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How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

HM Rose

Book 5: 30 books for 30 days December

How the Grinch stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss was written in 1957. One of the easiest stories for Seuss to write in his career (according to Seuss); the story is about a fictitious creature, the Grinch, who not only hates Christmas, but doesn’t want it to come. Because of his dislike for Christmas, he devises a plan to stop Christmas from coming by stealing it. 

There are many correlations to real life, especially life at Christmas time, in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. All the hustle and bustle which is always related to the holidays and winter life are personified in this classic children’s book.

Summary

I debated whether or not to summarize the story because it’s such a popular children’s book, but maybe there are a few people who have never read the original and just want a quick look at the story. 

The Grinch sits above Whoville observing the cheerful town of Who’s during Christmas time every year. Every year the Who’s celebrate through presents, partying, feasting, and singing. The Grinch hates watching them every year.

At the very beginning of the story, he decides he will have no more of it and sets out to disguise as Santa Clause and steal Christmas while the Who’s are sleeping. 

He travels around the houses and steals every bit of evidence of Christmas, even the wood for the fireplace. 

During his excursion of thievery, away from his lonely Mount Crumpet, he meets a little child named Cindy Lou Who. She catches him while he is stuffing the tree up the chimney and inquires sweetly why he’s taking the tree…so he lies. Then, he gives her a glass of water, and sends her to bed. 

He escapes with all the Christmas presents, decorations, and food and sits atop mount crumpet waiting to hear the Who’s crying over their loss. However, instead of crying, he hears singing. 

The Grinch sits still for a long time listening as the sound of singing causes a change to come upon him. He realizes he cannot steal Christmas and decides to return what he stole to the Who’s. 

At the end, he carves the roast beast himself.

All the Who’s down in Whoville

One of the most interesting things about the Grinch is the fact that he lived alone with his dog. *cough cough* I relate, I'm not telling any of you why I relate, only that I REALLY relate.

It’s easy to become detached from people and get into a mentality of isolation when you spend most of your time alone. Dr. Seuss made it very clear the Grinch lived completely alone away from the Who’s down in Whoville.

I’m really not sure why, but once we get into isolation, we become like the grinch. You know what I’m talking about. It’s easy to hate the community atmosphere and everyone when you never participate in anything. We often find ourselves unhappy when we choose to be alone. 

I admit, being alone is very nice sometimes, but in the story of the Grinch, it’s taken to that absurd level. It’s not the fact that he’s alone that’s the problem, it’s that he blames his unhappiness on the annoying traits of the Who’s.

Whether we admit it or not, we need all the annoying Who’s down in Whoville. We need people, that’s a proven fact. Whether it be family, friends, or even coworkers, no one should be alone that much, especially during the holidays.

This story teaches us methods we can use to look outside of ourselves. Maybe we can all do a little extra effort to change the way we look at things and people. It is a great reminder to give back and spend time with others this Christmas season. 

What was the Grinch REALLY trying to steal?

Sometimes I wonder what it was the Grinch was really trying to steal. Was he trying to steal Christmas or was it the joy of the Who’s? 

You can’t steal other people’s emotions, right? No one can make you happy or sad. But, they can try and manipulate your emotions, so that’s why the Grinch stole the toys and the decorations. He thought he could make the Who’s sad by stealing what he thought brought them happiness. 

He could only see as far as he knew. He probably was so grouchy and pessimistic because of his perspective on happiness. Once his perspective changed, he was able to find happiness on his own. He realized he didn’t need to steal anything to be happy. 

All he had to do was make a change in his own heart to be happy. 

A Fun Grinch-themed Christmas

It is always fun to decorate and have themed parties or movie nights. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a very fun story to base a Christmas party on. 

Whether you have children or not, it is fun to watch or listen to the reading of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Either listen or obtain a hardcopy for yourself and read it. I personally like to have my own copy to read on my own, but it’s up to you what will make the experience more fun and enjoyable. 

Another suggestion is to watch the old movie which is very much like the original story. It can be purchased or rented on Amazon for super cheap.  

Some of you might rather watch the new version, but I prefer the older version because it’s closer to the original story by Dr. Seuss. I like the vintage and artistic feel of the animation. 

When I was a kid, we would always watch it before Christmas along with all the other old kids Christmas cartoons like Santa Clause is Coming to Town, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Frosty the Snowman. Those were the days!

The easiest way to create a grinch feel to your Christmas is to do the Whoville feast. While all we know about the Who’s fabulous Christmas feast is the “roast beast”, you can come up with your own Whoville treats and table decorations. 

FOOD SUGGESTIONS: 

DECORATION IDEAS:

Go all out! Get your Grinchy Christmas on and go crazy this year! Send us your ideas and share with us what you did for Christmas this year to celebrate this wonderful classic story. We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas season.