How the Grinch Stole Christmas
How the Grinch stole Christmas is one of those extremely memorable books from the Christmas Season. The story follows the grinch who is a cranky, isolated, miser who wants to end Christmas. The Grinch wants to destroy the Christmas spirit of a town called Whoville.
The Grinch ends up stealing the Christmas gifts and decorations of the town. The Grinch in the end finds out that Christmas can’t be destroyed so easily and, to the Grinch’s surprise, the town of Whoville still celebrate Christmas. The book attacks the mass commercialization of Christmas and the Grinch realizes that Christmas isn’t just about material things.
Dr. Seuss, the Man who Created the Grinch
Dr. Seuss wrote over 60 books dedicated to children under the name, Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss’s books repertoire consists of some of the most popular children’s books ever written. Dr. Seuss began his career as a cartoonist working with varying companies and agencies. During WW2, Dr Seuss made his way to the United States Army film department. Some of his other popular works are, The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who!, One, Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and Green Eggs and Ham.
Deeper story
The Grinch is a cranky, solitary creature with a heart “two sizes too small” who resides in a cave on a mountain north of Whoville, home of the cheerful and warmhearted Whos. One Christmas Eve, having grown tired by Whoville’s noisy Christmas festivities, the Grinch resolves to prevent Christmas from coming.
He disguises himself as Santa Claus and travels to Whoville on a sleigh hauled by his dog, Max. The Grinch slides down the chimney of the first house on the square and steals all the presents, the food for the feast, and the Christmas tree. He is briefly interrupted by Cindy Lou Who, a young Who girl, but concocts a crafty lie to get rid of her so that he can escape.
After doing the same to the other Whos’ houses, the Grinch takes his sleigh to the top of Mount Crumpit and prepares to dump all of the stolen belongings into an abyss. As dawn breaks, he expects to hear the Whos crying, but is shocked to hear them singing a joyous Christmas song as usual instead. After much thought, the Grinch comes to realize that Christmas “means a little bit more” than just presents and feasting, causing his shrunken heart to grow three sizes larger. The reformed Grinch returns the Whos’ presents and food and is asked to take part in their Christmas feast.
Inspiration and Reception
Dr. Seuss had just finished the Cat in the Hat and already developed the basic idea of a Christmas Grinch. Dr. Seuss’s wife had a stroke on 1957. Seuss became Grinch like because of his wife’s health problems, Seuss had also become Grinch like because of the over commercialization of Christmas. The Grinch was a quick book for Dr. Seuss to write, the only part he struggled with was the ending. Seuss didn’t want to sound too religious and had come to all these religious endings. He ended up with a mor civilized ending with the Grinch and the Who all sitting around a table eating.
The Grinch has been translated into over 9 languages. The book received a favorable reception with critics calling the Grinch the new Scrooge. Reviewers love the cartoons and story of the book, they referred to the coloring of the pages as bright.
Dr. Seuss wrote the book because he wanted to rediscover the Christmas Spirit, something he believed that he had lost.
There has been a good amount of media made of the Grinch; in movies and television. America’s obsession with the Grinch is bound to continue.
Where can I watch the original Grinch 1966?
Watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) | Peacock (peacocktv.com)
Vudu – Watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Ultimate Edition
For more on the Grinch that Stole Christmas, Check out these fun Grinch Pages…
To Return to the Christmas Main Page, follow this link…
The Christmas Site – Everything About the Christmas Holiday (celebratechristmas.co)
