So, the Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge what's going on with the Christmas spirit that everyone else seems to possess - even if they need a sprinkle from the ghost's torch to be reminded of it!
Dickens is very descriptive about the various goings on, but the first major stop is Bob Cratchit's house. It's at this point that we finally learn his name!
We also first hear about Tiny Tim, as he's at church with Bob while the rest of the family helps prepare the Christmas dinner. In almost every version, Martha, the oldest child, comes from her job at a milliner's (she doesn't get all day off on Christmas, although the following day is a holiday) and hides from Bob so the family can pretend she's not coming.
The Cratchits have six kids altogether. Martha's the oldest, then Peter, then Belinda, then an unnamed boy and girl, and last of all is Tiny Tim. Various adaptations will play with the number of kids, but there's always a few.
Apparently Tiny Tim is pretty sick, not just because he has a brace on his leg and a crutch. He's so sickly looking that even Scrooge is worried if he'll make it. The ghost throws back the "surplus population" line at Scrooge, which hits him pretty hard. It seems that Scrooge was unaware that Bob had a child who was so sick, although he did know he had a wife and family.
One thing about Tiny Tim is that I've always thought is that he's hard to represent in a live action adaptation. A kid that looks so sick wouldn't be allowed to work. As a result, almost every Tiny Tim seems too healthy!
Bob shows his loyalty and humility by offering a toast to Scrooge, which nobody else is in the mood for, especially Mrs. Cratchit.
The main point about the Cratchits is that they have very little materially, but they are happier than most people because they have each other!
Oh, and Tiny Tim has to say, "God bless us, everyone!"
After leaving the Cratchits, the ghost takes Scrooge on a whirlwind tour of all sorts of locations where one might expect to find Christmas spirit, but they find plenty of it.
Next up is Scrooge's nephew's house. His wife (who is unnamed) calls him "Fred," which is how we finally learn his name!
There are about 20 people at this party, including the wife's two sisters (one of whom is plump) and Fred's friend Topper.
Fred presents Scrooge as a comical figure and everyone joins in a jolly toast to him.
In virtually every adaptation, we see Fred and his guest play a game. Here they play a "twenty questions" type game with the answer, of course, being Fred's wacky uncle!
Scrooge has a great time at this party, joining in the games and begging the spirit to stay. He's pretty reformed, but he still needs a couple more lessons.
Ignorance and Want are big buzzkills, but the next ghost really turns up the heat!
It is interesting to see Scrooge happy.
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