p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Everyone in the city of London liked Christmas a lot,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"But Ebenezer Scrooge, who lived in a dark part of London, did not. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Scrooge hated Christmas, the whole Christmas season,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Please don't ask why, no one quite knows the reason. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"It could be perhaps he made no money off of it,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"It could be because he lost his first love before it./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"But I think that the most likely reason of all,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"may have been that his heart was 2 sizes too small. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"But whatever the reason, his heart or his money,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the merry./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Staring through his cracked window with a sour Scroogey frown,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"At the warm, lighted windows across the town. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And they're hanging their stockings," he snarled with a sneer, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Tomorrow is Christmas, it's practically here."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Yes, tomorrow, Scrooge knew; all children and adults would joyfully sing and play in the streets./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"They pay bills with no money, they age one year but earn no hour more,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And even with prisons and workhouses to help, toss good money to the poor."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And my foolish nephew and his wife will join friends to a feast, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And they'll feast, and they'll feast, and they'll feast, feast, feast, feast!"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And the more Scrooge thought of what Christmas would bring,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"The more Scrooge thought; "I must stop this whole thing."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"By the 53 years I've put up with it now,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"I must stop Christmas from coming, but how?"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Then he got an idea, an awful idea,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Scrooge got a wonderful, awful idea./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"I know just what to do," Scrooge laughed in his throat,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"I'll make 3 'Christmas ghost' masks and coats" (costumes of the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future and loads sacks and bags onto a carriage)./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYou're a mean one, Mr. Scrooge,/em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYou really are bold./em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYou're as shriveled as a raisin, and you're really old, Mr. Scrooge. /em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYou're a stingy miser with a . . .tight grip on gold. /em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYou're a devil, Mr. Scrooge, /em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYour heart was forged in hell./em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYour touch is ice old, and as iron as a bell, Mr. Scrooge./em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emI wouldn't invite you to dinner, even if I knew you well./em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"The the carriage started down, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"For the homes of the people all a snooze in their town. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"All their windows were dark, quiet snow filled the air, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"All the people were all dreaming sweet dreams without care./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"When he came to the first little house on the square (the Cratchits' house, dressed as 'Christmas Yet-To-Come)./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And his slithered and slunked with a smile most unpleasant, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Around the whole room and he took every present./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And he shoved all the gifts up the out the window with glee,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And now," grinned Scrooge, "I stuff out the tree"./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And Scrooge took the tree as he started to shove,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He heard a small sound, like the 'coo' of a dove./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He turned around fast and saw a small boy, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"'Tiny' Tim Cratchit, such a crippled young boy./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"What are you?" He asked in fear. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Are you the Ghost of Christmas Future, why are you hear?"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"But you know, old Scrooge was so smart and so slick,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He thought up vague gestures and thought them up quick./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He chose to speak without words, and nodded his head 'yes', /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He then started pointing at Tim with a 'hiss'./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Me?" Tim asked. And Scrooge nodded in agreement,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He then pointed out the window, towards a grave stone of cement./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"You mean I shall die soon?" Tim asked in fear,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And Scrooge again nodded and gave Tim a tear. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"His act fooled the child, then he patted his head,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And he gave him a drink and he sent him to bed./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And when Tiny Tim went into a sad pout,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He crept to the window and stuffed the tree out./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Then he did the same thing to other people's houses,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Leaving crumbs too small for other people's mouses (later packed up everything and riding up a mountain to the top)./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Boo-who to the fools", he was evilly humming,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"They're finding out that no Christmas is coming."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"They're just waking up I'll know just what they'll do,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Their mouths will hang open a minute or 2,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Then the fools down in London will all cry 'boo-hoo'"./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"That's a noise," grinned Scrooge, "That I simply must hear,"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He paused, and Scrooge put a hand to his ear./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And he did hear a sound rising over the snow,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"It started in low, then it started to grow./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"But the sound wasn't sad, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Why, the sound sounded glad./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Everyone down in London, tall and small,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"were singing, without any presents at all./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming, it came, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Somehow or other, it came just the same./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And Scrooge, with his feet ice cold in the snow, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"stood puzzling and puzzling, "How could ti be so?"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"It came without ribbons, it came without tags,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"It came without packages, boxes, or bags."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He puzzled and puzzled, 'til his puzzler was sore,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Then Scrooge thought of something he hadn't before:/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Maybe Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And what happened then? Well in London they say,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"That Scrooge's small heart grew 3 sizes that day./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He he brought back the toys, and the food for the feast,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Then he, he himself, Ebenezer Scrooge, carved the roast beast./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Scrooge made and kept many avow, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He did more and still does now./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Tiny Tim didn't die as feared, but got well,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And Scrooge was another father to him just as well./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Scrooge was a good friend and master, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And his manhood got better faster./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Scrooge knew how to keep Christmas well, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"It's hoped that we all may do the same as him as well./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"All rights reserved. No copyright intended./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"But Ebenezer Scrooge, who lived in a dark part of London, did not. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Scrooge hated Christmas, the whole Christmas season,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Please don't ask why, no one quite knows the reason. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"It could be perhaps he made no money off of it,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"It could be because he lost his first love before it./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"But I think that the most likely reason of all,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"may have been that his heart was 2 sizes too small. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"But whatever the reason, his heart or his money,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the merry./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Staring through his cracked window with a sour Scroogey frown,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"At the warm, lighted windows across the town. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And they're hanging their stockings," he snarled with a sneer, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Tomorrow is Christmas, it's practically here."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Yes, tomorrow, Scrooge knew; all children and adults would joyfully sing and play in the streets./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"They pay bills with no money, they age one year but earn no hour more,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And even with prisons and workhouses to help, toss good money to the poor."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And my foolish nephew and his wife will join friends to a feast, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And they'll feast, and they'll feast, and they'll feast, feast, feast, feast!"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And the more Scrooge thought of what Christmas would bring,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"The more Scrooge thought; "I must stop this whole thing."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"By the 53 years I've put up with it now,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"I must stop Christmas from coming, but how?"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Then he got an idea, an awful idea,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Scrooge got a wonderful, awful idea./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"I know just what to do," Scrooge laughed in his throat,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"I'll make 3 'Christmas ghost' masks and coats" (costumes of the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future and loads sacks and bags onto a carriage)./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYou're a mean one, Mr. Scrooge,/em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYou really are bold./em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYou're as shriveled as a raisin, and you're really old, Mr. Scrooge. /em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYou're a stingy miser with a . . .tight grip on gold. /em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYou're a devil, Mr. Scrooge, /em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYour heart was forged in hell./em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emYour touch is ice old, and as iron as a bell, Mr. Scrooge./em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"emI wouldn't invite you to dinner, even if I knew you well./em/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"The the carriage started down, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"For the homes of the people all a snooze in their town. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"All their windows were dark, quiet snow filled the air, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"All the people were all dreaming sweet dreams without care./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"When he came to the first little house on the square (the Cratchits' house, dressed as 'Christmas Yet-To-Come)./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And his slithered and slunked with a smile most unpleasant, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Around the whole room and he took every present./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And he shoved all the gifts up the out the window with glee,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And now," grinned Scrooge, "I stuff out the tree"./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And Scrooge took the tree as he started to shove,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He heard a small sound, like the 'coo' of a dove./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He turned around fast and saw a small boy, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"'Tiny' Tim Cratchit, such a crippled young boy./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"What are you?" He asked in fear. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Are you the Ghost of Christmas Future, why are you hear?"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"But you know, old Scrooge was so smart and so slick,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He thought up vague gestures and thought them up quick./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He chose to speak without words, and nodded his head 'yes', /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He then started pointing at Tim with a 'hiss'./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Me?" Tim asked. And Scrooge nodded in agreement,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He then pointed out the window, towards a grave stone of cement./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"You mean I shall die soon?" Tim asked in fear,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And Scrooge again nodded and gave Tim a tear. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"His act fooled the child, then he patted his head,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And he gave him a drink and he sent him to bed./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And when Tiny Tim went into a sad pout,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He crept to the window and stuffed the tree out./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Then he did the same thing to other people's houses,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Leaving crumbs too small for other people's mouses (later packed up everything and riding up a mountain to the top)./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Boo-who to the fools", he was evilly humming,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"They're finding out that no Christmas is coming."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"They're just waking up I'll know just what they'll do,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Their mouths will hang open a minute or 2,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Then the fools down in London will all cry 'boo-hoo'"./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"That's a noise," grinned Scrooge, "That I simply must hear,"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He paused, and Scrooge put a hand to his ear./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And he did hear a sound rising over the snow,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"It started in low, then it started to grow./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"But the sound wasn't sad, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Why, the sound sounded glad./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Everyone down in London, tall and small,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"were singing, without any presents at all./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming, it came, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Somehow or other, it came just the same./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And Scrooge, with his feet ice cold in the snow, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"stood puzzling and puzzling, "How could ti be so?"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"It came without ribbons, it came without tags,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"It came without packages, boxes, or bags."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He puzzled and puzzled, 'til his puzzler was sore,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Then Scrooge thought of something he hadn't before:/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT""span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Maybe Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And what happened then? Well in London they say,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"That Scrooge's small heart grew 3 sizes that day./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He he brought back the toys, and the food for the feast,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Then he, he himself, Ebenezer Scrooge, carved the roast beast./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Scrooge made and kept many avow, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"He did more and still does now./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Tiny Tim didn't die as feared, but got well,/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And Scrooge was another father to him just as well./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Scrooge was a good friend and master, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"And his manhood got better faster./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"Scrooge knew how to keep Christmas well, /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"It's hoped that we all may do the same as him as well./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;" align="LEFT"span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"All rights reserved. No copyright intended./span/p