Wally Bock shares an ideal model for present-day Christmas in a time when, there’s a demand and push for us to spend and consume beyond our means.

What I’ve always liked about the story is the way Dickens portrayed that dinner. Dickens had been poor and he didn’t romanticize the poverty.

Instead, he showed a family enjoying each other and the day. There would be time for work and old man Scrooge soon enough. They knew that Tiny Tim would probably die soon. But there was still joy and refreshment to be had.

It’s not a bad model for us today. For a day, surely, we can set aside our smartphones and turn away from the worries, maybe even turn off the news. For a day, we can enjoy some time away from stress and bathe in the joy of being with people we love and who love us.

— A Cratchit Kind of Christmas

And yes, my Christmas tradition of reading A Christmas Carol continues this year.