This exchange happens in the opening pages of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It is, in fact, the first dialogue in the story and also the inciting incident of all that follows—which is why, in my humble opinion, Scrooge’s nephew Fred may be the most important, and most overlooked, character in the entire story.

The Prayer

Fred appears, in person, three times in the short book. As noted above, his first appearance is the first diegetic interaction in the story.

Here we see Fred as, truly, the first spirit that Scrooge encounters, the embodiment of the Christmas spirit and the harbinger of those to come. The description of his entrance calls to mind the “glow” and “fog” which we might associate with a ghost, manifested by the winter setting.

On his arrival, Fred “spooks” his uncle by entering unnoticed and saying a sort of prayer over him—”God save you!”

An interesting choice of words. Shouldn’t he, like Tiny Tim, or the caroler a few pages later, have rather said “God bless you”?

And yet, the rest of the tale—in which a spiritual trinity guides Scrooge through a journey of metanoia and mortification—is in fact the telling of how this simple, three-word prayer was answered.

The Party

But, come now, was it really Fred who called the spirits down upon Scrooge, causing him a night of inestimable terror and remorse and utterly annihilating his former way of life?

Indeed. And I believe this is Fred’s intention. He says as much himself, though perhaps not in so many words.

During the excursion with The Ghost of Christmas Present we see Fred again, hosting the party to which he invited Scrooge in the beginning, and providing his own interpretation of their meeting:

But shake Scrooge he did. Shake him to his very core.

The Prodigal

Fred’s last appearance, after the spiritual pilgrimage and ultimate conversion of his uncle, shows two reversals. The first is the reversal of the opening scene, for now it is Scrooge’s turn to spook Fred.

And the second reversal we see is that of the parable of the prodigal son. We see an uncle, who should have been like a father, but instead abandoned his orphaned nephew in favor of squandering his great wealth—by never spending a penny of it—and here we also see that prodigal uncle welcomed, without question or hesitation, to the Christmas feast by the same long-slighted nephew.

The Proverb

So three cheers for Fred!

May we all strive to be a little more like Fred this Christmas. Fred, who was the most powerful of the Christmas sprits, because he was not a ghost, but a man. A man who could say a prayer and invite to a party and welcome a prodigal, and who knew how to fight the good fight, as taught in the ancient wisdom of King Solomon:

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