Can three ghosts convince Eileen Scrooge to change her ways before it’s too late?
Learning Objective: to write journal entries from the point of view of a character in the play
Scene 1
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SD1: Eileen Scrooge and Bob Cratchit sit at computers in a small, dingy office.
SD2: Cratchit is pulling on a second sweater when Fred walks in from outside.
Fred: Aunt Eileen! Bob! I wasn’t sure you’d still be here.
Eileen Scrooge: It’s ridiculous enough that I’m expected to pay my staff for nothing tomorrow. Am I expected to throw money away on the day before Christmas too?
Fred: Right, well, I’m glad I caught you. Did you get my texts about our Christmas party?
Scrooge: Humbug!
Fred: What?
Scrooge: Humbug! It’s the perfect word to describe Christmas. Look it up.
Fred: I see. So is that a no on the party?
Scrooge: Yes. It’s a no.
SD3: Fred turns to leave.
Fred: Well, the offer stands. (to Bob) Merry Christmas, Bob!
Bob Cratchit: Merry Christmas, Fred!
Fred: Oh, and Aunt Eileen, you really should turn up the heat. It’s freezing in here!
Scrooge (muttering): I guess he thinks heat is free.
SD1: As Fred leaves, the Volunteer enters.
Volunteer: Happy holidays! I’m from Hope Space, the soup kitchen over on Pineapple Street.
Scrooge: Do you need legal help?
Volunteer: Are you one of the lawyers listed on the sign outside—either Scrooge or Marley?
Scrooge: Well, I’m not Jacob Marley. He’s dead.
Volunteer: Oh, I am sorry to hear that. So Ms. Scrooge, then? I stopped in to ask if you might consider making a donation.
Scrooge: No. Now get out.
Volunteer: Maybe I could just—
Scrooge: Out!
SD2: The Volunteer quickly leaves. Cratchit clears his throat.
Bob: It’s 6 o’clock. I need to get going.
Scrooge: Very well. I expect to see you at 9 a.m. sharp on the 26th.
Bob: Of course. (pause) Um, merry Christmas.
SD3: Scrooge turns back to her computer without a word.
Scene 2
SD1: Scrooge sits in her bedroom, reading. Everything in the room is worn and outdated.
SD2: Her phone dings, and she picks it up.
SD3: The feed from a doorbell camera shows an empty doorstep.
SD1: Then a man’s face fills the screen.
SD2: Scrooge gasps.
Scrooge: Marley?
SD3: The face disappears.
Scrooge: Stupid doorbell camera must be malfunctioning.
SD1: Suddenly, the bedroom door flies open, revealing the ghost of Jacob Marley.
SD2: Marley’s ghost is wrapped in chains that drag behind him as he enters the room.
Scrooge (trembling): Y-you cannot be r-real.
SD3: The ghost lifts his arms and rattles his chains.
Jacob Marley: Scro-o-o-o-oge! I am as real as the ratty slippers on your feet!
Scrooge: But Jacob, you’re—
Marley: Dead as a doornail! Yes! And yet I am doomed to roam the earth forever, weighed down by heavy chains as punishment for my mistakes.
Scrooge: But Jacob, you were so successful.
Marley: I was successful at all the wrong things! And if you do not change, you will be punished too.
Scrooge: Change how?
Marley: You will soon be visited by three spirits. Pay attention!
SD1: A window opens, and Marley floats out.
SD2: Scrooge stumbles into bed and falls into a deep
Scene 3
SD3: Scrooge is sleeping. A figure dressed in white gently touches her shoulder, waking her.
Scrooge: Are . . . are you one of the spirits Marley told me about?
SD1: The ghost’s voice is soft and soothing.
Ghost 1: I am! I am the Ghost of Christmas Past.
SD2: Scrooge stares at the ghost in wonder.
SD3: She has long white hair and seems childlike and ancient at the same time.
Ghost 1: Eileen, check your phone.
SD1: Confused, Scrooge takes the phone from her nightstand.
SD2: A video pops up and begins to play. What she sees is projected to a large screen across the back of the stage.
Record Store, 1994
VN: It’s the early 1990s, inside a record store.
VN: A man flips the sign on the door to “Closed” and turns to 15-year-old Eileen Scrooge, who is organizing a bin of records.
Arthur Fezziwig: Eileen! No more work. The staff holiday party has officially begun!
VN: Fezziwig puts on a record.
VN: The store begins to fill with employees and their families.
VN: Fezziwig dances as he brings food out from the back room.
Scrooge: That’s Arthur Fezziwig! I worked at his record shop in high school. It was a wonderful job.
Ghost 1: What made it wonderful? Did it pay well?
Scrooge: Honestly, I don’t remember the pay. Mostly, it was Fezziwig. He treated every employee with the utmost kindness and respect.
SD3: Scrooge starts bobbing her head to the music in the video.
Ghost 1: There is one more Christmas we must see.
Town Square, 2007
VN: Scrooge, now in her late 20s, stands by a holiday display in a town square.
VN: A young man stands next to her.
Jeff: I used to be the most important thing in your life. But now it’s money.
Scrooge: That’s—
Jeff: I’m not famous or rich, Eileen, and I probably never will be. I’m OK with that, as long as I can do what I love and be with people I love. You used to feel that way too.
Scrooge: I used to have my head in the clouds. I’ve just become more practical.
Jeff: We’re never going to be happy together. I’m sorry.
VN: Tears rolling down her face, Scrooge pulls a ring off her finger and hands it to Jeff.
Scrooge (wiping away a tear): I’ve googled Jeff a few times over the years. He does community theater and teaches acting classes for kids. He seems happy.
SD1: The ghost gently takes Scrooge’s phone.
SD2: Scrooge lies down and immediately falls asleep.
Scene 4
SD3: As Scrooge sleeps, a friendly voice calls out.
Ghost 2: Wakey-wakey, Eileen!
Scrooge: What? Who’s there?
SD1: Scrooge turns on a lamp.
SD2: Across the room sits a giant, his head inches from the ceiling.
SD3: He wears a dark-green tracksuit and has a holly wreath on his head.
Ghost 2 (cheerfully): Eileen! I am the Ghost of Christmas Present! And I—
Scrooge: You have something to show me. Yes, I know.
SD1: Scrooge picks up her phone.
The Cratchits’ House, 2025
VN: Bob Cratchit and his son Tim, a pale boy with dark circles under his eyes, enter the kitchen of a small apartment.
Peter: Hey, Dad! Hey, Tim!
Sarah (jokingly): Home at last! We were about to eat Christmas dinner without you.
Leo: Timmy! Come see the fort we made.
Piper: It’s a magic Christmas fort!
VN: As the twins lead Tim away, Bob and Sarah speak quietly.
Sarah: How did it go?
Bob: You should have seen him. No one has ever found more joy in handing out napkins and juice.
Sarah: Volunteering at Hope Space is all he’s talked about for weeks.
Bob: Have the kids complained about the meager menu for our Christmas dinner this year?
Sarah: Nope, not a single complaint.
VN: Tim is wheezing as he returns to the kitchen.
Sarah: Tim, why don’t you sit down, honey.
Scrooge: Spirit, is Tim all right?
Ghost 2: He has a serious illness. The Cratchits are getting him the best care they can afford.
Scrooge: But can’t you do something to help him?
Ghost 2: Unfortunately, I cannot.
Scrooge: But—
Ghost 2: Let’s see one more Christmas celebration.
Fred and Morgan’s Apartment, 2025
VN: Fred and his wife, Morgan, are in their living room with a group of friends.
Guest 1: She said Christmas is a what?
Fred: A humbug!
Guest 2 (reading from their phone): Humbug: something intended to deceive and mislead.
Morgan: Fred’s aunt is . . . how do I put this? A bit grumpy.
Guest 1: Grumpy? She sounds horrible!
Guest 2: But she’s rich, right?
Morgan: She is, but you’d never know it. She loathes spending money so much that she won’t even spend it on herself.
Fred: Poor Aunt Eileen. The person she makes most miserable is herself. I’m going to keep inviting her to our Christmas parties. Who knows? One year she might say yes.
Morgan: I wouldn’t get your hopes up! But let’s move on. Who’s up for Monopoly?
Scrooge: I used to love board games. Can we watch this?
Ghost 2: I’m afraid my time on Earth ends at midnight, which is—
SD2: The ghost squints at the phone.
Ghost 2: Now!
SD3: The stage goes dark.
Scene 5
SD1: Scrooge sits on her bed in the dark.
SD2: Mist pours into the room as a tall figure slowly stalks in.
SD3: The spirit wears a long black robe with a hood that hides its face.
SD1: The spirit looms over Scrooge.
Scrooge (muttering): Are . . . are you the ghost of Christmas Future?
SD2: The ghost says nothing.
SD3: With a long, bony finger, the spirit points at Scrooge’s phone.
SD1: With a shaking hand, she picks it up.
The Cratchits’ House, 2026
VN: The Cratchits sit quietly around their kitchen table.
VN: Tim is not there.
Bob: I was thinking that maybe next Christmas, we could all go and volunteer at Hope Space. It would be—
VN: Bob is too choked up to continue.
Sarah: It would be a lovely tribute to Tim.
Peter: Great idea, Dad. Tim always talked about how he wanted to volunteer again when—when he got better.
SD2: Scrooge wipes away tears.
Scrooge: Spirit, this is just awful. But I have a feeling there’s more. So go on, show me what’s next.
SD3: The spirit points at the phone again.
Cemetery, 2065
VN: In a cemetery, two mourners pause as they walk past a headstone.
Mourner 1: This burial was at the same time as Grandma’s. It was so sad—there were only two people here.
Mourner 2: Don’t you recognize the name on the headstone? Frankly, I’m surprised anyone was here at all.
VN: As the mourners walk away, the name on the gravestone is revealed: Eileen Zoe Scrooge.
Scrooge: Spirit, is this what will happen or only what might happen?
SD1: The spirit simply stands there.
Scrooge: But I have learned so much. I am not the same person I was! From this moment on, I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep the holiday spirit all year long.
SD2: The spirit points at Scrooge and then disappears.
Scene 6
SD3: Scrooge wakes up to light streaming through her windows.
Scrooge: It is morning! But—what morning?
SD1: She checks her phone.
Scrooge: Christmas morning! It’s only been one night.
SD2: Scrooge jumps out of bed.
Scrooge: This is fantastic! Where do I start? Oh! I know!
SD3: Scrooge taps her phone a few times, then makes a call.
Scrooge (on the phone): Good morning! Would it be possible to have a gift basket delivered today?
SD1: Scrooge pauses, listening.
Scrooge (on the phone): Marvelous! Spare no expense. Let me just go get my credit card!
SD2: Scrooge rushes out of the room.
Scene 7
SD3: Scrooge is walking in town when she sees the Volunteer.
Scrooge: It’s you! Hold on just a minute.
SD1: Reluctantly, the Volunteer stops.
Scrooge: I’m sorry about yesterday! I would like to make a donation. How does this sound?
SD2: Scrooge whispers an amount to the Volunteer.
Volunteer (shocked): Are you sure?
Scrooge: Yes, totally sure. What’s the best way to donate?
Volunteer: The easiest way would be on our website.
Scrooge: Great. I’m just heading over to my nephew’s house for a party. I will do it from there. Merry Christmas!
Volunteer: Merry Christmas, Ms. Scrooge!
Scene 8
SD3: Scrooge sits at her office desk.
SD1: She stands as Bob walks in.
Scrooge: It is 9:23. You’re late!
Bob: I know. I’m sorry. Yesterday was just so wonderful—someone sent my family the most amazing basket of treats—and well, we all stayed up past our bedtimes.
SD2: Bob smiles at the memory—until he sees Scrooge’s scowl.
Scrooge: You know, Bob, I’m not going to stand for this kind of thing any longer. You’re fi—
Bob: Please, Eileen—
Scrooge: You’re finally going to get the raise you deserve.
Bob: But I . . . Wait. What?
SD3: Scrooge breaks into a grin.
Scrooge: You’re an excellent worker, and you should be paid a great deal more.
Bob: That’s—
Scrooge: Also, next year, there will be a staff party on December 23, and you will get December 24 through January 1 as paid time off.
Bob: I—
Scrooge: One more thing. I know your son is sick. I am going to help you get him to the best specialist in the country—in the world, if necessary. All right?
SD1: Scrooge extends her hand to Bob.
SD2: Bob takes the hand and pulls Scrooge into a hug, which she warmly returns.
Epilogue
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Charles Dickens is often called the Father of Christmas. His story A Christmas Carol helped create the idea of Christmas as a time to connect with family and help others.
SD3: Several characters are decorating a Christmas tree.
SD1: As they work, they speak directly to the audience.
Bob: Eileen Scrooge did everything she said she would, and so much more.
Sarah: She became like a grandmother to Tim—
Peter: —who got treatment and recovered!
Fred: And she became as good of a boss, as good of an aunt, as good of a friend—
Morgan: —and as good of a human being as the world has ever known.
Writing Prompt
Imagine you are Eileen Scrooge. Write two journal entries from her perspective: one dated December 23, 2025, and the other dated December 26, 2025. Be sure to make it clear in your entries how Scrooge has changed over this time period.
This article was originally published in the December 2025/January 2026 issue.
