“Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch who lived just North of Whoville, did not!” We’ve all heard these famous words out of Dr. Suess’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” at least once in our lifetime. This well-known childhood story teaches children that Christmas is not merely about materialistic items such as decorations and presents that come once a year, but is about the love we share that brings us together. The Grinch, who dresses up in a home-made Santa suit one Christmas eve, has an evil plan to stop Christmas. He steals all the presents, all the stockings, all the food, and all the decorations from the Who’s houses and loads it on his sleigh to carry it away. However, what the Grinch does not know, is that the one thing he cannot steal, is the joy in the Who’s hearts, and Christmas morning, finding everything gone, the Who’s still stand hand-in-hand singing Christmas carols and songs.
As the Christmas season rapidly approaches, gift shopping is on everyone’s mind, but I think we need to step back for a moment and remember the true meaning of Christmas. Each year millions of children write letters to Santa Clause, the father of Christmas, in hopes that they will receive their wish-list of presents in reward for being good all year, but how often do we remind these children of the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ, or why we exchange gifts in the first place? Do we, as adults, even know now why we exchange gifts? Is it merely custom or tradition? Is it out of Obligation or to return a favor? Are Christmas gifts given out of love, or are they given in the hope of receiving something back? I think Dr. Suess had a lot to say about the true meaning of Christmas and understood that there is a much bigger picture than just receiving gifts on Christmas day.
The Christian tradition of gift-giving is believed to have begun with the historical figures of the Magi in the Bible who brought gifts to the newborn king, Jesus. They “presented him with gifts of gold, and of incense, and of myrrh.” Matthew 2:11. The power of giving comes from a selfless act. It is not tied to any special holiday, but is merely a time when you give from the heart because you want to show your love and appreciation to someone you truly care for. Though over the years I think we have lost some of this meaning, we should all remember the motive for why we give in the first place and what we are celebrating. It should be an act of kindness, giving because you want to, not so that you get something in return.
A song that comes to mind when thinking of giving is “Better Days” by the Goo Goo Dolls. They sing “I don’t need boxes wrapped in strings, and designer love, and empty things; just the chance that maybe we’ll find better days.” The singer goes on to express that a commercially-driven holiday isn’t what he wants, but he wishes that political, religious, and national pride could be put aside, that we could stop our useless fighting and find better days to live in peace with one another. He mentions that “tonight’s the night the world begins again” symbolizing the new year coming and everyone being able to start with a clean slate.
This Christmas season I ask if you could do the same. Could you mend broken friendships, help carry an elderly woman’s groceries to her car, or simply smile to a co-worker, student, or passer-bye? I know it seems a lot to ask to step out of your comfort zone, but maybe that one gift of kindness and love shown to that person will change their life forever.
Joy, as Dr. Suess illustrated, does not come in a box, but instead, comes from the heart. I love the last part of the book when the Grinch realizes he hadn’t stopped Christmas after all. He ponders, “How could it be so? It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags! ...Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more.” Make Christmas a time to show you care.
