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In A Christmas Carol staring Jim Carrey, the Ghost of Christmas Present mentions that he has a lot of brothers.

Ghost of Christmas Present: [You] Have never walked forth with my elder brothers?

Scrooge: I don't think that I have. You have many brothers?

Ghost of Christmas Present: More than 1,800.

What did he mean by this, who are his brothers?

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  • That makes no sense though, the first Christmas was in the 4th Century.
    – user28346
    Dec 3, 2015 at 1:27
  • I think everyone is his brother or every preist is his brother.
    – user28533
    Dec 9, 2015 at 15:39

2 Answers 2

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I think that this goes back to the original Dickens story when the Ghost says that he has more than 1800 brothers - i.e. each Ghost of Christmas Present comes to Earth for a single day.

"Have never walked forth with the younger members of my family; meaning (for I am very young) my elder brothers born in these later years?" pursued the Phantom.

"I don't think I have," said Scrooge. "I am afraid I have not. Have you had many brothers, Spirit?"

"More than eighteen hundred," said the Ghost.

"A tremendous family to provide for," muttered Scrooge.

The Ghost of Christmas Present rose.

I think the idea is that a new Ghost is 'created' every Christmas, so at that in 1843 he has 1842 brothers.

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    He doesn't say that he has 1842 brothers in the original text. Your other assertions are correct, though.
    – user7812
    Dec 3, 2015 at 11:50
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He suggests that he has 1842 brothers, an Dickens shows that because he wrote and published the book in that year. The ghost of christmas Present every year helps a isolated soul so that they can have a better future.

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