The Second Spirit, of Christmas Present shows up on Scrooge’s bedpost and they observe his acquaintance’s (if you can call them that) Christmas Eve. At the Cratchit’s despite their lack of funds and a disabled child they are all merry and up beat, extremely so with Tiny Tim, God blessing everyone and although given halfheartedly by some, drink a toast to Mr. Scrooge. Next is his Nephew’s home, where they are all having a grand time playing games and eating rich foods. You can practically see Scrooge salivating outside his relative’s window and has to be torn away by the forgotten spirit at hand.
Ebenezer Scrooge is starting to come out of his shell about now and actually showing some personality. Caring enough to ask about young Tim’s health and regretting the time lost with his sister’s child. I almost resented the spirit as much as Scrooge for turning him away from this one enjoyment to be viewed. Dickens is quite the expert as a character artist, drawing the characters in such great detail that one almost feels as if they were in the Cratchit’s kitchen. But we still have one more ghost to go, best wait for the last bell chime to learn what Scrooge’s future holds for him.
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