Ebenezer Scrooge is a cold hearted, miserly man who does not enjoy Christmas celebrations; rejects dinner invitations from relatives and has no craze for holidaying on the eve. He remains busy working when other are enjoying and shouts on charity workers. He believes that people who want to miss work and stay idle do so in name of Christmas celebrations. He condemns the idea of celebration before everyone very openly.
In the night, Scrooge dreams of his business partner, Jacob Marley who died seven years back who visits him as a ghost. Marley had also been stingy and consumed with business all the time he was alive and had received the punishment for his greed in form of death. He warns Scrooge not to behave so miserly and to give up his selfishness and serve everyone with good heart so that he doesn’t bear the results of his greed in his afterlife. He also informs him that he will be visited by three Spirits on the following nights.
When Scrooge falls asleep next night, he is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, a tiny, elderly figure who shows him the scenes from the past when Scrooge grew up from a lonely young boy to man of miserly behavior. As a kid, he was worthy of happiness and as a young man he was denied love in life. This makes scrooge cry out of emotions and the realization of his neglected self in the past.
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Next night, comes the Ghost of Christmas Present, which is a giant who is just to live for one day. The Ghost shows him the celebrations in a Christmas party which has all the reasons for one to be cheerful and gay. It also presents him the picture of future that will be bleak and doomed for all if he continues to exhibit Ignorance for everything of the present.
Finally the Ghost of Christmas Yet to come arrives as a silent figure clad in black robes to replace the ghost of Christmas Present. He shows him the scene of a group of people who are talking about someone’s death. The irony is that people are not worried or perturbed by this death; rather some people are happy that it happened. Since the crippled Tim is already dead, Scrooge is in despair to learn that it is he who has died. The picture of hope is also showcased by the ghost who shows that if he changes his views of the Christmas spirit and pledges to bring in changes based on the lesson that the three ghosts have taught, this future may be altered.
Scrooge is a changed man next morning. He learns to smile and be friendly to everyone. He starts donating generously and feels sorry before the donation workers for insulting them. He turns into a man that he had promised to the ghosts and becomes a jolly man who keeps the spirit of Christmas alive in his heart throughout the year.