Happy christmas to you as well Aaron. I'll see if I can post a general Christmas message this evening or maybe even tomorrow, but for those who miss it I'll say it now.

Your right on Scrooge though, despite the thing being probably the most adapted book in history, Scrooge never learns and is as bad as normal next year .

Despite all the adaptations, there is also something special about Dickins original proes. I particularly love the scene (which is actually dam scary), of Scrooge meeting the two children of man, a boy called ignorance, and a girl called want.  I have the original read by of all people Patric Stewart (who himself made a really awsome scrooge in the channel four version, that scene with the two chilren was actually quite horrific). Stewart reading dickins' words is quite something, indeed Dickins himself used to o public christmas readings of the book apparently, just like the one you see him doing in the 9th Doctor episode in Cardif, The unquiet dead.

I also really like the adaptation "Scrooge" a musical from the nineties which was first broadcast on radio four. It made scrooge quite a commical character, albeit still extremely less than pleasant, indeed my only issue with Christmas Carol is whenever you see it as a musical, or sometimes as a play, Tiny! bloody! tim! can't! sing! Don't know why, I think it's supposed to be cutesy, but I always end up thinking if the little snit can't dam well carry a tune then I'd rather he snuff it and spare everyone the pain :d.

I also really like Blackadder's christmas carol, where the good and naive Ebaneeser blackadder, who is taken advantage of by everyone is visited by a ghost, shown his ancestors and becomes the selfish, vile, coniving blackadder we all know and love .

I love his "So what have we learnt? ---- that bad guys have all the fun!" . And his riffing off Victoria and prince Albert is hilarious as well. Then again being something of a fan of Victoriana myself, I suppose I probably would find that fun :d.