It began in 1957 when Dr. Theodore Geisel wrote and illustrated a 33-line poem called, ‘Hoobob and the Grinch’ We know the doctor as Dr. Suess and his book is of course, ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas.’
We all have a memory of when we first met Mr. Grinch, and who was a part of the show we saw him on. I would say that for most of us who were over five years old back in the day, it was Frankenstein’s Monster who first said his name to us through our television set. That would have been in December of 1967, and we were greeted by Boris Karloff in his introduction to us, enumerating a lot of Mr. Grinch’s faults and evil tendencies. It was enough to scare us right back into Halloween just a few months prior. It was a stop motion animated movie special that came out to rival the already broadcasting, 1964’s Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The Grinch movie was narrated by horror classic actor Boris Karloff who also provided the brief moments of the Grinches voice. Collectively these movies have been airing virtually without interruption now for nearly 60 years. That’s approximately 3 generations who have grown up with these characters. Today marks the 57th anniversary of the first-time television audiences heard the Grinches voice, met his loyal dog Max, ever saw a Who, or the first time we heard the Grinch song. None of those things or the other memorable scenes from the film will ever be erased from our minds. Childhood memories that we carry all of our lives, and all thanks to one man, Dr. Theodore Geisel and the 33 lines he etched into the hearts of a nation. In his poem, the Grinch is a monster of monsters. He is described as having a heart like an ‘empty hole,’ as ‘rank as a dead tomato’, ‘full of unwashed socks with a soul full of gunk’. A real nasty wasty as the song goes.
He lives high on a mountain with his skiddish, but loyal dog, Max. Who he treats really bad. The mountain top world he has created for himself is a very unhappy and dark place. He secludes himself way up there on Mount Crumpit, festering his hatred from the village below the mountain called, Whoville. This is a place in complete contrast to the Grinch’s world. Whoville is happy, joy filled and an innocent place where everyone gets along and looks out for each other. One dark and cold evening while the Grinch is sitting alone in his cave by the fire, he hears the sounds from Whoville making their way up to his door. To say this upsets, him is an understatement.
To make a long 33-line story short, he will not have these Who’s singing and carrying on celebrating the upcoming Christmas holiday so he and Max visit this little Hamlet to steal everything Christmas from them. According to the story, the Grinch was 8 years old when he arrived on the mountain, and he laments that he has spent 53 years listening to the Who’s and their Christmas celebration. This would make him 61 years old when he decides to steal Christmas away.
Psychologists suggest that people in their 60’s can begin to lose interest in Christmas and may even find themselves becoming a bit Grinchy. When he wrote the poem, Dr. Suess was 53 years old, the same amount of time the Who’s were wearing on the Grinches last nerve. The Grinch snaps! He gets his supplies ready to steal the holiday and he and Max take off. They are in the process of gathering up all of the Christmas lights and decoration from the village when they are stopped by a little Who girl. She looks at him, dressed like Santa Claus and asks a simple child’s question, “Why? Why are you taking our Christmas Tree?” He sends her back to bed and continues to purge the village of Christmas. Finally, his mission accomplished, he goes back to his dark hole and waits to hear all of the Whos’ crying over their lost holiday. Instead, he hears them singing and rejoicing. But he has their Christmas, he thinks. Then he realizes that Christmas is not the stuff and things, the lights and bling, it is what is in their hearts that makes them sing. So, he gathers up all of what he took and returns it, and they welcome the Grinch to their Christmas feast, and the Grinch should probably be looking for a new name as he settles into his new home.
Dr. Suess’s 33 lines puts it a lot more eloquently than I did, but the point is the same. Christmas is not the trappings, the presents and the holiday parties. It is the feeling in your heart you get from those childhood memories that made it special to you. How it’s magic can still work through you to make memories like those for others in your life. Young or old. 8 or 61.
Merry Christmas! Even to you, Mr. Grinch.
What Did the Grinch Really Steal?
