Christmas time is the one time a year when we’re supposed to put all our differences aside and get along with our families. That’s what The Who Invented Christmas was all about. As per my usual routine, I went to the movies to see it the other night.

This is a multi-function article and it expands upon more than just my opinion of the movie. It will cover a variety of topics that have risen from my pondering on the movie. I will try to keep they short and not rant too much.

But it wasn’t just the story of Christmas that the movie was about. It really embodies the process that a writer goes through while in the process of creating a novel. The self-doubt to get started and the writer’s block that we experience when we are trying to make the story happen. As I sat in my seat watching this story of the book we all know, A Christmas Carol, unfold on the screen I watched as the actor, Dan Stevens, brought Charles Dickens to life. Like any writer, Charles seemed to be driven, determined, and a little crazy. But, you can’t be a writer without being a little off your rocker. Am I right?

The inspiration behind A Christmas Carol was inspired by haunted dreams that Charles had of his childhood. He would wake in the middle of the night from the nightmares of his youth working in the boot-blacking factory. When it wasn’t the nightmares, the characters in his book would wake him, mostly Scrooge. How many of us has this happened to in the middle of the night? Waking up to a brilliant idea that won’t let you be until it has poured from your fingers into the keyboard.

In a sense Charles Dickens revived Christmas for the world. His story of the character Scrooge and how he changed over night has given us a sense of hope for Scrooges of our world. People can change; they just need the right motivation to become a better version of themselves. As I sat watching this mystical wonder unfold before my eyes I saw a lot of familiar writer experiences. One that I found to be true, even to writers in earlier years as per Charles Dickens; “Get the name right and the character will magically appear.” This piece of advice I find to be true. Sometimes you can’t get the character until the name is right.

The Man Who Invented Christmas is unlike our recent past years Christmas Movies. It’s a classic in the making. An original look into the life of a famous author who brought us one of the most cherished Christmas stories. Watching this movie brought back memories of what it was like to watch a Christmas movie when I was a kid. Where have all the heartfelt, warming, Christmas Spirit inducing tales of wonder gone? Have we lost touch with the joy that Christmas brings?

Stay tuned next week for a deeper look at the various topics covered in this mini article.