"Bah...humbug!"

"I'm too old and beyond hope! Go and redeem some younger, more promising creature, and leave me to keep Christmas in my own way!" Ebenezer Scrooge tells the Spirit of Christmas Present.

"Mortal! We Spirits of Christmas do not live only one day of our year," the Spirit of Christmas Present replied. "We live the whole three-hundred and sixty-five. So is it true of the Child born in Bethlehem. He does not live in men's hearts one day of the year, but in all days of the year. You have chosen not to seek Him in your heart. Therefore, you will come with me and seek Him in the hearts of men of good will."

Whether you believe in the good will of men or the spirit of Christmas (regardless of race or religion), there are real-life, modern-day Ebenezer Scrooges all around us - and in New York City, they are in abundance.

Some make 15 shillings and some make millions of shillings, but the bottom line is - you can't buy true happiness, even if you try.

But as with Scrooge -and humankind, we can always learn from our mistakes and redeem ourselves if given the chance, even if you don't get a visit from Christmas Past, Present and Future.

Actor Peter Bradbury, who plays Ebenezer Scrooge in Patrick Barlow's new adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," puts a modern-day spin on Scrooge. The show, directed by Joe Calarco, continues through Jan. 4 at the Theater at St. Clement's at 423 West 46th Street, (btwn 9th and 10th Aves.) in New York.

In a review by The New York Times' Anita Gates, the modern-day Scrooge (Bradbury) conjures up an atypical picture of Scrooge, who is more snarky and livelier than expected.

"When Ebenezer Scrooge first appeared onstage, I thought: This guy is from Los Angeles. He probably works in the movie business," she wrote.

"Which is strange, because the production of 'A Christmas Carol' now at the Theater at St. Clement's is done in traditional mid-19th-century costumes. But this Scrooge's 21st-century-worthy sarcasm wraps comfortably around the shoulders of Peter Bradbury, who seems younger and more vital than the average Ebenezer, at least at the start. In fact, in his first scene with the character's nephew, Fred (Mark Price), who is supposed to be a fresh-faced young newlywed, the nephew looks older than the uncle."

In what Gates calls an "imaginative adaptation," is "the work of Patrick Barlow, who turned Alfred Hitchcock's work in 'The 39 Steps' into a movie lover's dream-riff that won the Olivier Award in London, ran two years on Broadway and seemingly redefined the number of characters that can be played by just a few actors."

Gates adds that Barlow's version of Scrooge shows "a miser we recognize, a poisoned man with a sickening disdain for the poor who seems sadly right at home in 2013. And a man like that does not turn into a blubbering, repentant mess just because a few supernatural creatures turn up in the middle of the night and zip him through time and space to reveal the errors of his ways."

Scrooge (Bradbury) possesses a bit of a modern-day male attitude as well.

"Most Scrooges react to visions of their former fiancée, Belle (Jessie Shelton), with horror that they were so foolish to let such a good woman go. Speaking to the Spirit of Christmas Past (Franca Vercelloni), Mr. Bradbury's character describes Belle as 'a narrow escape.'"

Scrooge of 2013 or Scrooge of the early 1900s -the message can translate into any version- that life is too short and it shouldn't be taken for granted, or ruined by stingy grumps.

"There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, you're not here any more," said the Ghost of Christmas Present.

If the theater isn't a good fit for you or your children, there are other ways to see contemporary versions of Scrooge - even Scrooge en Español.

Another modern-day spin on "A Christmas Carol," is the kid-friendly, 2009, 3D-Disney adaptation, otherwise known in Spanish as "Los Fantasmas de Scrooge," starring actors Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman.

Check out the trailer en Español. Which version of Scrooge do you prefer? The real or animated one? ¿En ingles o Español?