There's no humbug for this descendant of one of literature's all-time greats.
A special rendition of "A Christmas Carol" took the stage at Long Island's Huntington Cinema Arts Center in the weeks leading up to the holiday, with the star of the show doing his part to keep his family's legacy alive.
For Gerald Dickens, the yuletide classic is a family heirloom: 180 years ago, it was written by his great-great grandfather, Charles Dickens.
"The first time I remember "A Christmas Carol," I was age 5 and my uncle read it to me on Christmas Eve," Gerald Dickens said.
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The story touched Dickens as a boy, is now his lifeblood as an actor. For 30 years, Dickens has been performing "A Christmas Carol" as a one-man show across the U.S. and Britain.
"A Christmas Carol is such a huge part of an American Christmas that everyone in the audience is along for the ride as well," he said.
At first, Dickens said his performance consisted of simply reading from the book. But one day, he forgot the book.
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So he used his imagination, and his great-grandfather's words, to give voice to the story’s 27 different characters.
"I often wonder: If I hadn’t lost the book that day, if I would have been brave enough to take on the challenge of doing a one man show," said Dickens.
The sold-out audience in Huntington was certainly glad he did. And Dickens says he feels how they are still moved by a holiday tale, which remains as touching and relevant today as when it was written.
"We’ve all got a bit of Scrooge in us. We’ve all got a bit of Bob Krachett in us," he said. "Just realizing we may get things wrong, but we can get through this all right."
And as Tiny Tim said: God bless us, everyone.
