Rating:

If you’re reading this review and expecting me to say something about Jim Carrey, you can just stop right now. The Grinch I speak of is an animated character, found in books when at his best, and when at his second best, found in animated specials which are little more than a book narrated aloud by Boris Karloff.

None of that has to do with Jim Carrey.

In any case, I have a theory about why this book/cartoon special is arguably the most famous of all of Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel’s work. The pitch and tone for all Dr. Seuss books is fairly consistent in that a strange creature usually interacts in strange ways with either A) Normal people and things or, B) other strange people and things. Either way, and I mean this with the utmost respect, Dr. Seuss books tend to be pretty heavy on the nonsense.

I know, I know, that’s what allows for such unique and unforgettable characters and environments–it’s all part of the charm. But regardless, How the Grinch Stole Christmas became famous because it–like The Cat in the Hat, another favorite–inserts that Seussical charm into a world with which we immediately identify.

The Cat in the Hat’s world was the world of rainy days and parents being away. For The Grinch, it’s the adorable little town of Whoville, which could be my grandparent’s town, all decked out in Christmas cheer and ready to celebrate the most amazingest holiday in the land. It’s this town that the Grinch–a mean, devious, heartless and thoughtless creature–has decided to prey upon for Christmas.

He takes presents, trees, decorations, twinkle-lights–the works! What an asshole. The objective, as the title may inform you, is to literally “prevent Christmas from coming,” by stealing all the material trappings of the Holiday from the cute little Whos.

But, much to his baffled surprise, Christmas arrives right on time, even though he’s done his best to “steal” it. So the lesson he learns is one that we already know but sometimes forget: Christmas exists in our hearts, and in our minds–maybe presents and decorations are glorious byproducts of our collective “Christmas Spirit,” but they certainly aren’t what makes us feel good. Nay, we give presents and decorate because we feel good – not the other way around.

And this is why I can feel comfortable saying that How the Grinch Stole Christmas may be in the running for the very finest Christmas story that’s ever been told. It has all the anti-materialistic undertones of A Charlie Brown Christmas, along with the “there’s a deeper meaning to be seen here” message. (But without Linus’ rambling and overrated speech about how the “True Meaning of Christmas” is that three guys in the desert followed a star to a shack and saw a baby. What a self-defeating crock that little monologue turns out to be, when we all know it could have been so much more. But, I’m rambling.) The Grinch also includes the message that we all love from It’s a Wonderful Life–that if you have friends and loved ones, that’s all you really need. But this one’s directly related to the spirit of Christmas, rather than the broader spirit of humanity.

What I’m trying to say is that, with it’s simple little storyline that can be summed up in one sentence, The Grinch has what every other iconic Christmas story has, in spades. And then some.

Just thinking about it makes my heart want to grow three sizes larger.

If You Hated This, You Will Also Totally Hate:

• I Hope Books Still Exist
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
• Horton Hears a Who!
• Intensely Retarded Christmas Memories
• Give The Simpsons Its Due