It has been 50 years of Scrooge being scared witless by ghosts at the Guthrie Theater while Bob Cratchit and his family celebrate with pure innocence and Tiny Tim fusses with his crutches.

As the iconic show hits the half-century mark, the Minnesota Star Tribune caught up with three families for whom "Carol" is a die-hard staple. Here are their stories about what the show means to them in their own words, edited for clarity and length.

Marissa Kuiken, Waukee, Iowa

Number in the party: "Just three now — me, my dad and my mom."

First "Carol": "I'm 36, a teacher and debate coach. My dad, Charlie Hoberg, used to take school groups to the Guthrie. I saw my first production of the show in 2004 in the old building. I was a sophomore in high school."

"Carol" as gateway drug: "I was a senior in high school in 2006 and had no idea what I wanted to do in life when we got a nice backstage tour of the new building. We saw the stage, the wigs, the costumes, the rehearsal space and something just clicked. So, I went to college and got a theater endorsement and for 12 years have directed plays and musicals at my school. I want to create and share the special feeling I felt at the Guthrie."

Making a weekend of it: "We also see 'The Nutcracker' by Minnesota Dance Theatre. And we always stop by the Electric Fetus, eat lunch at Punch Pizza and visit the Mall of America and to Paisley Park. My parents are the biggest Prince fans. I grew up on his music."

A striking show memory? "I've got two: the first year that they brought the boat projection and sang, 'I Saw Three Ships.' That was beautiful. And the first time the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come came out on stilts, I screamed."

Postshow memory: "One year when we were all on our buses, Nathaniel Fuller, who played Scrooge, came out and he jumped onto our bus to say Merry Christmas and thank you for coming. That was just so special."

Favorite "Carol" character: "Bob Cratchit is just such an inspiration. He sees the good in everyone. There's the scene where his wife pops off about Scrooge and how she'd like to give him a piece of her mind and he stops her and says, just look what he's done. I want to hang out with him and be like him."

Craig Ihnen, West Des Moines, Iowa

Number in party: 8. "Most of us are driving three to four hours from Iowa [to see the show], but my daughter Megan is flying in from New Orleans to join us. This year is exciting because it's the first time my daughters are bringing their significant others."

First time: "I was a sophomore at Wartburg [College] when I saw the second production of 'A Christmas Carol.' Drove up with a bunch of guys in a van. Two years later, I took my mom. I've seen over 40 productions since. It's been a significant part of our holiday tradition."

"Carol" traditions: "Well, my daughters always had a 'Christmas Carol' dress that was handed down and worn by all three."

"Carol" as gateway drug: "I'm the former executive director of the Iowa High School Speech Association and my wife is on the music staff at Drake [University]. One of my daughters is a professional classical singer out of New Orleans, another a music therapist and teacher, and the other works in alumni development for Opera Omaha. It's ingrained in our souls."

Favorite "Carol" character or feature: "My daughter loved the year that Belle was featured. We loved the year the Fezziwig dance scene was extended. And one year, the bed flew."

What else they do: "We used to go to Dayton's for the holiday display, and we would do the Turkey Trot."

Family memory: "When COVID canceled in-person performances, everybody gathered [from disparate places] and watched the production on Zoom. It gave us something of the Christmas feel again."

Funny story: "[My wife] Susan was pregnant with our second child when we went and had a wonderful time at 'Christmas Carol.' As we were driving back, my wife was dealing with morning sickness, so she went into the back seat of the car to sleep. Well, I stopped in Jackson, Minnesota, to get gas — went in, came out and didn't want to wake her so I took off. When I got to Worthington, I turned around to see how she was doing and there was no Susan in the car. She had gone to the bathroom at the gas station. That was before cellphones, so I remember driving 100 miles an hour to get back to Jackson to pick her up. And she said, 'Well, this will be 'A Christmas Carol' trip we will remember forever.'"

Favorite Scrooge: "We've loved Richard Ooms and Nathaniel Fuller was memorable. Stephen Yoakam played it once. And we thought the female Scrooge [Charity Jones] did a really good job."

Money quote: "You step into the Guthrie lobby and just feel the warmth. 'A Christmas Carol' is a post stamp of our holiday season and we look forward to it every year."

Candace Mejia, Prior Lake

Number in the party: 21. "My three sons, daughters-in-law and grandkids. We sit in the same seats — the first few rows on the slope. We're big enough now to get the group discount."

First "Carol": "Over 40 years ago. I'm 67 now, and my first time was in my early 20s as a new mom. It's our favorite show. Every year I ask the family if they want to do something else. 'Christmas Carol' always comes out on top."

"Carol" as gateway show? "My late husband and I used to go there for several other plays, and we really enjoyed it once they started doing musicals."

Spirit of the season: "Last year we all got COVID, and we had already bought the tickets. So I was able to give four of our 21 tickets away and we donated the rest back to the theater."

"Carol" as touchstone through the years: "We started out living in north Minneapolis, then lived out in Champlin for 17 years, and now we're in Prior Lake. My late husband was Mexican, and so the kids and grandkids all got together [recently] to make close to 300 tamales. We had his picture up. That's one of our family traditions. 'Christmas Carol' is another. The show is a staple for us."

New eyes: "My new partner, William Nieman, is Jewish. It's going to be his first time seeing it. I'm excited to hear what he thinks."

'A Christmas Carol'

Where: Guthrie Theater, 818 S. 2nd St., Mpls.

When: 7:30 p.m. Tue., Wed. & Fri., 1 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 1 & 7 p.m. Sun. Ends Dec. 29.

Tickets: $29 to $139, 612-377-2224, guthrietheater.org.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the job Craig Ihnen held.