As kids we used to accuse our Dad of being like Scrooge or the Grinch. đ He took it in stride and playfully fulfilled his role as we all bounced off the walls full of Christmas excitement as we decorated the tree, listened to nothing but carols over and over, and snuck around with mysterious secrets hidden around the house. đ
He wasnât really a Grinch or a Scrooge though, and was and is one of the most generous givers at Christmas. Still, he doesnât want to go out on Christmas eve to buy âHobbsâ lootâ and who could blame him for that? đ
This year I have discovered why the Grinch really stole Christmas. đ Hereâs my hypothesis:
The Grinch used to love Christmas a LOT. The nostalgia of the season, the anticipation of gifts, given as much as received, the lights, the traditions, the treats. Then the Grinch got married and had kids.
Life changed and the Grinch now had a lot of responsibility. Now the Grinch has other motivation for making Christmas wonderful, the kids. The kids need to have amazing Christmas times, and get lots of special gifts, and eat and help make treats and wrap gifts, and learn to sing carols. The only problem is, the kids are wild, crazy hoodlums.
Instead of having nostalgia making experiences decorating the tree, there are nuclear meltdowns because the ornaments âwonât stay!â Hmmm… perhaps try placing the HOOK over the branch. Yeah. So the Grinch packs up most of the ornaments just to remain calm, and the tree is still festive with the âshatterproofâ ornaments. However the Grinch canât wait till all of them can be put away again since they are frequently redecorated, and rolling all around the house every day.
The treats to make together and eat while laughing yuletide magic, never get made because the Grinch has little people who hang on legs, and spill things everywhere, while whining and fussing about any and all âdifficultiesâ that can arise while such projects are going on. And the mess to be cleaned up by the Grinch certainly chases away the Christmas spirit. The Grinches attitude gets less and less Christmas-like with every attempt to âdoâ Christmas.
The Grinch has had enough of stepping on legos, and putting away toys, and in general cleaning up messes that the Grinch didnât make. All of the kids toys go into storage since they wonât exert enough responsibility to pick up after themselves. Now the Grinch dreads the opening of gifts and the ensuing chaos that will be Christmas Day.
The Grinch is starting to dread Christmas. The Grinch gives serious thought to dressing up the dog Cisco as a reindeer and sneaking into âwhovilleâ to take all the presents, and trees, and trimming, and roast beast and hurling them off of the tall cliff. đ Thatâs what REALLY happened to the Grinch, Iâm pretty sure. đ
But in all seriousness Iâd like to yell in Charlie Brown style, âDoesnât anybody know the real meaning of Christmas?â And Iâd have to ask myself as much as anyone. Iâm doing some serious Christmas-reconsideration lately. I know that right now my kids are small, so some of the Christmas ânostalgiaâ is just not really going to happen. When they are bigger and will be more responsible and helpful, THEN we can make treats and have fun through the making AND clean up. đ THEN we can go caroling and pass out goodies to the elderly. THEN we can put the fragile ornaments up on the tree.
But until THEN, Iâm going make Christmas more simple. I think in upcoming years we are going to set some boundaries for Christmas giving, and really focus as a family on blessing others through giving gifts that matter and make a difference. And thatâs something we can start doing NOW instead of waiting till THEN. đ And perhaps this particular Grinchâs heart can grow 3 sizes each Christmas.
Here is an article of one familyâs Christmas traditions begun, surprisingly, by their 5 yr old. No family will do things the same way, but this is an interesting take on celebrating Jesusâ Birthday. đ