Can a rich, selfish man change his ways before it’s too late?
Learning Objective: Students will read a play and identify the theme.
Scene 1
Christmas Eve 1843 in London, England
Today the word scrooge means a stingy, selfish person. It’s from the character in this story!
N1: Christmas Eve isn’t usually a time for ghost stories.
N2: But our ghostly tale begins here, in the office of businessman Ebenezer Scrooge.
N3: He sits at his desk in a warm coat, counting money.
Ebenezer Scrooge: Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred.
N1: The office is freezing cold.
N2: Scrooge’s employee, Bob Cratchit, shivers.
Bob Cratchit: Mr. Scrooge, sir, may I add some coal to the fire?
Scrooge: Of course not! Coal costs money.
Cratchit: But sir . . .
Scrooge: It’s bad enough that I need to pay you tomorrow, even though you won’t be here!
Cratchit (shocked): Tomorrow is Christmas, sir!
Scrooge: Well, you’d better be here even earlier the next morning.
N3: Just then, Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, arrives. He’s in a cheerful mood.
Fred: Merry Christmas!
Scrooge: What good is Christmas? People spend money on others instead of keeping it for themselves.
Fred: Christmas is a time for kindness and happiness, Uncle.
Scrooge: Bah! Humbug!
N1: Humbug is another word for nonsense.
Fred: Come have dinner with our family tomorrow, Uncle.
Scrooge: Humbug! I hate Christmas!
N2: Fred walks toward the door.
Fred: Well, Merry Christmas anyway, Uncle. And Merry Christmas to you too, Mr. Cratchit!
Cratchit (smiling): Merry Christmas, Fred.
Scrooge (to himself): Why is Cratchit merry? He can barely feed his family, and he has a sick child. It doesn’t make sense!
Scene 2
Later that night, Scrooge’s home
N3: Scrooge sits alone by the fireplace.
N1: Suddenly, he hears a loud, clanking sound.
Ghost Chorus: Owooooh!
Scrooge: What is that?
N2: A ghost appears in ice-cold fog.
N3: A long, heavy chain is wrapped around its body.
N1: Scrooge recognizes the ghost. It’s his old business partner, Jacob Marley.
Scrooge: I must be dreaming. Marley is dead!
Jacob Marley: Indeed, I am.
N2: Scrooge drops to his knees and covers his face.
Scrooge: Wh-wh-why are you here?
Marley: Each link in this chain is a punishment for something unkind I did.
Scrooge: But you were a great businessman!
Marley: Money isn’t everything. I should have used what I earned to help people!
Scrooge: Humbug!
N3: Marley howls and shakes his heavy chain.
Marley: Your chain will be longer and heavier than mine, Scrooge. Unless you change your ways.
Scrooge: What can I do?
Marley: Three ghosts will visit you. Learn from what they show you.
Ghost Chorus: Owooooh!
Marley: Expect the first spirit when the clock strikes one.
Scene 3
1:00 a.m.
Ghost Chorus: Owooooh!
N1: The first ghost appears in a long white robe.
Ghost 1: I am the Ghost of Christmas Past. I will show you your life as it was.
N2: Scrooge and the ghost magically travel into Scrooge’s past.
N3: They stand in a room full of people.
Ghost 1: They can’t see us. Do you remember this place?
Scrooge: Why, of course! I worked my first job here. That’s my old boss, Mr. Fezziwig.
Mr. Fezziwig: It’s Christmas Eve, everyone! No more work tonight. Let’s celebrate!
N1: Music begins to play.
N2: Everyone dances, including a young Scrooge.
Ghost 1: You look so happy. Who is the girl you’re laughing with?
Scrooge: That’s Belle. She was my dearest friend.
Ghost 1: Where is she now?
Scrooge: I don’t know. I didn’t have time for friends when I started my business.
Ghost 1: Ah, you chose money instead of friendship.
Scrooge (sadly): Show me no more, spirit. I don’t want to see what I lost!
Ghost 1: As you wish. Expect the next ghost when the clock strikes two.
N3: The Ghost of Christmas Past disappears. Scrooge is back in his bedroom, alone.
Scene 4
2:00 a.m.
Ghost Chorus: Owooooh!
N1: A joyful ghost appears in a bright-green robe with jingling bells.
Ghost 2 (cheerfully): I am the Ghost of Christmas Present! Come see things as they are now.
N2: The ghost and Scrooge travel to Mr. Cratchit’s cramped house.
N3: A large family gathers around a small table for dinner.
N1: Cratchit’s son, Tiny Tim, limps to the table using an old wooden crutch.
Tiny Tim: Wow, I’ve never seen such a grand Christmas goose!
Scrooge: Why is he so excited? That goose isn’t enough to feed one person.
Ghost 2: The Cratchits have very little money. To them, this is a wonderful feast.
Scrooge (amazed): And they still seem happy.
Cratchit: Merry Christmas, everyone! We’re lucky to have each other.
N2: Cratchit holds Tiny Tim’s hand.
Scrooge: Will Tiny Tim live? He looks so weak.
Ghost 2: He needs to see a doctor. But the Cratchits can’t afford that.
Scrooge (guilty): That’s my fault.
Ghost 2: There’s no time to feel sorryfor yourself. Think about what you can do now!
Scrooge: Hmm. I suppose I could spare a small bit of money for the Cratchits. Just once . . .
Ghost 2 (sighing): The final spirit will arrive when the clock strikes three.
N3: The Ghost of Christmas Present vanishes. Scrooge is back in his bedroom.
Scene 5
3:00 a.m
Ghost Chorus: Owooooh!
N1: The third ghost appears in a black robe.
Scrooge: Are you the Ghost of Christmas Future?
N2: The ghost doesn’t answer. It points a long, bony finger into the night.
Scrooge: Spirit, I fear you most. I’m scared to see my future.
N3: The ghost takes Scrooge to a cemetery covered in frost.
N1: A coffin is being lowered into the ground.
Scrooge: Whose funeral is this? Why is no one here?
N2: Two people pass by.
Passerby 1: Not a single person showed up. No friends or loved ones.
Passerby 2: He lived alone, and he’ll be buried alone.
N3: The ghost points to the gravestone.
N1: Scrooge reads the words he was afraid to see: EBENEZER SCROOGE.
N2: He falls to his knees.
Scrooge: Noooo! Spirit, please tell me it’s not too late to change.
N3: The ghost says nothing.
Scrooge: Please! From this day forward, I will be a kind and generous man.
N1: The Ghost of Christmas Future disappears. Scrooge returns to his home.
Scene 6
The next morning, Christmas Day
N2: Sunlight fills Scrooge’s bedroom.
N3: He jumps out of bed.
Scrooge: I’m alive! There’s still time.
N1: He opens his window and calls out to a boy on the street below.
Scrooge: Merry Christmas, my boy! May I ask for your help?
Boy: What do you need?
N2: Scrooge tosses a pouch full of money to the boy.
Scrooge: Please buy the biggest turkey hanging in the butcher’s window! Take it to Bob Cratchit’s house. And keep the change!
Boy: Yes, sir! Merry Christmas!
N3: The boy runs off, happily.
Scrooge: Now I’d better get ready. I have a Christmas dinner to attend.
N1: Scrooge spends the day with Fred and his family, spreading holiday cheer.
Scene 7
The next day
N2: Scrooge gets to his office early in the morning.
N3: Bob Cratchit shows up later, shivering from the cold.
Scrooge (pretending to be angry): Cratchit, you’re five-and-a-half minutes late!
Cratchit (worried): I’m sorry, Mr. Scrooge. It won’t happen again.
Scrooge: I won’t stand for this any longer.
N1: Poor Cratchit thinks he’s about to get fired.
Scrooge: Cratchit, it’s time I double your pay.
Cratchit (surprised): What did you just say?
Scrooge: You heard me, Cratchit! And that’s just the start. I’ll also help with anything Tiny Tim needs.
Cratchit: Th-th-thank you, sir. I can’t believe it.
Scrooge: Merry Christmas, Cratchit. Now throw some coal on that fire. It’s time we warm this place up.
N2: Scrooge hasn’t seen a ghost since.
N3: He spends his days with the people he loves—
N1: —and shares his wealth all year-round.
Ghosts 1, 2, and 3: Now, if anyone knows how to celebrate Christmas, it’s Ebenezer Scrooge!
Ghost Chorus: Owooooh!
Think & Write
Imagine you are Ebenezer Scrooge. Write a journal entry about the important lesson you learned from the three ghosts and how you learned it.
This story was originally published in the December 2026/January 2027 issue.
