There are certain books that have to be read at Christmas – one of my favourites, ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. Likewise, I like to watch ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘The Bishop’s Wife’ both putting me in the Christmas Spirit.
But back to books.
In 1957, Theodor ‘Dr Seuss’ Geisel wrote the children’s book, ‘How the Grinch stole Christmas.’ It was something of a critique of the way in which Christmas was being over-commercialised and, based around the Whos who inhabit the fictitious town of Whoville, it explored in rhyming verse the profound truth that Christmas is not all about money and presents and excess.
There are at least three film versions of the story – the best known of which stars Jim Carrey as the Grinch with Anthony Hopkins as the narrator of some of the original verse. The central character, the Grinch, has been bullied and hurt as a child and now lives in bitter isolation in Mount Crumpit high above Whoville.
He cannot stand the folk of the town below and most of all he despises the way they celebrate Christmas. To cut a long story short, on Christmas Eve, he gets an opportunity to dismantle the Christmas lights and decorations, to remove the presents from beneath the trees and raid the fridges that hold the next day’s feast. He takes his haul to the top of Mount Crumpit and, while Whoville wakes up to the news that Christmas has been stolen, he readies himself to push the whole of this Christmas excess over the edge of the mountain.
Down below, the whole town is in shock and outrage – except for Cindy Lou Who, who has been trying to tell everyone, including her own family, that they’ve got the emphasis of Christmas wrong and that the Grinch shouldn’t be excluded from their celebrations. The Mayor of Whoville is furious and he pokes a finger at Cindy’s father accusing him of allowing his daughter to ruin Christmas by bringing the Grinch back into the town’s life. Cindy’s father however, holds his ground and in one of the best lines in the film he says, “You can’t hurt Christmas, Mr Mayor, because it isn’t about the gifts or the contest or the fancy lights. That’s what Cindy’s been trying to tell everyone.”
It is very easy, when you look around to believe what we hold dear as the ‘true’ meaning of Christmas, that the season has been stolen. In Dr Seuss’s story however, we discover that Christmas, if we get its meaning right, cannot be stolen by anyone or anything.
High above on Mount Crumpit, on the verge of destroying all of the trimmings and trappings of Whoville’s Christmas, the Grinch, instead of hearing the anger and disappointment of the people below, hears the good folk of the town singing songs of celebration because they have realised that Christmas has a deeper meaning after all. As the strains of their celebrations reach the ears of the Grinch he realises that he hasn’t stopped Christmas from coming and he says,
“It came without ribbons, it came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags. Maybe Christmas (he thought) doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.”
We know this to be true, that the deeper meaning of what we are celebrating will be seen not just in churches up and down the land, in carol singers around parishes, in watchnight services but in the care of the homeless, the hurting, the vulnerable, the poorest, where God can be found.
Christmas doesn’t come from a store and means a lot more.
Take that on board this season.
May the Christ child be born anew in you this Christmas.
Your friend and minister,
George C Mackay
