A couple dozen people packed into The Goods on a chilly Thursday evening last week to listen to the second half of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”

Put on by “local actors and holiday enthusiasts,” according to an event flyer, the full text of the book was read live at the store across two weeks — readings on Dec. 12 and Dec. 19.

Last week, AnnMarie Rudstrom could be seen dressed as the Ghost of Christmas Present, draped in a green robe with a wreath on her head. She read aloud as people filled tables, drifted in and out of the margins of the space and picked up their food.

On Monday, Rudstrom said that completing a full read through of “A Christmas Carol” has become a tradition among members of her circle.

“It’s a good opportunity to slow down during the busy holiday season and read through the book in its entirety,” she said. “Every year there’s a new bit of wisdom that sticks with me.”

She cited a line in Stave 3, when Bob Cratchit recounts the words of his son, Tiny Tim.

“He hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see.” That moment, she said, is the most touching in the text.

On Thursday, as people sat to enjoy meals from The Goods’ kitchen, Rudstrom read of Scrooge’s encounter with the Ghost of Christmas Present, when Scrooge witnesses Christmas cheer unbroken by a dreary winter’s day.

“I love that the people around Scrooge didn’t give up on sharing the Christmas spirit with him despite his resistance,” she said.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

AnnMarie Rudstrom, dressed as the Ghost of Christmas Present, reads Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” at The Goods in Soldotna, Alaska, on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)