The Ghosts

My wife loves the classic “A Christmas Carol.”

Suffice to say – we’ve watched all the versions of it in the past weeks leading up to Christmas. From Disney to Hollywood classic. From the scary of the 1938 version with Reginald Owen to the hilarious 1988 version with Bill Murray to the 2009 ImageMovers digital version with Jim Carrey.

Dickens wrote with hidden meanings and lessons where the bottom line of the matter was never lost in any of the screen adaptations translations.

It’s only by grace that the warnings were brought through the deeply sentimental journeys of the past to the where the heart resides today… to the possibilities of a future when change does not occur in the mirror of reflection.

The happy ending is that we change our futures when we change the realities of our present life’s tragedies. The tragedies of a refusal to change the things that are killing us and those around us.

But – we can change our stars. It’s never too late to turn. To repent. To create a new path.

I think the soliloquy that Murray speaks as a ‘changed Ebeneezer Scrooge’ in the movie “Scrooged,” is brilliant.

“I’m not crazy. It’s Christmas Eve. It’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer; we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be. It’s a miracle. It’s really a sort of a miracle because it happens every Christmas Eve. And if you waste that miracle, you’re going to burn for it. I know what I’m talking about. You have to do something. You have to take a chance. You do have to get involved. There are people that are having trouble making make their miracle happen. There are people that don’t have enough to eat. There are people that are cold. You can go out and say hello to these people. You can take an old blanket out of the closet and say, “Here.” You can make them a sandwich and say, “Oh by the way, here.” I get it now. And if you give, then it can happen. Then the miracle can happen to you. It’s not just the poor and the hungry; it’s everybody who has got to have this miracle. And it can happen tonight for all of you. If you believe in this spirit thing, the miracle will happen, and then you’ll want it to happen again tomorrow. You won’t be one of these (********) who says, “Christmas is once a year, and it’s a fraud.” It’s not. It can happen every day. You’ve just got to want that feeling. And if you like it and you want it, you’ll get greedy for it. You’ll want it every day of your life, and it can happen to you. I believe in it now. I believe it’s going to happen to me now.” – Bill Murray from the movie Scrooged

We have a lot to be thankful for here in Bladen County. We have a lot of people to be thankful for – as they are making a difference without having to have any retribution or accolades for the things they do to make this a better place.

This year Bladen has gone through a lot of changes. Some painful, some delightful.

We saw new families become homeowners through Habitat for Humanity. We have seen many new businesses spring up in each one of our communities. We saw a new food and clothing pantry spring up in White Oak. We saw our health care system add cutting edge improvements and we saw a well-respected speech therapy unit find its forever home. We lived. We worked. We played.

From jamborees at one vineyard to top national talent presented at the other – and 5Ks at both venues; From peanut shucking at a nationally known peanut festival to cannons being fired at Harmony Hall; from another successful water festival to a 100-year anniversary of Nautique – celebrated on our own White Lake; And to the parades in blazing hot sun and cold snow flurries – we really did play hard.

We saw a two-year feud come to an end and weathered local tragedies with many tears. We lost some that once stood shoulder to shoulder with us. We saw new industry – like new sprigs of spring commit to Bladen County after what seemed like a very long drought. We became live witnesses to our own personal freedoms as the Charters of Freedom were erected at our county courthouse front lawn. We watched the continuing hard work of local shop owners who work tirelessly to give people a unique reason to shop locally. We saw more people create meals for the hungry in 2025 than ever before. We really do work hard.

We have award-winning educational institutions including a community college that are inspiring learning and creating the next generation of families who not only know how to work hard and play hard – but how to live. And live successfully. They are going forth to create lasting legacies for the next generation and those yet to be welcomed to planet Earth.

We are all in the real-life Christmas Carol that knows the real reason for the season as more than just a cliché. We are living in a time where the second spirit is prompting us to look around at what we have, who we are and cheering us on to make a choice to create a tomorrow better than anything we could have even imagined.

Before the ball drops on our future in just a few days. Stop. Reflect. Introspect. Choose to make 2026 better with a grateful heart and a giving spirit.

Truly. Happy New Year.