Ghost of Christmas Past appears to Scrooge as a white-robed, androgynous figure of indeterminate age. He had on his head a blazing light, reminiscent of a candle flame. He carried with him a metal cap, made in the shape of a candle extinguisher. While the ghost is often portrayed as a woman in most dramatic adaptations, Dickens describes the Ghost of Christmas Past only as “it”.

The Ghost of Christmas Past first showed Scrooge his old boarding school where he was deserted by his father who bore a grudge against because his mother died in his childbirth. Then he was shown the day when his beloved, younger sister Fan picked him up from there after repeatedly asking their father (described as a cold and unloving man) if he could come back home. Next, Scrooge was shown an episode from his time as an apprentice to Mr. Fezziwig, which started merely three days after the above and *only* visit home after so many years without. The spirit also showed Scrooge the day when, as a young man, he compelled Belle, his fiancée, to end their relationship as his increasing obsession with his money caused him to alienate her. Scrooge never asked Belle to break off their engagement, but he did not protest against her decision. Finally, the Ghost showed him how she married and found true happiness with another man (this part is often skipped in adaptations of the story). After this vision, Scrooge, out of anger, extinguished the Ghost of Christmas Past with his cap and found himself back in his bedroom.

In other media

 * In the animated series ', the Ghost is parodied as the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future''', a robot with a penchant of making houses run with elf blood and telling long-winded, incomprehensible stories about the origins of Christmas.
 * In a theater production she was Scrooge's sister, but he didn't realize this until she disappeared.