In the classic novel A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, our friend Ebenezer Scrooge (origin of the “Bah Humbug!”) is visited by three spirts: The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. 

Each one shows him part of his story and, together, they (spoiler alert!!) help him have the epiphany that he no longer wants to be a greedy jerk and he rushes out to save the holidays for Tiny Tim! Yay for the power of storytelling and creepy ghosts!

 

While this may be a fantastical holiday story from 1843, I wonder if it has so much staying power because we can relate to this concept so deeply, and in so many ways.

 

 

(And I don’t mean that in a “The 6th Sense” “I see dead people” kind of way, though, also a great, great movie, albeit a little less on brand for this time of year). 

We are always in a relationship with our selves, and that includes our self in this very moment, but also the self of our past and the self of our future.

 

In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer sees himself as a young boy, lonely and neglected at boarding school and the sight of it brings him to tears. From this grown-up place, he is able to feel sorrow for and have empathy for the pain of himself as a young child. This is an important form of compassion: a compassion for our own past pain. And, while the central theme of the tour of his past is his regret and regret can, importantly, move us to make more values-aligned choices, we also need to hold for ourselves, that we did the best we could, with what we had. Whatever mistakes me made, we were likely trying to protecting ourselves. Just like Scrooge, hurt people hurt people.

 

So in the spirit of the Ghost of Christmas Past, can you hold your past pain with a gentle and curious kindness, while also learning important lessons from your deeply held regrets? 

Okay, it's a process. Take your time.

Next, our buddy Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present who takes him on a whirlwind tour of the wonderful parties happening right now without him. (If only Dickens knew you can just do that on Instagram now!) He emphasizes the importance of being present in the present moment and shows our Christmas grouchy pants that you can have so much joy, even while having so little.

 

So, in the spirit of the Ghost of Christmas Present, can you hold your present with more attention and engagement, allowing yourself to really “be here now”, regardless of what you have or don’t have in this moment?

Just let this graphic blow your mind for a minute.

Lastly, The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, (aka: the future, creepy grim reaper ghost) takes Scrounge on a seriously dark tour of a foreboding future filled with the death of Tiny Tim and his own. He hears people talking horribly about him after he has passed and realizes the sub-par legacy he has left. (Again, feels like Dickens knew about the comments section in social media before it even happened!) 

 

A parable on mortality and the consequences of our choices, it is the future ghost that really gets him to commit to a new life, one filled with compassion and generosity and he wakes up a new man! 

Love a muppet rendition of anything.

While this portrayal of the future is pretty macabre, thinking about how we relate to our future selves is a fascinating lens to put on our current, even mundane, choices.

 

Do I leave dishes in the sink so my current self can rush out the door or do I take the 2 minutes to get them done so my future self can come home to a clean house at the end of the work day?

 

Do I have the 3rd (or 4th- don’t judge me!) cup of coffee around noon because my current self wants a pick me up or do I switch to water so my future self can get a good night sleep? (And maybe need less coffee the next day…wait a minute…is there a connection here…)

 

Do I get wrapped up in my work “to-do’s" so my current self can check things off the list or do I take that hour off to go volunteer at my 6 year old’s school because I know, in 13 years, when he is off at college, my future (empty nester) self would give anything to get that hour back in his Kindy classroom?

 

But there can be such an inertia in the current moment: leave the dishes, have the coffee, get the work stuff done. It's. So. Easy. 

 

But, if we take a tiny pause, 

Are you still with me here people?

In a podcast with Brene Brown and Adam Grant, they talked about their relationships with their future selves and this concept of “the devaluation of your future self”. Adam talked about how he doesn’t see himself as “disciplined” so much as always doing things for his future self. Brene talked about how she always thinks her “future self” will have way more time than her current self, so she tends to push things off, only to be stressed later. 

 

It is an interesting reframe to ask yourself: 

 

So it is more than just Christmas lore that tells us to take an honest inventory of our relationship with our selves in the future; two prolific thought leaders are asking the same question.

 

So, in the spirit of Christmas Yet to Come, can you use your imagination fast forward button to make choices today, right now, that serve you in the future and help you create the life you really want to live? 

Another holiday classic.

At the end of the day, Scrooge has a life changing epiphany because he takes the journey, through his past, his present and his future, because each part has something different, and crucial, to teach us. So, as 2025 comes to a close, maybe spend some time with each of your own Ghosts (don't worry- they are friendly!) and see what lessons they have to teach you. You may be surprised what you have to learn from these versions of your self.

 

Sending all of you light, love and hope this holiday season! 

Take care of yourselves this season and see you in 2026!

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