Ebenezer Scrooge does not care that it is Christmas Eve, and is very annoyed that he must give his employee the day off for Christmas. When his nephew comes to invite him to Christmas dinner, he brushes off the invitation with a "Bah! Humbug!" He also ignores a plea for a donation to help the poor and imprisoned. Scrooge does not care for Christmas – making money is his only concern.

That night he sees the face of his dead partner – Jacob Marley – in the knocker at his home. Soon after, he is visited by the ghost of Marley, who carries the weight of his greedy life in the form of heavy chains. He warns Scrooge that if he continues down his current path he will spend eternity just like Marley – wishing he could help those in need but now unable to.

Scrooge is visited by three spirits, the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. The past shows him what he used to be like – full of joy and interested in more than just making more money. In particular, he is shown the woman he nearly married, before his obsession with money began. Present shows him his nephew with his friends and wife, playing games together and having a generally wonderful time. Scrooge has fun simply watching them, though his spirit presence cannot interact with them. Scrooge also sees his employee’s family and their happy, if meager, Christmas as well as Tiny Tim, who is sick but happy.

Future shows Scrooge at his own grave, with no one there to care for him, and Tiny Tim dead. Scrooge wakes after the visions to find it is only now Christmas Day. He leaves the house and finds his nephew, spending the day with family and friends, generally enjoying himself. He sends a great turkey to his employee. The next day, he begins to treat his employee better, gives him a raise, and begins helping Tiny Tim, ensuring he gets the care needed to prevent his death.