With December 25 fast approaching this week, I got to thinking about the local holiday customs that have been scratched off the calendar this year.

Somehow the famed Charles Dickens novella “A Christmas Carol” came to mind, channeling the eerie spirits that aroused Ebenezer Scrooge from slumber to lead him on a journey of personal redemption.

The first of the dreamland guides, the Ghost of Christmas Past, represents memories in the episodes when Scrooge steps back in time to rekindle the warm feelings of friendship, love and joy of his youth. Visions cast by the Ghost kick-start the old man’s reflections on why he became a bitter miser and what awaits should he resist a change of heart.

I don’t anticipate that temporary abandonment of long-held traditions will turn us all into grouchy penny-pinchers. On the contrary, 12 months hence we’ll likely get our Navidad mojo back, perhaps in spades. Meanwhile, we’re sorely missing the usual festivity.

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