It'm glad I finally read the actual story that has resulted in so many plays, and movie productions. Nothing in the story was surprising plot-wise, but Dickens is a master as always, and his style definitely made this an enjoyable read.

Unlike Dickens' other work, the message here is far more heavy-handed. He is not subtle in condemning Scrooge's selfishness in greed, while expounding upon the need to care for those less fortunate. I would not have minded more depth and characterization among the characters, but that was obviously not Dickens' intention so it's hard to fault him too much for it.

Considering the level of influence this story has in our modern society (it is the origin for the word scrooge as a miserly, greedy person) it is definitely something I think everyone should read. It may not reach the highs of other books by Dickens (or at least not the handful that I have read), but it is quick enough that there's no excuse for skipping it.