What does the Ghost of Christmas Past show Scrooge?

It shows his lonely school days, his sister Fan, the happy Fezziwig party and the day his sweetheart Belle left him. These memories help Scrooge see what he lost.

What does the Ghost of Christmas Past look like?

It looks like a child and an old man at once, with white hair, a white tunic with summer flowers and a bright light on its head. It carries a cap that can dim the light.

Why does Scrooge try to put out the ghost’s light?

The memories hurt him, so he tries to cover the light with the ghost’s own cap to stop seeing them. But the light only shines more brightly.

From A Christmas Carol

Ghost of Christmas Past

First spirit • Bright and gentle

A shining, childlike spirit who shows Scrooge his earlier years.

Who is Ghost of Christmas Past?

The Ghost of Christmas Past is the first spirit to visit Scrooge. It looks like a child but has the wise face of an old man, wears a white tunic trimmed with summer flowers, and has a bright beam of light shining from its head. Gently but firmly, it takes Scrooge back to see his lonely school days, his sister Fan, kind old Fezziwig and his first love, Belle.

Ghost of Christmas Past is a character in A Christmas Carol, the 1843 novel by Charles Dickens, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.

What is Ghost of Christmas Past like?

Gentle
Wise
Patient

Ghost of Christmas Past’s story

The first spirit arrives when the clock strikes one, as Marley promised. It is a strange figure, like a child and also like an old man, with a bright light streaming from its head and a tall cap in its hand that can dim the glow. When Scrooge asks if it is the Past of long ago, it answers: no, your past.

The ghost takes Scrooge by the hand and flies him through the wall to the places of his youth. He sees himself as a lonely schoolboy left behind at Christmas, comforted only by the characters in his books, and then his little sister Fan arriving to take him home. He visits the warm, joyful dance of his old employer Mr. Fezziwig, and he sees a young Scrooge slowly choose money over his sweetheart Belle, who says goodbye with tears.

Scrooge, upset, begs to see no more, and even tries to put out the ghost’s light with its own cap. But the memories have already softened him. He remembers a boy singing a carol at his door the night before and wishes he had given him something. The ghost is not cruel. It simply shows him the truth, so that his heart can begin to thaw.

“A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still.”

the Ghost of Christmas Past, pointing out the lonely boy at the school. From the original 1843 novel by Charles Dickens.

A moment to remember

The spirit takes Scrooge by the arm, floats with him through the window and flies him to the snowy school where he spent lonely holidays as a boy.

Ebenezer Scrooge: the man whose past it shows
Ghost of Christmas Present: the next spirit to visit
Jacob Marley: the ghost who announced the visit

Talk about it

Seeing his younger self helped Scrooge remember how it felt to be lonely. What is a happy memory you like to think about?

Questions about Ghost of Christmas Past

What does the Ghost of Christmas Past show Scrooge?: It shows his lonely school days, his sister Fan, the happy Fezziwig party and the day his sweetheart Belle left him. These memories help Scrooge see what he lost.
What does the Ghost of Christmas Past look like?: It looks like a child and an old man at once, with white hair, a white tunic with summer flowers and a bright light on its head. It carries a cap that can dim the light.
Why does Scrooge try to put out the ghost’s light?: The memories hurt him, so he tries to cover the light with the ghost’s own cap to stop seeing them. But the light only shines more brightly.