The young thespians at Vankleek Hill Collegiate Institute honour a venerable cultural tradition: the English Christmas pantomime.

In many parts of England the Christmas pantomime continues as a part of a holiday tradition dating back to the 19th century. Another English tradition during Christmas is telling ghost stories. While that may seem curious, it resulted in the writing of a novella that has become a Christmas classic and the subject of many stage, movie, and television projects.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is now a staple part of the Christmas season around the world. The story of Ebenezer Scrooge, “the meanest man in all of London town”, is well-known, including the ghostly visitations that resulted in his transformation from a hard-hearted tight-fisted miser to a man “who knew the true meaning of Christmas”.

On December 10, the VCI Drama Group presents their production of Scrooge, in the tradition of the English Christmas pantomime. They provided a little advance promotion and character previews during their very public and properly-dressed presence as part of this year’s Vankleek Hill Christmas Parade November 29, to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and, in the words of Tiny Tim, “God bless us, everyone.”