The Ghost of Christmas Past is the first of the three spirits to haunt Ebenezer Scrooge. This angelic and caring spirit shows Scrooge scenes from his past that occurred on or around Christmas, in order to demonstrate to him the necessity of changing his ways, as well as to show the reader how Scrooge came to be a bitter, cold-hearted miser. According to Dickens' novella, the Ghost of Christmas Past appears to Scrooge as a white-robed, androgynous figure of indeterminate age. A blinding beam of light radiates from its head and it carries a cap like a candle extinguisher, which it tells Scrooge that his own passions made and forced the ghost to wear. The ghost is often portrayed as a woman in dramatic adaptations of the story:After appearing in Scrooge's house, the Ghost of Christmas Past takes his hand and flies with him over London. It first shows Scrooge his old boarding school, where he stayed alone, but for his books, while his schoolmates returned to their homes for the Christmas holidays. The spirit then shows Scrooge the day when his beloved younger sister Fan picked him up from the school after repeatedly asking their cold, unloving father to allow his return, as she joyfully claims that he has changed and is now kinder than he was. Next, the spirit shows Scrooge a Christmas Eve a few years later in which he enjoys a Christmas party hosted by his first boss, Mr. Fezziwig, a kind and loving man, who treated Scrooge like a son and was more compassionate to him than was his own father. The spirit also shows Scrooge the Christmas Eve when, as a young man, his beloved fiancée Belle ended their relationship upon realizing that he now cared more for money than he did for her. Scrooge did not ask Belle to end their engagement, but he did not fight to keep her. Finally, the spirit shows him how she married and found true happiness with another man. After this vision, Scrooge pleads with the spirit to show him no more, to which the spirit replies: Angered, Scrooge extinguishes the spirit with its cap and finds himself back in his bedroom, where he very quickly fell asleep.
Appearance in notable film and TV adaptations
In the 1935 filmScrooge, the Ghost is portrayed as an outline.
In the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol, the Ghost is portrayed as an angelic young woman.
In the 1951 filmA Christmas Carol, the Ghost is an elderly man.
In the 1997 animated version of A Christmas Carol, the Ghost of Christmas Past is portrayed as a mischievous young boy in a messenger boy's outfit.
In the 1997 made-for-television filmMs. Scrooge, the spirit is portrayed by Michael J. Reynolds in the appearance of a 1950s businessman with a bowler hat.
In the 1998 animated musical television film An All Dogs Christmas Carol, Itchy becomes the spirit appearing to Carface Carruthers.
In the 1999 made-for-television version of A Christmas Carol, the spirit is portrayed as a glowing being of indeterminate age.
In the 2000 made-for-television film A Diva's Christmas Carol, Kathy Griffin plays the spirit.
In the 2004 made-for-television film A Christmas Carol: The Musical, the Ghost of Christmas Past first appears as a barefoot fairy-like creature in a yellow shift and garlands.
