How the Grinch Stole Christmas

“He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!”

Growing up one of my favorite places to go was out to my Great Grandma Mary’s house. It was a place of exploration and adventure. During the summer we would catch turtles to race them. We would catch rattle snakes. We would sit at her garden and do things to grasshoppers that I wont mention here. I got my first pet rock at Grandma Mary’s house. I would sneak out to her old shed and go thru the boxes of my dad’s old stuff. I remember sitting in his old letter jacket from high school and feeling close to him. I remember sitting and watching her old lava lamp for hours. I still have it even though it doesn’t work anymore. I ate pickled beats, pickled eggs, eggs in beat juice and drinking those commodities juices from a can. We’d lay on our backs and do the bicycle and play with her old barbies. Every time I would come over she had a new book for us to explore. Even though it’s been many years since I last saw her I can still remember her smell. I remember when my dad would come to town and we’d all go out there (me, dad, and his brother) and no matter who was mad at who we were a family. In that window of time all my dad thought about was me. This time every year I am reminded of her because of one tradition we had. Every year we would watch “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. That was my favorite Christmas movie. My kids have never seen the original which is something I think Im going to change this year. I have not seen it since the last time I watched it with my Grandma Mary but I saw it when I was shopping online and wondered why I let that tradition die with her. A lot of people are a little upset with me right now because I’ve told my children the truth about Santa (and all the others). My main reason for telling them is because I feel very strongly about developing trust with my children while I am teaching them that even though you cant see or touch God he’s still there and real. But also because I think we’ve lost touch with what Christmas is really about! The quote above is from “How the grinch stole Christmas” and it is very true. Maybe Christmas… Perhaps… means a little bit more! We have explained to them that they don’t tell the other children because their moms & dads may not be ready for them to know yet and it’s not our place to tell them. This year we are really emphasizing the true meaning of Christmas and not the commercialized reason. So when you are with your families and are enjoying the presents that you get just take a moment to stop and thank God for the gift he gave.