Why the Grinch Won't Steal Christmas
True confession: I never much liked the Grinch movie. You know the one, the live action version that stars Jim Carrey. Carrey put on a brilliant performance, as he usually does. What bothered me though were all the Whos’ faces. What had been cute and innocent in the book’s illustrations and the animated version (so expertly narrated by the late Boris Karloff) became, for me at least, weirdly grotesque. On top of that, I found that the busyness and strangeness of the sets and costumes detracted from the purity and simplicity of the story.
Yet this Christmas I’ve been drawn to those originals, the book especially. The story seems particularly relevant this year. To some, it may feel like we are the Whos facing a Grinch today. And not just one Grinch, but a whole cadre of Grinches plotting together to take something from us. Many of us are approaching these holidays burdened with a quiet fear of what we have already lost and are about to lose.
To you I say, look to the Whos!
Most of us know the story, sprung from the extraordinary imagination of Dr. Seuss, published in 1957, and released as an animated feature in 1966. The Whos were a simple people, happy in their community and especially joyful at the coming of Christmas. On Christmas morning, the children would open their toys, then all Whos would feast.
And THEN
They’d do something
[The Grinch] liked least of all!
Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Would stand close together, with Christmas bells ringing
They’d stand hand-in-hand. And the Whos would start singing!
“They’d sing! And they’d sing!
AND they’d SING! SING! SING! SING!”
And the more the Grinch thought of this Who-Christmas-Sing,
The more the Grinch thought, “I must stop this whole thing!”
The Grinch hated the singing, so he plotted to stop it. He would stop it the night before Christmas by going into all the Whos’ houses and stealing their presents and food. Just as he was about to throw all the material trappings of Christmas over a cliff, he paused to hear the sad sound he expected the Whos to be making, only to be surprised by what he actually heard. The sound wasn’t sad, it was merry. And growing.
He stared down at Who-ville!
The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook!
What he saw was a shocking surprise!
Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN’T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
As he pondered this development, the Grinch came to realize
“Maybe Christmas . . . doesn’t come from a store.
“Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more!”
That realization caused the Grinch’s small heart to grow “three sizes that day!”
And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!
And he . . .
. . . HE HIMSELF . . . !
The Grinch carved the roast beast!
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is a salvation story. The Grinch, of course, is a children’s lit counterpart to Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Like Scrooge, the Grinch has become a miserable old soul (53 years old to be exact), but unlike Scrooge, he actively sets out to ruin Christmas for the goodhearted people he loathes. Happily, in each story the main character’s meanness is replaced with kindness, his transformation accomplished through a change in vision - each finally sees the beauty and goodness of the people and world around him (and, in Scrooge’s case, the frightening desolation of the alternative), and each eagerly chooses to become part of that more fulfilling reality.
Unfortunately, happy endings are not always so easily accomplished in the real world. We can’t expect the Grinches among us to experience the same kind of transformation the fictional Scrooge and Grinch went through (though perhaps for some all hope is not lost). But just the same, our real-life Grinches can’t steal Christmas. They can’t deprive us of the love of friends and family and the joy of the season. They can’t rob us of the hope and goodwill that dwells within us. Or at least, they can’t do so unless we let them.
So let’s not let them. Let’s rise above the dread we may be feeling. Let’s let go of the fear that brings us down. Let’s hold fast to the good that is within and among us. Let’s celebrate the true meaning of this cherished time. There will be time enough in the New Year to go about the serious business of restoring what’s been lost and fixing what’s been broken. But for now, and always, let’s take a beat from the imaginary inhabitants of Who-ville and SING! SING! SING! SING!
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Joy to the World!