"the messages [Charles] Dickens intended to impart [in "A Christmas Carol"] to his readers [include] ...the deleterious effects of ignorance and want, the necessity for charity, the benefits of goodwill, family unity, and the need for celebration of the life force, including the pleasures of good food and drink, and good company."
JSTOR https://daily.jstor.org/annotations-a-christmas-carol-by-charles-dickens/