A Christmas Carol and The Night Before Christmas characters

Appears from the start

A wealthy London businessman whose miserliness has cut him off from family, charity, and fellowship. He treats Christmas as an interruption to work and regards the poverty of others with cold impatience.

Appears from the start

Scrooge's poorly paid clerk, who works in a cold office but remains patient and civil. He accepts his employer's hostility without losing his affection for Christmas or for his family.

Appears from the start

Scrooge's cheerful nephew, who repeatedly invites his uncle to Christmas dinner. He answers every insult with good humor and values the holiday for the generosity and human connection it encourages.

Appears from the start

Scrooge's former business partner, dead for seven years. His ghost appears burdened by a chain shaped from the tools of a selfish working life and warns Scrooge that he is following the same course.

First appears in chapter 2

The first of the three visitors promised by Marley, an uncanny figure combining signs of youth and age and carrying a bright light. The spirit takes Scrooge into scenes from his own earlier life.

First appears in chapter 2

Scrooge's warm-hearted employer from his youth, remembered for closing the business to hold a generous Christmas celebration. His example shows how a person's authority can make work either joyful or miserable.

First appears in chapter 2

The woman once engaged to the younger Scrooge. She sees that his fear of poverty and desire for money have displaced the love on which their future was meant to rest.

First appears in chapter 3

A large, welcoming spirit surrounded by food and seasonal abundance. It shows Scrooge how people across the city celebrate with generosity even when their material means are limited.

First appears in chapter 3

Bob's energetic wife and the central organizer of the Cratchit Christmas meal. She manages the family's scarce resources with pride and shares their resentment of Scrooge's treatment of Bob.

First appears in chapter 3

Bob Cratchit's youngest son, physically frail and reliant on a crutch. His patience, affection, and concern for others make him the emotional center of the family's Christmas gathering.

First appears in chapter 4

A silent, hooded spirit whose pointing hand guides Scrooge through possible future scenes. Its grave appearance makes Scrooge fear what the final lesson will show him.

Also known as St Nick, Santa Claus

First appears in chapter 6

The miniature, fur-clad Christmas visitor seen arriving by sleigh while a household sleeps. He brings a sack of toys, moves briskly from stocking to stocking, and controls eight reindeer by name.