'A Christmas Carol Has Worked Its Magic Again!'

It is common knowledge that I consider, Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' to be the greatest story ever written bar none and I often try to watch the Alastair Sim version of the movie once as Christmas Day draws near. There have been numerous screen versions of the story and most are worth watching but for me, Alastair Sim's 'Scrooge' is the one that I can relate to more than any other. Not only does Sim play 'Scrooge' with conviction the characters gradual repentance is believable thanks to his numerous complaints that he is 'too old to change his ways' etc. In a lot of the films I've seen the transformation from the bitter and cold man Scrooge has become thanks to the harshness of the world and the loss of his beloved sister, Fan comes too easily and thus even the elation of the 'happy to be alive' Ebenezer falls a bit flat. I ALWAYS end up with a kind smile upon my face when I see Sim's Scrooge jumping about and doing silly things like a madman after the visit of the three ghosts...

'Bob The Bauble' mimics the re-born, Scrooge!

The supporting cast are all excellent as well! George Cole plays the young Scrooge (He and Alastair Sim were very close in real life as well) and a VERY young, Nicholas Parsons appears as 'Tiny Tim'.  Well, according to IMDB, Glyn Dearman plays 'Tiny Tim' but you take a look at the film and then tell me that it isn't, Nicholas Parsons!  Patrick McNee (Young Jacob Marley) and Hattie Jacques (Mrs Fezziwig) are also in it and the elder/ghost, Jacob Marley is brilliantly played by, Michael Hordern.

The film was released in 1951 and I have seen it about 7 or 8 times during my lifetime, which is easily a record for me as I'm not generally one for repetition of any kind.

The great thing about watching, A Christmas Carol though is that it helps you to 'take stock' of your life and shows you the enormous value of the people you know to your general happiness. Money is always a difficulty at this time of year and so many people get caught up in the commercialised side of it but at the end of the day it really is 'the thought that counts'. Its such a shame that nearly all of the wonderful people who made this film are now dead but their influence lives on and shall live on for future generations via this film. Alastair Sim also features in my favourite film of all time, 'School For Scoundrels' with Terry-Thomas and Ian Carmichael so in a lot of ways he is one of my favourite Actors.

I fear I may have 'forged a chain of many heavy links' like, Jacob Marley in this world not so much through greed for money or being 'tight' but for being a bit 'closed hearted' to much of the suffering in the world. Mankind should be all of our business but I feel close only to a small percentage of it. Hopefully, I do a fair job of showing how I feel to that small percentage and try to look after people I love the best way that I can but I just don't feel able to 'throw my arms around the whole world'. Whatever fate awaits me though I wish there were more time to try and help me to experience some of the numerous things I have missed out on in this world.

Photo courtesy of allposters.co.uk

Scrooge is right in one respect that it is VERY hard to tread a new path once you have spent a LIFETIME walking down a familiar one. I would love to get married one day but just think I have 'missed the boat' on that front now and with so many possessions that remind me of cherished moments in my past I can't really see how I could 'start a new life' with someone as part of an 'us'. So sad really because I do have a lot of love to give...

Oh well, maybe just one person who reads this 'revealing and honest' blog post this Christmas will manage to change their life and become  like the 'new born' Scrooge. We all feel we are 'alone with thinking this or that' at some time or other in our lives and never more so than at Christmas time so my hope is, if not for me, that these words will help one of you in your time of dilemma...

Merry Christmas xx

P.S. If you think 'Bob the Bauble' is cute I got him in the Town Hall at the Grassington Christmas Fair.

'On The Naughty List'

I had to laugh yesterday! Last Christmas I videoed the film 'Elf' starring Will Ferell, James Caan and Zooey Deschanel but until yesterday afternoon it had 'hung around' on my Sky box and not been watched...

My Great Grandfather,
Walter Hobbs

Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather when the main characters father (played by Caan) turns out to be called Walter Hobbs.

A self-centered businessman, Walter is on Santa's 'Naughty List' at the North Pole and as such is the kind of 'Scrooge' like character in the film. Will Ferrell plays 'Buddy' the Elf who it turns out is actually Walter's son. Buddy's mum never told Walter about his birth and put him up for adoption instead. He ended up with Santa at the North Pole after crawling into Santa's bag of presents as a baby (Santa was delivering to the orphanage he was in at the time and had been distracted by a large plate of cookies left out for him).  The film itself is about as daft as you can get but its good, clean fun and the kind of thing Sir Norman Wisdom would have been AWESOME in. The cheesyness of the traditional Christmas spirit message is as safely cheddar as ever but its nice to watch films like this when you are in the Christmas spirit because it gives you a glimpse of the idealistic thing Christmas could be if we all really did get into singing carols together in local parks and by the side of the road.

Anyway,  the reason I laughed so much at the name is because I have THREE ancestors with the name Walter Hobbs! No wonder my luck always seems to turn sour at Christmas! I don't think any of the three were particularly naughty but perhaps Santa knows better!

The first Walter Hobbs you see here was my Great Grandfather. He was a coal merchant and had his own business based in Hughenden Rd, Hastings. He was a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters and was well-known in and about the area. Walter got married to his first wife on Christmas Day at St Michael's Church, Silverhill as well! Could he really have been on the 'Naughty List'?

The second Walter Hobbs you see here is my Grandfather. He was a 'Lamplighter' for a number of years and served in the First World War. He was very musical so it may be from him I get my musical talents. I loved my Grandad very much as he was the type to spend a lot of time with me. If I was collecting stickers or stamps he collected them as well and would bring around a few 'swops'. Sadly, he died in 1975 but I will always remember him..

The third and last Walter Hobbs you see here is of my Uncle. He was a brilliant but troubled man who was very autocratic. Uncle loved to show you how things worked or demonstrate the features of the new radio or T.V. he had bought but he wasn't a good listener like my Grandad. I would have liked to have been closer to Uncle than I was but he did not make that easy really. Still, I do have some happy memories of him which is nice!

Oh well, I guess I know now where the run of bad luck I seem to perpetually get at Christmas time comes from! With THREE Walter Hobbs's in the family I guess my family has a bit of a 'history' with Santa!