If your favorite characters and historical figures were alive today, what would they have wanted for Christmas?

So many choices, so little space! Let's see: I think I'll pick Scarlett O'Hara (Gone with the Wind ~ Margaret Mitchell), Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice ~ Jane Austen), Ebenezer Scrooge (A Christmas Carol ~ Charles Dickens) and Charles Dickens, himself.

What Christmas presents would they have hoped to find under the tree?

Scarlett - She'd want the best and latest of everything, so that nobody could outdo her. You name it, she'd want it, and not because she'd use it. She'd want every last piece of cutting-edge technology and anything that is, or may become, trendy.

Elizabeth Bennet - She would probably eschew the use of a Kindle (or other ereader), while secretly wishing for one which could hold thousands of books she could carry everywhere. She would resist asking for one, but instead ask for copies of her favorite books, like Charles Grandison by Samuel Richardson, bound beautifully. She would have many friends, so I'd think she'd want the best cell phone she could get and, perhaps, a laptop or even an iPad. She wasn't much for riding horses, but I have the feeling she'd love to drive and would want a great car.

Ebenezer Scrooge wouldn't want anything but maybe Tiny Tim under that Christmas tree. If he couldn't "have" him, he'd take a visit. As far as things go, he could use his own money to buy whatever he wanted, but I think he'd use it to shower gifts, especially on the Cratchit's.

Charles Dickens would want a Blu-ray player complete with every version of A Christmas Carol that's been put on DVD or Blu-ray and probably copies of every classic novel he could find. Any plays which have been filmed would be nice, too. Tickets to as many plays as possible would be good, maybe covering those in London and New York.

I'm sure they'd want more than I've written, but these are some of the things I think they'd like.

Bonus Questions:

1. Scarlett O'Hara - While she still thought she loved Ashley Wilkes, perhaps a framed photo of Ashley and she; after it might be a framed photo of she and Rhett and their daughter, preferably at Tara. Elizabeth Bennet - She would find a special, out-of-print book she'd think I would like (for instance, a long forgotten adult book written by Frances Hodgson Burnett, who wrote The Secret Garden). Then she might create a coupon booklet with coupons good for specific activities we could do together. For instance, "this coupon good for one dinner at X" or "this coupon good for one walk in the park" or "this coupon good for one evening of playing board games," etc. Ebenezer Scrooge - He would go to a store he was told was great and purchase everything the person waiting on him said would be something a woman could possibly want. I hope this person is honest. :) Charles Dickens - He would give me a story he wrote just for me, after having it bound nicely.

2. I would give Scarlett O'Hara a gift certificate, because I'd have no clue what might please her. I would give Elizabeth Bennet some of what I listed above under what she'd like. I would most likely get her a Kindle with a cover and add a whole bunch of books to it. I would give Ebenezer Scrooge a Christmas party and invite the Cratchit family and his nephew and his wife and their friends. This gift would include the entire meal, of course. I would give Charles Dickens an audio copy of his great, great grandson, Gerald Dickens, performing a one-man show of A Christmas Carol (unless he's finally come out with a DVD, which would be nicer yet). If possible, I would take him to see a performance. Charles Dickens was known as a great performer, and this would really please him, I'm thinking.

3. Scarlett O'Hara would be perfectly fine with it, Elizabeth Bennet would not like it but would see the absurd in it, Ebenezer Scrooge would mock it on Christmas Eve and be saddened by it on Christmas day and Charles Dickens would be outraged and upset, then write another book to make people realize the true significance of Christmas.

4. They all would have done pretty much the same thing: eat breakfast, open gifts, go to church and then have a dinner party with family and friends. Maybe not in that order, except for the last.

5. Yes, they would all like Christmas Carols. Because of how she felt about her mother, Scarlett O'Hara would like the Ave Maria best. Elizabeth Bennet wouldn't have much of a choice since most were written after her death but she would like Silent Night (though written more than 40 years after she died). Scrooge would appreciate O Holy Night, because of his own supernatural visitations, and Charles Dickens would like God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.

6. Ebenezer Scrooge, having come to it late, would have believed in Santa longest.

7. My Christmas was very nice. It was spent with family and friends, enjoying lots of laughter and good conversation. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Happy New Year!

I would have wanted to see them so yey for me.

BQ

1. I think he would probably give me an old western novel.

2. I would surely give him an old western novel.

3. He would find it sad and/or frustrating.

4. He would have liked us to go on a mini-trip.

5. No way!

6. Me hands down -.-

7. Well it was pretty boring this year :(