Ladies and Gentlemen! Christmas is coming and we have invited two very special characters for today’s literary duel.
First up we have the reigning master of Christmas literature himself, the character everyone connects with the festive season. We are of course talking about Scroooooge! So who, you may wonder, dares to challenge this classic champion?
Drumroll… Here he is! Created by the modern phenomenon which is Matt Haig, who enters the bestseller list with everything he touches, our young challenger is none but Christmas himself! On paper a highly uneven match; young vs. old, modern vs. classic. But Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s not dismiss the underdog yet, remember at Christmas anything can happen!
Ready? Let the game begin!
Protagonist
It is difficult to compare our two dualists, Scrooge and Christmas. The former is older, which has allowed him to develop a more distinct individuality. My fondness of layered characters with more to them than first meets the eye also counts in favour of Scrooge.
Both characters are exposed to events, which affect them deeply and ultimately kick them into action. Christmas shows a lot of initiative and courage, despite all the adversity he experiences at a young age. But ultimately, he can’t compete with an old curmudgeon, whose motto Bah Humbug gotta be one of my favourite expressions ever. Round one to Scrooge!
Plot & Structure
Both novels follow a similar structure. A somewhat miserable starting point is followed by a series of challenging and dark events, which must be endured before it can all culminate in a happy ending. A Boy Called Christmas has more plot than A Christmas Carol. The latter, on the other hand, is well-structured with an introduction, four consecutive visits from the ghosts and a conclusion. Tension is increasing consistently throughout the chapters. The story feels cohesive with a clear, concise plotline and no filler content.
A Boy Called Christmas is all over place. There are elements of fairytales with the evil stepmother replaced with an evil aunt. Reflections on poverty and what it may do to you borders on social realism, whereas the scenes in Elfhelm are inspired by the myths surrounding Father Christmas. The pacing is somewhat odd. Two big climaxes occur in the middle of the story, whereas the final part is relatively low-stakes.
Alas, it looks like Scrooge is increasing his lead by taking round two as well.
Entertainment
The reading experience of A Boy Called Christmas was uneven. But when it was good, it was really good. My favourite part was the storyline with father and son, which was dark and had great emotional impact. Also, A Boy called Christmas was quite playful, which I enjoyed. It offered creative explanations for the traditions connected with Father Christmas and the scenes with elfs, reindeer and the lot were fun and would probably appeal to the inner child in most people. Magic really did happen in Elfhelm.
In this round Scrooge probably suffers from being older (and having been read quite a few times). But even with ghosts, unhappy childhoods and a bleak glimpse into the future, A Christmas Carol didn’t quite have the same impact. Round three to Christmas!
Setting
A Boy Called Christmas has a great setting. Coming from the Nordics, I associate Christmas with snow and ice and the Finnish winter landscape with reindeer, elfs, mountains and rivers forms a wonderful setting for a Christmas story. The more domestic setting found in A Christmas Carol feels cosy and wholesome, but personally I prefer the Finnish winter landscape. It looks like Christmas is fighting back now!
Christmas Spirit
The two stories exude the same message: you ought to be generous and kind towards other people, this will ultimately make you a happier person as well. In particular, you need to pay attention to the poor and the sick, who need support.
The secondary moral is also appropriate for Christmas. Things may be tough, but it may still end well. However, you need to believe in it and you need to make a difference. In Elfhelm “impossible” is a swearword. Don’t give up.
Morals aside, both stories are just wonderful, fun and entertaining and perfect to read in December. We don’t normally do ties in this game, but in the spirit of Christmas, let’s split this round evenly.
Final Result
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am happy to announce the winner of today’s literary duel as Scroooge! Give the winner a big Christmas cheer and thanks so much for joining this special event! Merry Christmas!
Title: A Christmas Carol [1843] Author: Charles Dickens Format: Audiobook, narrated by Hugh Grant Genre: Christmas, Classics
Title: A Boy Called Christmas [2015] Author: Matt Haig Format: Audiobook, narrated by Stephen Fry Genre: Christmas, Middlegrade
For more literary duelling, check out: Rebecca vs. My Cousin Rachel and Oliver Twist vs. Nicholas Nickleby.
Brilliant love this! I’m so glad Scrooge won as I love my annual listen of A Christmas Carol. 😀
Glad you loved it! I too listen to A Christmas Carol every year. Let’s see if A Boy Called Christmas makes its way into my Christmas traditions as well.
Ahhhh I’ve been wanting to read A Boy Called Christmas and get a copy for my daughter but I thought of it too late and couldn’t find one that could send it in time for Christmas! *Sob* Next year then. That said, I’m glad Scrooge won as I love A Christmas Carol too 🙂 I love this post, Stargazer! And Merry Christmas to yoU!
It really is a nice story, which can be enjoyed by the whole family. I hope you will find a copy for next year. You could also try the audiobook, which is great as well. Haha, I am sure there would have been an uproar, if Scrooge hadn’t won. Nobody can compete with him. Thanks Jee, hope you get a lovely Christmas.
What a fun post. I’ve not read the Haig yet. I like his work, though I find it sometimes a little patchy and unbelievable. If we don’t ‘see’ each other on the blogosphere before then – happy Christmas!
Thanks Margaret, I had good fun writing it – not to mention finding the GIFs. 😀 Judging from the one book, I’ve read by Haig, he can certainly be unbelievable, patchy and overly sentimental, but perhaps he found his niche with Christmas stories… Happy Christmas! I won’t be posting more before Christmas, but might check in from time to time to read posts.
I think this is the season for blogging to take a back seat. Enjoy Christmas with your family and friends!
I think you are right! And I hope you will enjoy the Christmas season as well!
How utterly fun! This is you at your finest, Stargazer💜
Aww thanks Jonetta! I enjoyed putting this post together, so I’m glad you liked it.
Oh this made me smile, Stargazer! I hadn’t heard of this Haig book so I’m keen to read it now. Scrooge of course, is a perennial favourite. Hope this wintry spell is working for you with your affinity with cold and snow! And Merry Christmas, Stargazer, just in case our paths don’t cross again before the main event.
Aww, I’m glad it made you smile. I really enjoyed the Haig book, even if it couldn’t quite compete with Scrooge.
Yes, I quite like these sunny, but cold days. When I woke up this morning and it was all white outside, I pretty much squealed. It’s rare to get snow in London, especially snow which last more than a few minutes. I wish you a Merry Christmas as well Sandra!
Love your approach to this.
Thanks so much, it is one of my favourite type of posts to write!
awesome idea of post!
Thanks! 😀
That was fun! Merry Christmas, Stargazer 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it and Merry Christmas to you too!
I didn’t realize A Boy Called Christmas was a book first! I only heard of it because of that Netflix movie. I might have to look into the book now, having already read A Christmas Carol hahah Great post, stargazer! 😀
Ah really! Yes, you should definitely try the book. I haven’t actually watched the Netflix movie, because I’ve given up my Netflix subscription. Thanks Lashaan!
This was so much fun, I hadn’t heard of A Boy Called Christmas and will look out for it! Happy Christmas Stargazer!
Glad you liked it! 😀 A Boy Called Christmas is a lovely Christmas read, even if it can’t compete with A Christmas Carol. Happy Christmas!
I never saw the Jim Carrey version of a Christmas Carol and have not read A Boy Called Christmas … but both seem pretty enjoyable. Thanks for the tips on both. They would help me get into the spirit of Christmas. Merry Christmas.
I haven’t seen the Jim Carrey version either, but I like to reread A Christmas Carol every year. It’s a nice tradition, which definitely helps with the Christmas spirit. A Boy Called Christmas is fun as well. It’s quite popular, maybe more so here in the UK.