A Christmas Carol

In this twisted take on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge (Martin Short) is guided by the Ghost of Christmas Present (Steve Martin) to spread holiday cheer by tossing gold coins to the townspeople. However, what starts as an act of generosity quickly becomes a disaster as the heavy coins blind and injure people left and right. The situation escalates from bad to worse with horses kicking heads off, decapitations, people falling into sewers, and general mayhem. The Ghost of Christmas Present, realizing how catastrophic things have become, tries to distance himself from the carnage, noting that since he's invisible, Scrooge looks like a "total psychopath." The sketch ends with Scrooge attempting to use Apple Pay instead, only to have a window crash through. The sketch is a darkly comedic parody of how even the best intentions can spiral completely out of control.

Directed by Mike Diva. Features Monty Python-style dark comedy and escalating absurdist violence. Many audience members compared it to the classic SNL sketch "Farewell Mr. Bunting" for its escalating absurdist violence. Considered an instant SNL classic by viewers. Duration: 4 minutes 18 seconds (258 seconds). Views: 2,451,470. The sketch uses the comedic technique of taking one joke (coins hurting people) and expanding it to increasingly absurd levels. This was the penultimate episode featuring Cecily Strong (she reached her 900th milestone sketch in this episode's cold open).