"Mr. Scrooge 2.0" | Christmas Tales

Ebenezer Scrooge Law Firm
Investment Finance
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
 
Mission Statement
At Scrooge Law, we strive to be New York’s premier finance law firm, empowering our wealthy clients to achieve financial growth and security.
 
Morning – Christmas Eve
Mr. Scrooge, barking into his phone:
“Christmas Eve means nothing to the market. Track down my broker and start buying, tech, media, crypto, all of it. Prices are rising. Move quickly.”

His loyal employee, Mr. Hertzberg, hesitates:
“Sir… I wasn’t planning to work today. I hoped to spend Christmas Eve with my family.”

Scrooge snaps back:
“Get it done today, or you’re fired.”

Mr. Hertzberg swallows hard.
“Yes, sir. I’ll handle it.”

“Good,” Scrooge says. “Keep me updated.”
 
Stock Market Obsessed
Scrooge spends the entire day glued to a 24‑hour financial news channel, eyes locked on the shifting numbers. He toggles between a trading app on his phone and a crypto wallet on his tablet, convinced that fortune is the only measure of success.
 
Even during lunch, he refuses to pause. He eats at his desk while financial anchors chatter in the background. Every market tick feels like life or death. His obsession grows heavier by the hour.
 
 
Afternoon and Evening – Christmas Eve
The building empties, but Scrooge remains.

His office lights glow late into the night, casting long shadows across the walls, shadows shaped by ambition, greed, and the loneliness he refuses to acknowledge.

The silence of the halls contrasts sharply with the noise of his screens.
He doesn’t notice.
He never does.
 
Late Night – A Call from His Wife
His phone rings.

Mrs. Scrooge, voice trembling:
“If you don’t come home tonight, I’m leaving you. I can’t compete with your obsession anymore.”

She breaks down in tears.

Scrooge, unmoved:
“Bah, humbug.”

She hangs up without another word.
 
Midnight – A Haunting Vision
Sometime after midnight, Scrooge drifts into an uneasy sleep on his office sofa.

In a dream, his deceased former law partner appears, stern, sorrowful, glowing with an otherworldly light.
“Ebenezer,” the ghost warns,
“Without compassion, you are doomed. Change your ways… or be damned.”

The message shakes Scrooge to his core.
 
Christmas Day – A Change of Heart
Scrooge awakens transformed.

He powers down his cell phone, truly off, for the first time in years, and cancels every financial subscription and trading alert that once ruled his life.

He surprises Mr. Hertzberg with a $5,000 Christmas bonus, sent instantly with a simple note:
Thank you for your loyalty.

Then he rushes home to his wife and daughters, breathless with remorse.
His wife forgives him, moved by the sincerity in his eyes.
 
That afternoon, Scrooge renames his law firm, once known as the prestigious, wealth‑driven Ebenezer Scrooge Law Firm, to the Public Defender Law Firm, dedicated to serving the poor.
 
New Mission Statement
We believe true wealth is kindness. Our mission is to serve the poor, fight for the voiceless, and bring justice to every doorstep.
 
For the first time, Scrooge understands the truth:
- Real wealth is kindness.
- Real success is generosity.
- And the greatest fortune is love.

…..
 
(Copyright © 2025 by Mia Z. Edwards. All rights reserved.)