What is A Christmas Carol about?

It is about Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old man who is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his old partner and three spirits. They show him his past, present and future, and he wakes up a kinder, more generous person.

How does A Christmas Carol end?

Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning, delighted to be alive. He sends a turkey to the Cratchits, joins Fred’s party and gives Bob Cratchit a raise. Tiny Tim does not die, and Scrooge keeps Christmas well for the rest of his life.

What is the moral of A Christmas Carol?

The main lesson is that kindness, generosity and love matter more than money, and that it is never too late to change for the better. Dickens also reminds us to look after people who are poor or in need.

What age is A Christmas Carol appropriate for?

The original is best for ages 10 and up, though it works well as a read-aloud for younger children. A retelling like ours is designed for ages 6 to 9, with the scary parts softened.

Who is the main character in A Christmas Carol?

The main character is Ebenezer Scrooge. Other important characters are Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Scrooge’s nephew Fred, Jacob Marley’s ghost, and the three spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.

How many chapters are in A Christmas Carol?

The book has five chapters, which Dickens called “staves,” a word from music meaning a verse of a song. They are titled Marley’s Ghost, The First of the Three Spirits, The Second of the Three Spirits, The Last of the Spirits, and The End of It.

A Christmas Carol summary for kids

A Christmas Carol is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a rich old man in Victorian London who cares about money and nothing else. On Christmas Eve, he is visited by a ghost and three spirits who show him his past, his present and a possible future. Charles Dickens wrote it in 1843, and children still love it because it is part ghost story and part fairy tale, with a hopeful lesson: it is never too late to change, and kindness is the best way to keep Christmas.

Written by: Charles Dickens, 1843
Setting: London, England, in the 1840s, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day
The original novel: Five short chapters, which Dickens called “staves” (the word for a verse of a song, since the book is a “carol”)
Our retelling: Ages 6–9, an illustration on every page

The story, from beginning to end

Spoiler alert: this summary tells the whole story, including the ending.

Scrooge and the visit from Marley

Ebenezer Scrooge is a stingy money-lender who runs a counting-house (a small business office) in London. It is Christmas Eve, and he is as cold and unfriendly as the weather. His clerk, Bob Cratchit, must work in a freezing room with almost no coal for the fire. When Scrooge’s cheerful nephew Fred invites him to Christmas dinner, Scrooge says “Bah! Humbug!” and refuses. He also sends away two gentlemen who are collecting money to feed the poor.

That night, at home, Scrooge sees the face of his old business partner, Jacob Marley, in his door knocker. Marley has been dead for seven years. Later his ghost appears, wrapped in heavy chains made of cash boxes and ledgers. Marley explains that he is being punished for a selfish life, and that Scrooge’s chain is even longer. But there is hope: three spirits will visit Scrooge, and he must listen to them if he wants to escape the same fate.

The Ghost of Christmas Past

At one o’clock, the first spirit arrives, a strange figure like a child and an old man at the same time, with a bright light shining from its head. It takes Scrooge flying back to the places of his youth. He sees himself as a lonely boy, left at school over the holidays, and he is moved to tears. He sees his kind sister Fan coming to bring him home.

Next he visits the warm, merry Christmas party of his first employer, old Mr. Fezziwig, who treats his workers with great kindness. Then Scrooge sees a young woman named Belle, who was once engaged to him. As he grew more and more devoted to money, she set him free, saying she could see that a golden idol had replaced her in his heart. Scrooge cannot bear to watch any more and begs the spirit to take him home.

The Ghost of Christmas Present

The second spirit is a jolly giant in a green robe, sitting on a throne of food. He shows Scrooge Christmas as it is happening right now. First they visit the Cratchit family. They are poor, but they are happy as they share a small goose and a pudding. The youngest child, Tiny Tim, is ill and walks with a little crutch, but he is full of good cheer. He says, “God bless us, every one!” Scrooge, who has begun to care, asks the spirit whether Tiny Tim will live. The spirit tells him that if things do not change, the child will die. Then the spirit repeats Scrooge’s own harsh words back to him.

They also visit Fred’s party, where everyone laughs and plays games, and even makes jokes about Scrooge without any unkindness. At the end, the spirit shows Scrooge two thin, ragged children hidden under his robe. Their names are Ignorance and Want, and the spirit warns Scrooge to beware of them, because they stand for the hunger and neglect that people ought to help.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

The last spirit is silent and dark, covered by a black robe, and it only points with its hand. It shows Scrooge scenes from a future that may happen. A group of businessmen talk coldly about a man who has died, and no one seems sad about it. A few poor people sell his belongings to a shopkeeper. Scrooge hears that nobody cares about this person, and he is shaken by it.

Then the spirit takes him to the Cratchit home, where the family is quiet and sad. Tiny Tim’s small crutch stands unused by the fire, and Bob Cratchit says they must never forget how patient and gentle Tim was. Finally Scrooge is led to a lonely graveyard, where he sees a gravestone with his own name on it. He falls to his knees and begs to know whether these things must happen, or whether he can still change them. He promises to honor Christmas in his heart and keep its lessons all year.

A new man on Christmas morning

Scrooge wakes up in his own bed and finds that it is Christmas Day, and that he has not missed it after all. The spirits have done everything in a single night. He is so happy that he laughs and dances around his room, feeling as light as a feather. He opens the window and calls to a boy in the street, and asks him to go and buy the biggest turkey in the shop, to be sent to the Cratchit family.

Scrooge goes out into the street and wishes everyone a merry Christmas. He gives a large gift to the gentlemen collecting for the poor, and then he goes to Fred’s house for dinner, where he is welcomed warmly and has a wonderful time. He joins in the dancing and the games, and says it is the happiest Christmas he has ever spent. Fred and his wife are delighted to have him there at last.

How the story ends

The next morning, Scrooge pretends to be as grumpy as ever when Bob Cratchit arrives late to work. Then he surprises him by raising his pay and promising to help his struggling family. Scrooge keeps his word. He becomes a second father to Tiny Tim, who does not die, and he becomes as good a friend, master and man as the old city ever knew.

Some people laughed at the change in him, but Scrooge did not mind. His own heart was laughing, and that was enough for him. It was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well. The book ends with Tiny Tim’s words, “God bless Us, Every One!”

Themes and big ideas

It is never too late to change: Scrooge is old and set in his ways, yet the spirits show him that he can still become a better person. His sudden change, from refusing to give a penny to sending a huge turkey to the Cratchits, tells children that anyone can choose to be kinder.
Generosity matters more than money: Jacob Marley’s chains, made of cash boxes, show that hoarding riches does not make anyone happy. Fezziwig’s party costs only a few pounds, yet his workers remember it with joy. Kindness and sharing give more than a full money box.
Compassion for people who have less: Dickens wrote about real hardship in his time. The spirit’s two children, Ignorance and Want, remind Scrooge (and readers) that hunger and lack of schooling are problems we can all help with. Scrooge begins to care when he finally sees the Cratchits’ struggle with his own eyes.
Family, friends and togetherness: The Cratchits have very little, but their Christmas dinner is joyful because they are together. Fred keeps inviting his uncle year after year, even though Scrooge says no. The book shows that love and company are the real treasures of the holiday.
Our choices shape our future: The Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come shows what may happen, not what must happen. Because Scrooge changes his ways, he can change what lies ahead, including the fate of Tiny Tim. Children can see that what we do today matters.

Is A Christmas Carol right for my child?

A Christmas Carol is a good fit for many children, but it is a ghost story, so some parts can feel spooky. Marley’s chained ghost, the dark silent final spirit and the graveyard scene are the most frightening moments. The story also touches on sad topics: poverty, a lonely childhood, a broken engagement, and the illness of Tiny Tim. In the original, the spirit says Tim may die if nothing changes, and Scrooge sees a quiet, sorrowful Cratchit home. The ending is joyful, and Tiny Tim lives. There is no romance beyond Scrooge’s old engagement, and no violence.

Our retelling for ages 6 to 9 keeps the full story, the three spirits and the happy ending, and gently softens the scary and sad scenes, so the visions of the future feel more like a warning than a fright. We suggest the original for ages 10 and up, or as a read-aloud for younger children, since Dickens’s long sentences and Victorian words can be hard. The retelling is best for ages 6 to 9.

Questions to talk about

Why do you think Scrooge says “Bah! Humbug!” at the start of the story?
How is Scrooge’s Christmas different from Fred’s and from the Cratchits’?
Which of the three spirits would you most like to meet, and why?
What did Scrooge see in his past that made him feel sad?
Why do you think Tiny Tim is so cheerful even though he is sick?
What do the chains Jacob Marley wears tell us about how he lived?
How did Scrooge change at the end of the story? What was the first nice thing he did?
What is one kind thing you could do for someone this week, like Scrooge does?

Questions about A Christmas Carol

What is A Christmas Carol about?: It is about Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old man who is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his old partner and three spirits. They show him his past, present and future, and he wakes up a kinder, more generous person.
How does A Christmas Carol end?: Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning, delighted to be alive. He sends a turkey to the Cratchits, joins Fred’s party and gives Bob Cratchit a raise. Tiny Tim does not die, and Scrooge keeps Christmas well for the rest of his life.
What is the moral of A Christmas Carol?: The main lesson is that kindness, generosity and love matter more than money, and that it is never too late to change for the better. Dickens also reminds us to look after people who are poor or in need.
What age is A Christmas Carol appropriate for?: The original is best for ages 10 and up, though it works well as a read-aloud for younger children. A retelling like ours is designed for ages 6 to 9, with the scary parts softened.
Who is the main character in A Christmas Carol?: The main character is Ebenezer Scrooge. Other important characters are Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Scrooge’s nephew Fred, Jacob Marley’s ghost, and the three spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.
How many chapters are in A Christmas Carol?: The book has five chapters, which Dickens called “staves,” a word from music meaning a verse of a song. They are titled Marley’s Ghost, The First of the Three Spirits, The Second of the Three Spirits, The Last of the Spirits, and The End of It.