What’s this? A chill in the air? Jingle bells off in the distance? The scent of snow (or rain or some kind of weather)? That can only mean one thing: it’s holiday story time! More specifically, A Christmas Carol, arguably the quintessential Christmas tale.
First, we talk about the original story (novella?) by Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol is so ingrained in the pop culture consciousness that Pay and Adri were both very familiar with the morality tale about Ebenezer Scrooge and his four spirit visitors, yet had never actually read it. But does the original hold up? Why is it that we all know about humbug and Christmas goose? Why does it get adapted over and over again?
Speaking of adaptations, Pay had never seen A Muppet Christmas Carol. Never! It is such a regular in Adri’s holiday viewings and another movie with great songs by Paul Williams, so it was very important for Pay to see it. Sure, you can’t force people to like things, but thankfully Pay liked the movie, so friendship may endure.
One of the surprising things was how close the Muppet adaptation really stuck to the original material. Most of the dialogue matched word for word, and even a few lines Adri thought were Gonzo-isms turned out to be straight from Dickens pen. A true sign that Gonzo is a genius.
Another holiday, another solid set of entertainment we’ve suggested. We should become party planners at this point.
Episode Highlights
- What did we think about the latest season of British Bake-off?
- What is the source of the duo’s patriotism?
- Where does Charles Dickens end and Gonzo begin?
- What are our other essential Christmas movies?
- What vintage commercials did the Muppet Christmas Carol DVD have?
Further Reading/Watching
- The Dickens Project FAQ – UC Santa Cruz
- The Real Reason Charles Dickens Wrote A Christmas Carol – Time Magazine
Oh, yeah! That thing! 
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