The Grinch is everywhere!! His unmistakable scowl is hard to miss as we go about our preparations for Christmas. He is on shirts, and socks, and tea towels, and wrapping paper, and chip bags, and underwear, and chocolate bar wrappers, and pyjamas, and coffee cups, etc., etc., etc., etc. Since when did the Grinch usurp Santa the most non-religious symbol of Christmas?
Could it be that he speaks to the grumpiness that many of us feel at this time of year, as we hustle here and bustle there? Could he symbolize the cynicism directed at the Christmas Machine that is trying to convince us that we can buy our way into Christmas cheer? Or do we just really love “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” and want to give honour to its star?
As the story goes, the character was born in the mind of Dr. Seuss one Boxing Day as he looked at himself in the mirror and saw a tired, drawn, joyless version of himself looking back. He felt that the festive season had let him down once again. In a state of the post-Christmas blahs, he created the Grinch. It was said that the story came tumbling out of his imagination, and he completed writing it within hours.
At some level, we can all relate to the story of the Grinch. Who among us hasn’t felt the impulse to push back against a season that seems to demand so much of us? The Grinch gives us permission to be…. grinchy!!
But lest we forget, the Grinch Who Stole Christmas is not a sad story, and the Grinch himself is not a sad character. He is a symbol of hope. After terrorizing the poor little Who’s by snatching away their Christmas accruements, the Grinch awakens on Christmas morning to the sound of singing coming from Whoville. It was not what he expected. There is a moment of utter bewilderment on the face of the Grinch as he tries to reconcile within himself this strange turn of events. You can almost hear his thought process, “How can the Who’s be singing when they should be crying out in anguish and setting up a vigilante mob to find me and take back what is theirs?”
And then, as if on cue, the grinchy snarl becomes a beatific smile as the “reason for the season” grabs hold of his heart. “Christmas means something more….”, he concludes, as he rushes to the task of restoring Christmas in Whoville. His sleigh packed high with their gifts, food and decorations, he makes a triumphant entry into Whoville, landing right in the centre of their circle of song. And those forgiving little Who’s not only welcome him in but give him the honour of carving the roast beast at their Christmas table (which likely tastes like chicken).
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas offers us a gentle reminder of what this season is all about. Christians are the Who’s in the story. We will gather at Christmas in churches and around trees and tables, to sing our songs, share our gifts, and hear the story again of the child born in Bethlehem. We will be reminded that the real hero of Christmas is not Santa or the Grinch, it is LOVE, incarnated in the baby, and personified by the shepherds who left it all behind to be fully present to this special gift. We can choose what the Grinch means to us, but to me, he is a reminder that behind the scowl of even the Grinchiest Grinch, there is a person who wants to love and be loved. In the end, love is the surest way to transform a heart and make us aware again of the beauty and giftedness of life.
May we all, this year, have a “green” Christmas.
Merry Christmas!!
