This year, as we turn toward Christmas Eve, I find myself returning to the closing scene of Dickens’ story. After all the visitations, after the long night that confronted his life from every angle, Scrooge awakens to Christmas morning with joy that surprises even him. He laughs. He dances. He calls out the window as though the world has suddenly opened….

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is often remembered as the darkest of Scrooge’s visitors, yet I’ve always believed its purpose is far more hopeful than frightening. I have watched this ghost send my own children scurrying out of the room during different cartoon versions of the story, or covering their faces with blankets until the scene passed….

There is something remarkable about the Ghost of Christmas Present. This spirit brings Scrooge into the world he already lives in, yet has not truly seen. The rooms are familiar. The faces are familiar.

One of the truths at the heart of Scrooge’s journey is that each of us is shaped by the life we have lived so far. We carry the imprint of our joys and our sorrows. We carry the tenderness that was offered to us, and the hurts that were never fully mended.