Real Women of Gaming

Ah the winter holidays. For many people these are their favorite holidays, their cherished childhood memories and just the best time of the year. Everything is just so, well, jolly. The gifts, the time with people you love, and the food. No matter what you believe in, most people still have some way to celebrate the end of the darkness. From here on out the world will slowly get brighter. So then what’s with the ghost stories? 

Let’s take a brief trip in history to help understand. Christmas had a pretty bad rep before Queen Victoria married her husband. It was even outlawed in some parts of the United States in colonial times for just being too rowdy. Then a love match happened in 1840 and with her German-born husband, Prince Albert, came his traditions for Christmas. Most of the traditions we take for granted became mainstream because of this union. Surprising since most of them had very pagan roots but people still latched onto them. A yule log to warm, an evergreen to remember life, gathering with loved ones, singing, feasting, and making very merry to drive away the dark. 

However it wouldn’t really be Victorian without a touch of the macabre, so they also told ghost stories on Christmas. In fact one of the most famous ghost stories of all time came from this. Its first printing was in 1843 and it shot its author into infamy. 

A Christmas Carol is an interesting story because it is very much a product of its time but also timeless. For some reason people always need reminding about greed. Who better to do it then three ghosts who were born of a time of colonial gains but also a land of workhouses? Charles Dickens had his fingers on the pulse of the dichotomy of his time and he had the audacity to write about it. He also had the talent to spin a tale that has been chastising readers with the same lesson for generations. 

It is true that Ebenezer Scrooge has worked hard for his money but he has also taken advantage of those less fortunate to gain it. He doesn’t care about how terrifying and unsafe a workhouse is. To him this is honest work for those who cannot support themselves in any other way. The sick and poor just need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and stop complaining to him already. That is until, in the course of the story, he is visited by three ghosts, Past, Present, and Future. They show him how he got to where he is, what he is currently missing in his life and where he is headed if he does not change. 

A Christmas Carol has resonated with audiences since the 1800s for a reason. It reminds us to give. To help our fellow human beings. To celebrate the good we have in our lives. To drive away the darkness, real and preverbal. That we need each other. That we are better together. That lives are worth not just protecting but also about enriching. 

I grew up with this story. It is actually my dad’s favorite. I can still remember watching multiple versions of the movies with him. I remember being terrified of it, not because of the ghosts but because of Ignorance and Want. Those “children” have stuck with me more than anything and their warnings have helped me no matter how much I change with age. To me this story is what the holiday season is all about. About bringing the light to others and myself. 

I am grateful that something in this story resonated with my father. That he found something worthwhile in the movie versions. We both have benefited from this short story about ghosts and it will always connect us.

Everyone knows Scrooge. Everyone knows the negative connotations of his name. There have been multiple copies and reprints of A Christmas Carol. A surplus of movies, theater productions and even a musical to help retell this story. People all over the world have watched Scrooge face his past, come out kinder and stronger. It is a comfort to know that if he can, then we can as well. 

Every year I feel like this story is more relevant. Every year I am sad to think of the reasons why. Then I remember that the whole point of the story is to break the cycle with kindness. 

The world will always need more kindness, no matter what time of year. Maybe we also need some more ghost stories in the darkest time of winter. When people come together to find joy. Maybe, no matter what our faith (or lack thereof) we all need to spend some time with our ghosts and come out the next day better for it. 

Have happy holidays, friends. I wish you love, light warmth and joy. 

ALWAYS KEEP SPARKLING!!!