present

• The Ghost of Christmas Present greets Scrooge from on top of a pile of luxurious Christmas fare. It is really in this Stave that Dickens brings to life the Christmas that we all know and love today: the food, the presents, the games, the snow, and good feeling, the parties and generosity. Gone are the puritanical values that banned Christmas, and, also, to a large degree, gone as well are the memories of Christmas as a serious and religious celebration of the birth of Christ. Christmas is now a time for family, friends and feeling good.
• The ghost is dressed in green – reminiscent both of the Green Man from Pagan mythology, and also the traditional character of St Nicholas or Father Christmas, who has more recently come to symbolise the holiday period.
• He greets Scrooge with a drink that makes him feel good: the milk of human kindness – though one could be forgiven for seeing an alcoholic connection – and then takes him on a tour of Christmases around the country. Here, we get the image of a country that is united during this time of year; a place where Christmas and Britishness are inextricably linked, which would have been incredibly popular for a Victorian audience who were in the throws of empire building.