The Ghost of Christmas Past



The Ghost of Christmas Past is a character in the well-known work of the English novelist Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol.

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 and left there by fellow schoolmates whose parents loved them better. 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. After this vision, Scrooge, out of anger, extinguished the Ghost of Christmas Past with his cap and found himself back in his bedroom.

Appearance in various film adaptations
Scrooge extinguishes the Ghost of Christmas Past. Original 1843 illustration by John Leech
 * In the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol, the Ghost is portrayed as a sweet-faced young woman looking somewhat like an angel.
 * In the 1951 film A Christmas Carol, the Ghost is an elderly man. In this version, story is changed so that Fran is older than Ebenezer and the ghost shows him his sister’s death through childbirth. This echoes Scrooge's own birth, since his mother died during his childbirth, which was shown as the reason for his father's bitterness towards him.
 * In the TV special Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol, a 1962 animated version, the Ghost is portrayed as a young, slight, androgynous figure (voiced by a female voice actor) with a flame above his/her head, a sprig of holly and an orange glow.
 * In the 1970 version titled Scrooge, the Ghost is portrayed as an elderly but elegant lady with a red dress and a black hat.
 * In a 1982 version, the Ghost of Christmas Past is a Cupid-like young man
 * In Disney's 1983 animated adaptation titled Mickey's Christmas Carol, Jiminy Cricket takes the role of the Ghost.
 * In the 1984 made-for-television version of A Christmas Carol, the Ghost is portrayed as a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and a white robe rather than a childlike, long white haired figure as described in the novel written in 1843.
 * In the 1988 comedy film Scrooged, the Ghost of Christmas Past is portrayed as a New York cab driver with a Brooklyn accent.
 * The 1992 film The Muppet Christmas Carol did not use a Muppet character to portray the spirit, but re-imagined it; this version appeared as a tiny, ghostly child of ambiguous gender, dressed in white and floating as if immersed in water. The voice was provided by Jessica Fox.
 * In the TV special A Flintstones Christmas Carol, a 1994 animated version, the Ghost, originally to be played by a female actress, wound up being portrayed by Wilma (the actress suddenly came down with the Bedrock Bug).
 * In the 1995 made-for-television film Ebbie, the Ghost is portrayed as two spirits with but a single thought, played by Jennifer Clement and Nicole Parker.
 * In the 1997 animated version of A Christmas Carol, the Spirit is portrayed as a mischievous young boy in a messenger boy's outfit.
 * In the 1999 made-for-television version of A Christmas Carol, the Ghost is portrayed as a childlike, white haired figure as described in the 1843 novel.
 * In the 2000 made-for-television film A Diva's Christmas Carol, Kathy Griffin plays the Ghost.
 * In the 2003 made-for-television film A Carol Christmas, Gary Coleman plays the Ghost.
 * In the 2004 made-for-television film A Christmas Carol: The Musical, the Ghost first appears in the real world as a lamplighter.
 * In the 2006 CGI film A Christmas Carol, the Ghost is portrayed as an anthropomorphic stork.
 * In the animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force, 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 the 2009 animated film A Christmas Carol, the voice of the Ghost of Christmas Past is provided by actor Jim Carrey. Similar to the original novel, the spirit appears as a candle-like being with an occasionally flickering flame for his head.