During the Christmas season, few topics inspire greater debate in my household than which cinematic version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol reigns supreme. My husband favors the truly old-school varieties from the 1930s, the ones starring Seymour Hicks (1935) or Reginald Owen (1938) as Ebenezer Scrooge. Personally, I find the creepiness factor of those versions a little too intense.
My youngest daughter has long been a fan of The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), featuring Michael Caine in the leading role. I’ll admit, this version—with its all-star Muppet cast, including Kermit the Frog as the affable Bob Cratchit and Miss Piggy as his sassy, diva-esque wife—makes for a whimsical retelling of Dickens’ immortal tale. But, for my money, you can’t beat George C. Scott as the miserly, cold-hearted Mr. Scrooge in the 1984 made-for-television version directed by Clive Donner.
All told, IMDb lists 230 variations of the classic tale. Clearly, this is a story for the ages. Which is exactly what captured Christy Highfill’s imagination when she set out to make her first set of A Christmas Carol characters out of felt and thread, beads and sequins, and a lot of glue and determination.
Covid, Dickens, and the Need to Craft
Back in 2020, when the entire world sat housebound due to Covid, many of us amped up our crafting game to pass the hours. Christy was no exception. While scrolling through Instagram, she saw a post from a favorite influencer featuring a felt figure of Scrooge.
“That’s what got me started,” says Christy. “It was the detail with the candle, his cap with the tassel, and those slippers. I just had to figure out how to make these.”
Christy ran a Google search of “Scrooge” and soon found the pattern for him, as well as the Jacob Marley character. Both were part of the “Ebenezer Ornament Series” from designer Larissa Hollands of mmmcrafts on Etsy.
“I ordered both patterns and thought they would take me forever to make,” says Christy. “But I was able to knock out my first pair in a week!” Since then, Christy has made multiple sets of figures for friends, family and fundraising events. “I think the most ornaments I made in one year was 48.”
Last year, a set of Christy’s handmade A Christmas Carol characters in gold raised nearly $500 for a local chapter of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America (EGA). She has donated another set this year to raise funds for Nelly’s Needlers, a non-profit needlework group that works to promote needle arts and preserve the historic Woodlawn Mansion, once a part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate.
The Patterns and Production Line
To date, The “Ebenezer Ornament Series” includes 6 characters. Besides Scrooge and Marley, there’s the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come (with Ebenezer’s tombstone), and the newest addition, Bob Cratchit. Three more characters will be revealed in the future for a total number of nine patterns in the series.
The comprehensive PDF pattern for each character includes step-by-step instructions and a detailed list of needed supplies. The materials for each character include a robust collection of items, everything from wool felt, pipe cleaners and tinsel, to wooden beads, embroidery floss, sequins, and much more.
Here’s the description for the charming Ghost of Christmas Present character, as listed on the mmmcrafts Etsy site:
“A cheerful giant, wearing a long, fur-trimmed robe and holding a magical torch with which he spreads Christmas peace and joy. He also features a holly crown, jeweled belt, and empty scabbard with a jingle bell and sprig of berries. The best part: Look inside his robe to see the hidden pitiable figures of Ignorance and Want.”
For Christy, creating multiple sets of the ornament series has become a cottage industry of sorts in her basement. Over the years, she has created a production line that allows her to turn out multiple sets of characters at once. “I’ve been sewing a long time,” she says, “so I was able to channel what I knew before into these characters. I understand how to read a pattern, I follow directions well, and I guess it’s about being really methodical.”
Service and Self-Satisfaction
Christy is more than just methodical. She is driven by service. A former Navy nurse, Christy set aside her career to raise a family. Then, when the kids were up and out, she returned to nursing, working for a pediatrics office in Northern Virginia for 12 years. She’s now retired but still serving—as a member of Nelly’s Needlers, as well as the Washington D.C. chapter of EGA, where she also serves as the director of programming.
“I’m lucky in my time of life,” says Christy, who reflects on her stitching and crafting pastimes as a great source of self-satisfaction. “I can pretty much plan my day around what I want to do. I can see this entertaining me for a long time. Making a handmade gift is truly love in action, otherwise I couldn’t do this.”
Indeed, Christy may have stumbled upon the one version of A Christmas Carol the entire family can agree upon and enjoy! A wonderful way to stitch up a favorite holiday tradition.
For more handmade holiday stitching ideas, here are a few recommended designer sites:
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