In Charles Dickens' 1843 classic A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is transformed through the visits of one Ghost and three Spirits, and becomes a man who embodies the generosity and very spirit of Christmas. The story has been no less popular in our time, spawning theatrical and cinematic adaptations and reminding us, every December, what Christmas is about.
However, our nostalgia for the story itself has obscured what has changed within our culture. It is not Scrooge who should examine himself and his own actions, but that parasite upon society, Robert Cratchit. It is Scrooge who is today's model citizen – frugal, hard-nosed, and independent of need.