Christmas is just on the horizon, folks! That means, soon, the streets will be filled with holiday shoppers, travelers from far and wide, and many Christmas specials to fill the TV screens. Overwhelming? Indeed. Even so, this overwhelm is rooted in pure intent and highlights humanity. 

_{Center of Christmas}

Christmas is when everyone shows their capacity for good towards each other. Granted, for some, their acts are for the sake of receiving gifts, but one must believe that there’s another nuance to everyone’s actions for December, referring to some of the most well-known icons of the Christmas Holidays. There are many popular icons for Christmas, but for obvious reasons, we won’t be able to touch on them all – so, we’ll just list the most prominent icons from fiction. Starting with one of Christmas’ recognizable, miserable miser, Ebenezer Scrooge.

_{Christmas Hauntings}

The novel A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens, focuses on Scrooge’s disdain for the holiday – his only concern being how to further line his pockets and give less to the common folk. It wasn’t until he got a surprise visit from the spirit of his long-dead business partner, Jacob Marley, who warned him that he’d meet a similar (if not worse) fate if he didn’t change his ways. It is there that he tells him that his only hope for repentance was to be visited by the three spirits of Christmas past, present, and future. The story garnered much success that decades later, it would get multiple film adaptations, which included casts from the Jim Henson IP, The Muppets, and Jim Carrey’s interpretation of the 2009 Disney film with the same name. Truly a timeless classic that has no intention of stopping.

_{A Christmas Heist}

Moving on to the vibrant, colorful world of Dr. Seuss, this next character is the genuine definition of the green-eyed monster. By that, we’re talking about the Grinch. Though not as rich as the previous subject of Ebenezer Scrooge, the Grinch is another character who hates Christmas. In the children’s book How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” he’s annoyed with the festivities of the holiday (particularly that of the noise) and sees things only escalating once the holiday arrives. With his dog, Max, he orchestrates a daring heist to steal Christmas from all the Whos below the peak of the mountain he resides in – stealing not only the presents left by Santa but also the decorations, food, and anything that resembles the holiday.

Much like with the previous subject, this story rallied fans both young and old, it was only a matter of time before Universal Studios would make the first live-action film starring, yep, you guessed it (or didn’t), Jim Carrey. His portrayal of the character made him zany and aloof. The film also expands the Grinch’s origins explaining why he hates the holidays, making the 2000 film a cult classic. So far, we’ve covered Christmas icons who hate Christmas, we think it’s time for a change of pace, from naughty to nice. So, we’ll lastly bring your attention to a certain Reindeer.

_{The Shining Star}

Yep, it’s time to shine a red light on Rudolph the red-nose Reindeer. Created for the original stop-motion Rankin/Bass film of the same name, the film revolves around Rudolph, who was born with a red nose that glows, garnering discrimination and ridicule from his Reindeer peers, save one Clarice. Realizing that he doesn’t fit in with the others, he put himself into self-imposed exile, meeting others who felt like they didn’t belong to the circles they fled from. Forming an unlikely band of misfits, they would eventually make their way to Santa’s workshop at the North Pole, where the jolly giant was dismayed upon seeing a heavy snowstorm halting his effort to deliver toys to children around the globe. It wasn’t until he witnessed Rudolph’s shining nose that the onus fell on the young Reindeer to help guide his sleigh through the harsh winter storm, thus saving Christmas from being canceled.

_{The Compacity for Change}

Now, there’s a bit of a pattern with these three particular characters of Christmas. All three are somewhat an outcast in their respective settings and either want to be left alone or live in solitude. But as they embark on their respective journeys and discover something greater than the outlook of their lives, all three characters change for the better. Scrooge becomes a generous entrepreneur, the Grinch returns all the Christmas items to the Whos, and Rudolph guides Santa’s sleigh through a blizzard and is recognized for his selfless acts. These stories encourage a change – a change for the better.

And in so doing, others will remember you because of the good you’ve done. Through the memories of others, you can guarantee that your individuality will be immortalized for the remainder of time. Time to sit by the fire and treat yourself to some hot cocoa!

Read More From The Able Show Contributors.

https://theableshow.com/the-rise-of-christmas-icons

Works Cited

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ebenezer-Scrooge

https://seuss.fandom.com/wiki/The_Grinch

https://rudolphtherednosedreindeer.fandom.com/wiki/Rudolph_(Rankin/Bass)