Original artwork, not a still
A Christmas Carol ‧ 1843
I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
This is the turn of the whole story, a man bargaining with his own grave. The words are plain and practical: keep it all the year, not just on the day. That is why it is the line people choose for Christmas cards and resolutions, and why Scrooge's promise is still the template for a change of heart.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for A Christmas CarolShow the scene
In Stave Four, in a neglected churchyard, the silent Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come points a finger at a gravestone, and Scrooge reads his own name on it. Kneeling and clutching the phantom's robe, he swears he is not the man he was and begs to know whether the shadows can be changed. When the hand trembles, he promises to honour Christmas in his heart and keep it all the year, and to live in the Past, the Present and the Future. In Stave Five he wakes to find the bedpost still his own.
Sources (1)
- A Christmas Carol (Project Gutenberg text)Stave IV, the churchyard; Stave V, the openingReference checked
Context reviewed
