Notes from the Wayside: Christmas Perspective: Tale of a Furry Green Cynic

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.

Comments are always welcomed.

If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

Tale of a Furry Green Cynic

The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness doesn't extinguish the light.

John 1:5 (CEB)

There's something about Christmas time

Something about Christmas time

That makes you wish it was Christmas everyday

To see the joy in the children's eyes

The way that the old folks smile

Says that Christmas will never go away

From "Christmas Time" by Bryan Adams

Every year, during the last school assembly before Christmas break, the faculty at my school performed a dramatic reading of How the Grinch Stole Christmas,¹ a story written in 1957 by Theodor Geisel, better known to the world as Dr. Seuss. This beloved story tells of an embittered furry green hermit known as the Grinch, who lived north of Whoville with his dog Max. The Grinch utterly hated the Whos who lived in Whoville, and he hated the noise they made while they were celebrating their favorite holiday, Christmas. He especially hated that, at the end of the day, after opening presents and feasting, the Whos would gather together, join hands, and sing Christmas songs.

One year, on Christmas Eve, the Grinch decided that he'd had enough of the Whos' noise, so he hatched a plan to put an end to the Whos' Christmas celebration. He fashioned a Santa costume for himself, disguised his dog as a reindeer, and, in the middle of the night, rode into Whoville to do the exact opposite of what Santa Claus does. He went from house to house, stealing Christmas presents, decorations, and all the food for the Whos' communal Christmas feast.

Nobody really knows why the Grinch hated the Whos so much. Some speculated that "his head wasn't screwed on just right." Others thought that maybe "his shoes were too tight." Ron Howard's 2000 live-action reimagining of the story² suggests that the Grinch grew up in Whoville and was mistreated by some of the Whos because he was different, though nothing like this is suggested in Dr. Seuss's original story. The prevailing theory behind the Grinch's misanthropy (or hatred for Whomanity) was that the Grinch's heart was "two sizes too small."

Personally, I suspect that the Grinch's misanthropy stemmed from cynicism: in other words, at some point, for some reason, the Grinch lost all faith in Whomanity. Notice that he formed his plan under the assumption that the Whos were all utterly materialistic. He assumed that Christmas would be ruined for them if he took away all of the material trappings of the holiday: the presents, the decorations, and the feast.

The Grinch was voiced by horror icon Boris Karloff in the original 1966 cartoon short,³ and he was portrayed by funny man Jim Carrey in the live-action theatrical film. When the faculty at my school performed a dramatic reading of the story every year, the part of the Grinch was read, most appropriately, by the school principal. Looking back at my attitude toward Christmas during the last few years and skimming over some of my previous Christmas reflections, I'm starting to think that I've been playing the Grinch lately.

Like the Grinch, I have lost a lot of faith in humanity in the last few years, and I too have become cynical. It's so easy to become cynical in this world. It seems that there's so much wrong with the world, and, worse yet, it seems that there's so much wrong about even the things that ought to be right about the world.

My cynicism has even affected how I feel about the Christmas season. I get so put out with the materialism and consumerism that has hijacked the holy day. I hate seeing the time of year meant to celebrate the birth of the Savior of all humanity used to get people into stores to buy stuff. Though I have no problem with Santa Claus, I don't like to see his workshop at the mall before Halloween. I have no aversion to giving presents on Christmas, but I grow weary of racking my brain trying to figure out what to buy for people who don't really need anything. Most of all, I'm tired of hearing about an imaginary "war on Christmas" and hearing preaching about the "reason for the season" from Christians who are no less materialistic than anyone else.

Alright, I'll stop complaining and get back to the story.

The Grinch, once he was finished with his dastardly deeds, rode to the top of Mt. Crumpit to dump everything he had stolen and to listen for the sound of weeping from the town below. Instead, he heard a sound he didn't expect. He looked down and saw that, even without presents, decorations, or a feast, the Whos had gathered together to sing, just as they always did on Christmas. The Grinch saw that, despite his best efforts to ruin Christmas for the Whos, "It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags!" He could take away all of the material aspects of Christmas, but he could not take away the song in the Whos' hearts.

The Grinch sat there, puzzling "till his puzzler was sore." Finally, he realized that there was more to Christmas than he originally thought. When he saw that celebrating Christmas meant more to the Whos than exchanging presents and stuffing themselves at dinner, he also realized that there was more to the Whos than he originally thought. The Grinch had a complete change of heart toward the Whos. It is said that his heart, which was previously "two sizes too small," grew three sizes. He rode into Whoville to return everything he had stolen, and he stayed to celebrate Christmas with the Whos, even carving the roast beast at dinner.

So is there a lesson here for the cynics like myself who cannot seem to enjoy Christmas for all the noise?

In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Dr. Seuss reminds us that Christmas is more than a materialistic frenzy. During Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the one who is both fully God and fully human. Jesus Christ, the "image of the invisible God,"⁴ came into the world to show us what God is really like. As a human being, Christ also came to show us what humanity is meant to be, through His example of self-sacrificial love.

It was not until the Grinch saw the good in the Whos that his attitude toward them and toward Christmas changed. The challenge I offer to those of us who have become cynical toward the Christmas season is to look past the crowded stores, traffic jams, and complaints about plain red cups at coffee shops, so that we allow ourselves to see the people who reflect the love of Christ and celebrate Christmas with a song in their hearts. May we all seek ways to reflect this love to others so that everyone may see that there's more to Christmas than what meets the eye.

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more."

Notes:

The image of the Grinch is taken from the 1966 television special Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!