A Christmas Carol is a world-famous novella written by Charles Dickens and first published on December 19, 1843. The story is set in Victorian London and follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a cold-hearted, stingy, and selfish moneylender who despises Christmas and anything to do with charity or joy. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. Bound in heavy chains as punishment for his own lifetime of greed, Marley warns Scrooge that a similar, terrible fate awaits him unless he changes his ways.Marley tells Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits over the course of the night: The Ghost of Christmas Past: Takes Scrooge back to his childhood and youth, reminding him of his early innocence and how his obsession with money cost him the love of his life.The Ghost of Christmas Present: Shows Scrooge how others are celebrating Christmas in the current year, including his impoverished clerk Bob Cratchit and his disabled but cheerful son, Tiny Tim.The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come: Reveals a dark and grim future where an unloved, wealthy man dies with no one to mourn him—unveiled to be Scrooge himself.