Chances are, as kids flock to theaters over the course of the next few months to view a motion-captured Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge in Robert Zemeckis' new spin on "A Christmas Carol," it will be their first encounter with the traditional tale of holiday spirit.

The parents forced to accompany will find themselves in different boats, as will the parents of those parents, and any other generations that follow.

The classic story, originally penned by acclaimed author Charles Dickens, was published in December of 1843. That's more than a century and a half of storytelling to live up to, and Zemeckis isn't the first to take on such a feat. The tale of Ebenezer Scrooge is one that has taken on many mediums, from stage to screen, adapted in more ways than thought possible.

It has stayed true to the original text, and just as equally been flipped on its side and taken in new directions. "A Christmas Carol" could quite possibly be the most diversely adapted tale of all time.

The first ever screen adaptation was titled "Scrooge; or Marley's Ghost" and was released more than 100 years ago, in 1901. The years that followed consisted of numerous additional adaptations titled "A Christmas Carol", both in 1908 and 1910, and another titled "Scrooge" (1913) starring Sir Seymour Hicks as the title character. These were all rather short films considering the time period. The first feature length film was titled "The Right to Be Happy" (1916), directed by and starring Robert Julian as Scrooge.

Nearly a decade followed, and copious adaptations of "Scrooge" sprung up every few years, in 1922, 1923, 1928, and finally again in 1935, this time a longer version with sound of Seymour Hicks' 1913 version.

As decades passed, dozens of films titled both "A Christmas Carol" and "Scrooge" hit the screens, both in America and abroad, with foreign adaptations such as "Leyenda de Navidad" (1941) or "Ein Weihnachtslied in Prosa oder Eine Geistergeschichte zum Christfest" (1960).

The story began taking on various platforms in film, including adaptations with Mr. Magoo (1963) and Mickey Mouse (1983). In 1988, Bill Murray starred in the comedy "Scrooged" as a man caught in a similar predicament as the classic curmudgeon.

My first experience with the classic tale was brought about through 1992's "The Muppet Christmas Carol," in which actor Michael Caine found himself filling the role of Ebenezer Scrooge alongside the wondrous creations of Jim Henson. Later on that decade in 1995, soap opera actress Susan Lucci starred in a TV movie called "Ebbie", in which she plays Elizabeth 'Ebbie' Scrooge, a ruthless businesswoman whose fate is similar to that of Dickens's character.

Yet film is not the only medium this story has traveled through. The tale has been brought to the stage as a play, a musical, and even an opera. In fact, local Merrimack Valley acting company Pentucket Players finds themselves anticipating a performance of the musical "Scrooge" later on at the end of this month.

From Dickens to Disney, "A Christmas Carol" has been adapted more times than one could stand to count, and yet the story continues to shine as an indelible facet of holiday culture. Even with Zemeckis' version being released this weekend, another in-development "A Christmas Carol" is slated for a release next year as well.

Despite being a book with more than 150 years of dust building up on its pages, Dickens' tale of Ebenezer Scrooge is one that never seems to cease, a universal chronicle of Christmas cheer that seems as if it's set to live forever.