the ghost of christmas past

            The ghost of Christmas past

The Ghost of Christmas Past or The Spirit of Christmas Past is a fictional character in the work A Christmas Carol by the English novelist Charles Dickens.

The Ghost of Christmas Past is the first of the three spirits to haunt Ebenezer Scrooge. According to Dickens' novel, the Ghost of Christmas Past appears to Scrooge as a white-robed, androgynous figure of indeterminate age. It has on its head a blazing light, resembling a candle flame, and carries a metal cap, made in the shape of a candle extinguisher. The ghost is often showed as a woman in dramatic adaptations of the story.

The Ghost of Christmas Past arrives as the clock chimes one. It’s a spirit that appears to be both old and young at the same time with light streaming from the top of its head.

It takes Scrooge to scenes from his own past, showing him visions of his own childhood, of his young adulthood and of happier times. The final scene it presents is one that Scrooge cannot bear to witness: his lost love, Belle, with her family. Scrooge turns on the ghost and demands to be shown no more. He attempts to extinguish the ghost's light with its own cap, wrestling it to the ground. However, the light that shines from the ghost cannot be put out.