The older I get, the more holiday traditions I seem to lose track of. There’s that one where my father and I would set up a tent on Christmas Eve and “camp” out in the backyard and tell stories, gone. My mother no longer composes the whimsical and, frankly, grotesque letters I’d recite for Santa Claus. And, if last year is any indicator, I might not even wait until Christmas to open presents anymore. While many of my rituals fade into Christmas’ past, I’ll be damned if I lose The Muppet Christmas Carol.

By my estimation, I have seen the film on, at least, twenty-three different occasions — once for every Christmas season. You would think that one would tire of a film by its twelfth play through, let alone its twentieth, but I’m happy to say it is as fresh as ever. Of course, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is one of the most adored Christmas stories and there are no shortages of adaptations; yet, Brian Henson (director and son of Jim Henson) and his team may have crafted the most memorable iteration of this whimsical fable.

I’m sure you know it well. The holiday season is upon 19th century London and everywhere you go it feels like Christmas. The streets are full of felt creatures and humans mingling heartily; that is, until a harsh wind blows and chills the air, Ebenezer Scrooge, Mr. Humbug himself played by Michael Caine, has entered the scene. The old miser slinks around town, nose firmly in the air, as the townsfolk disparage his name. He does not, will not, partake in the festivities surrounding the season; in fact, he believes it to be a sign of vulnerability — weakness, which is one thing he would never allow said of himself. His entire world is his businesses. With only one more sleep ‘til Christmas, Scrooge is delivered an omen and visited by the spirits of Christmas past, present, and future. Through their prodding, he is granted the opportunity to, simply, be better.