On Saturday, December 13, Callicoon hosted Dickens on the Delaware, a community celebration steeped in holiday cheer produced by the Callicoon Business Association (CBA). The event featured an interactive performance of Charles Dickens’ 1843 tale “A Christmas Carol,” put on by Damascus-based theatre company the Farm Arts Collective. Free horse and buggy rides added to the fun, and the atmosphere of the Victorian era was flavored with hot chocolate that warmed bellies and inspired smiles throughout the family-friendly celebration. 

The stage was set in the heart of Callicoon at The Callicoon Depot, where inside there was a free toy giveaway for needy tots. Outside of the Depot, a team of intrepid alpacas named Fabulous and Beholder from Buck Brook Alpacas kept some straw warm and lighted up the surrounding faces.

As the performance of “A Christmas Carol” began on the Depot stage, an enthusiastic audience listened as giant logs afire spread warmth throughout the crowd on a sunny but frigid scene. Dressed in Victorian garb, the Farm Arts players unfurled the chilling tale of London financier Ebeneezer Scrooge, a wealthy curmudgeon who needed to learn a simple lesson: the deepest joy on Earth comes from giving to those in need.

After visits from the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Ebeneezer Scrooge searches his soul and realizes he can still become compassionate. A forever-changed Scrooge, delighted in his newfound wisdom, sends a fat goose to the impoverished Cratchit family. The spirit of giving is distilled by the conclusion of the tale when Dickens reminds us that we need not reserve our friendly disposition for just the holidays: “Let’s keep Christmas in our hearts all year long!”

After the enlivening performance, Farm Arts Collective Artistic Director Tannis Kowalchuk broke down the universal themes of Dicken’s classic tale. “We all have a scrooge in us, in a way, like when you don’t feel generous and you want to hold on to your emotions, your money, or your time, or your energy, or your forgiveness,” she said. 

Kowalchuk also noted that the story’s theme of wealth disparity still resonates with audiences today as it did with readers in the 19th century, comparing today’s booming technology industry with the industrialization of Victorian London. She also highlighted the tale’s poignant look at individual transformation through self reflection. “You can change, you can be nice, you can buy that turkey for someone else,” she said. “And how does it come? It comes because he actually looks at himself. Scrooge goes to therapy, the ghosts give him a therapeutic experience where he sees himself and understands himself.”

Callicoon musician and educator Lucas Rotman emphasized the tremendous value of Farm Arts Collective. “Farm Arts has brought so much joy to everybody in the community; they do such fun, interesting, engaging stuff,” he said.