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Fezziwig, the merchant that Scrooge apprenticed for when he was a young man, is one of the many figures that Scrooge visits during his time with the Ghost of Christmas Past. Fezziwig is kind, jovial, and generous, and his altruism and compassion are starkly juxtaposed with Scrooge's greed and cruelty. Unlike Scrooge, who can barely be convinced to give his clerk, Bob Cratchit, the day off for Christmas, Fezziwig warmly declares, “No more work to-night. Christmas Eve, Dick. Christmas, Ebenezer!" Fezziwig instructs a young Scrooge and his colleagues to clear work from the warehouse for the evening. The workplace is transformed into a warm, welcoming space with music, dancing, and abundant food and drink for all of Fezziwig's employees. Fezziwig and his wife go out of their way to make each individual feel appreciated, shaking hands with each person at the end of the evening to wish them a Merry Christmas. Evidently, while Scrooge scorns Christmas, Fezziwig is the very personification of Christmas spirit and is a genuinely kind and thoughtful employer. Fezziwig is perhaps the type of employer and husband that Scrooge could have become had he not turned to cruelty and solitude.
As Scrooge is reminded of Fezziwig's kindness, readers detect some of our first signs of Scrooge's humanity and therefore the potential for redemption. He contends that "[Fezziwig] has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil…The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune." As a result of his visit to old Fezziwig, Scrooge begins to regret his treatment of Bob and consider that not all things that hold value are monetary.
