Love in your heart

There have been approximately 78,344 film iterations of A Christmas Carol since it was published in 1843. One of my most favorite versions is 1988’s Scrooged, with Bill Murray playing TV network exec Frank X. Cross, a legend-in-his-own-mind asshole who doesn’t give a toss about the lives of anyone around him.

The “around him” part would extend to the entire world, BTW. He’s a slightly blotchier 80s Elon Musk without the billions but with all the ego.

His mean-spiritedness is demonstrated by putting on a live production of the Dickens story on Christmas Eve, requiring everyone involved to work through the run-up and the night. Bah, humbug!

Well, of course Cross is redeemed, with the help of the three Christmas ghosts. Instead of showing his change of heart by sending a turkey to an employee, he barges onto the set of the live broadcast and delivers a passionate plea for everyone watching to participate in the “miracle of Christmas”—caring for those they encounter, both friend and stranger. And to do it outside of the Christmas season.

“I'm not crazy.

“It's Christmas Eve.  

“It's the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer; we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more.  

“For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be.  

“It's a miracle.  It's really a sort of a miracle because it happens every Christmas Eve.  And if you waste that miracle, you're going to burn for it.  

“I know what I'm talking about.  You have to…to do something.  You have to take a chance.  You do have to get involved.  

“There are people that are having trouble making make their miracle happen.  

“There are people that don't have enough to eat.  

“There are people that are cold.  

“You can go out and say hello to these people.  

“You can take an old blanket out of the closet and say, "Here."  

“You can make them a sandwich and say, "Oh by the way, here."  I get it now.   And if you give, then it can happen.  Then the miracle can happen to you.  

“It's not just the poor and the hungry; it's everybody who has got to have this miracle.  And it can happen tonight for all of you.  

“If you believe in this spirit thing, the miracle will happen, and then you'll want it to happen again tomorrow.  

“You won't be one of these bastards who says, "Christmas is once a year, and it's a fraud."  It's not.  It can happen every day.  

“You've just got to want that feeling.  And if you like it and you want it, you'll get greedy for it.  You'll want it every day of your life, and it can happen to you.  

“I believe in it now.  

“I believe it's going to happen to me now.  

“I'm ready for it.  And it's great.  It's a good feeling.  

“It's really better than I've felt in a long time.  

“I'm ready.  

“Have a Merry Christmas, everybody.”

And then they all sing “Put a Little Love in your Heart”, which is not technically a Christmas piece, but it certainly supports the theme Cross has going. And it’s something we should all be considering—the season is about love made manifest, and we can demonstrate love in so many ways.

So here’s Annie Lennox and Al Green singing “Put a Little Love in your Heart”, recorded for the Scrooged soundtrack.

May all creatures find and expand their capacity for sharing love now and throughout the year.