9 Scrooges Who Don't Know the Meaning of Christmas

In Charles Dickens' classic tale A Christmas Carol protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes a miraculous transformation from miserly curmudgeon to generous and warm benefactor, eager to share his good fortune with those around him at Christmas.

If only life imitated art—while the world is full of plenty of real life Scrooges, few, if any, are likely to be changing their ways anytime soon. As if 2021 wasn't a rough enough year already, the internet has played host to any number of stories showcasing the not-so-festive among us this December.

From abandoning puppies to excluding vaccinated relatives from the annual festivities, here are nine scrooges who appear to have missed the meaning of Christmas.

1. Viral Video Allegedly Shows Student Destroying Christmas Tree

Alarming footage surfaced on TikTok earlier this month allegedly showing a high school student damaging a Christmas tree. The clip was posted by Br00k3mari3, who captioned the video: "This jerk had the audacity to destroy a Christmas tree that was decorated by the special needs kids at Johnstown High School in Johnstown, PA."

In the video, a student is seen hoisting a decorated Christmas tree off of its stand and throwing it over a nearby railing before walking away. According to The Tribune-Democrat, charges have since been filed against both the student who damaged the Christmas tree and the individual who filmed the incident. The video can be viewed here.

2. Mom Tells Kids Their Dad 'Stole Christmas' From Them

A father-of-three earned widespread condemnation on Reddit after his wife detailed how he took the money she had saved for their kids' Christmas and gave it to his brother to help cover his child support.

"My husband used to have a job but was let go at the end of 2020 and hasn't worked since then," said the woman posting as _GreaterIsHe_. With no funds left to afford gifts, she decided to tell her children their dad "took" Christmas "away from them by taking the money [I] saved." While the father of her children accused her of turning their kids against him, the internet sided firmly with the mom.

3. Man Demands Handwritten Apology From Pregnant Wife

A disgruntled husband earned the ire of the internet after throwing one almighty temper tantrum when his heavily pregnant wife refused to host his entire family of 26 people for Christmas at short notice. For further context, she said she works full-time and has one two-year-old child. "I demanded he cancel the invitations but he refused saying 'over my dead body' then walked out," the woman, posting as No355356, wrote.

Not to be defeated, she took the initiative and texted everyone saying the gathering was canceled. Her husband then lashed out calling her behavior "outrageously appalling" and demanding an apology. It has not been forthcoming.

4. Broke Man Buys Video Game Instead of Wife's Christmas Gift

A Redditor by the name of Czechvegan drew plenty of sympathy with the story of her scrooge of a husband who refused to even get her a Christmas card this year. She said he branded her "materialistic," despite spending the last of his money on video games for himself, and having the cheek to ask her for gifts.

"He doesn't have much money because he's very reluctant to work," she wrote. "He told me he doesn't have money and won't have any until next year because he spent his last money on a video game he had been wanting."

5. Couple Charging Family for Christmas Dinner and Champagne

A disgruntled mom posted to Mumsnet earlier this month to reveal that her family is actually charging her to attend Christmas dinner. Writing under the handle 729927luc, the woman explained that her brother-in-law and sister-in-law are hosting Christmas this year for her family - but there's a catch.

"They are charging us per family for dinner," she wrote. "I've never charged them before but apparently because they've got a lot of people going this year they have decided to charge." Worse still, despite the fact she is driving home and therefore not drinking they are buying "many bottles of champagne" and want to split the cost "evenly between us all."

6. Bar Puts Limit On Playing of Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas'

Things got seriously heated on Twitter back in October after writer Kyle Smith posted a picture of a sign purportedly put up in a bar in Dallas, Texas, which explained there would be restrictions placed on the number of times Mariah Carey's festive hit "All I Want For Christmas Is You" could be played.

The sign read: "Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' will be skipped if played before December 1. After December 1 the song is only allowed one time a night." The debate proved so ferocious, Carey herself decided to get involved.

7. Mom Uninvites Daughter to Christmas After She Got COVID Vaccine

There are plenty of stories out there about families exercising caution when it comes to hosting relatives over Christmas, given the ongoing pandemic. However, one mom took things in a different direction after telling her daughter to stay away after she got the Covid booster shot designed to protect her against the coronavirus.

"Stop taking this vaccine.There is no going back and you will regret going down this road," she said in one purported message shared to Reddit. "Stop the vaccine. You are best to stay at home if you are taking it. I will just send your presents this week to you."

8. Boss Leaves Worker 'Mortified' Over Terrible Secret Santa Present

A disinterested boss was slammed online earlier this December after gifting one of his employees a contender for the world's laziest Secret Santa gift."I got him an aftershave he likes," the unhappy worker wrote on Mumsnet. "And a small box of chocolates. Just Cadbury's, he loves chocolate."

Unfortunately, her boss missed the memo on this being a time for giving and decided to treat her to a cheap coffee mug "with a pack of pens in and some sticky notes" despite there being a $20 limit on gifts. It was almost like he forgot and just gave her a load of random things from his desk. In fact, it was exactly like that.

9. Couple Abandon Dog and 11 Puppies at Shelter Days Before Christmas

The Walton County Sheriff's Office in Florida is still appealing for help in tracking down a couple who were filmed abandoning their dog and her 11 puppies outside a closed animal shelter just five days before Christmas.

Left alone and exposed to the elements, the most heartbreaking moment on the CCTV footage comes when the adult dog appears to realize her owners are not coming back. The dogs spent an hour outside before someone noticed them. Thankfully they have since been taken in by a shelter and are looking forward to a Christmas together and a brighter future. Anyone interested in adopting one of the canines can contact Alaqua Animal Refuge directly here.