Don’t Let the Grinch Ruin Your Holidays

The Grinch from Dr Suess’s beloved Christmas tale was an odd creature who lived a solitary and miserable existence. Every year as the people in the village began preparations to celebrate Christmas he would become disturbed by their happiness.  He despised the decorations, food and music because he didn’t understand the true meaning of Christmas.  He was especially vexed by what he considered noise and so he decided to ruin the Who’s holiday.

Being overtired and over stimulated can ruin the holidays for everyone.  Practicing good communication with family members and lowering expectations is difficult but prevents disappointment. The media adds to our stress with the commercials telling us to “buy early” and “don’t miss this sale”. They imply we will miss out on something we don’t really need.  But there are already just too many activities, too much food and too much noise!  We Americans really know how to celebrate to excess.  To achieve the “perfect holiday” we expect the relatives to behave, the dinner to be perfect and gifts to be jubulantly appreciated.  Most of us end up more like Steve Martin in Planes, Trains and Automobiles or Chevy Chase’s Christmas Vacation. We feel annoyed, delayed, disappointed, dysfunctional, harrassed but hopeful.  We actually have the power to minimize some of the excess and leave room for enjoyment.

The United States holiday of Thanksgiving is generally understood to be inspired by the harvest feast celebrated by the citizens of  Plymouth Colony later known as pilgrims and the Native Americans of the Wampanoag Confederacy in the fall of 1621.  Abraham Lincoln made a permanent proclamation in 1863 for American citizens everywhere to celebrate a day of thanks during the height of the Civil War.  He declared the fourth Thursday of every November to be a National day of Thanksgiving. Lincoln then gave praise to God for our blessings and prayed for forgiveness and healing of the wounds of our nation.  He included that we remember to take care of the widows and orphans.

Our holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas are both based on historical facts and traditions.  We should never lose focus of the true meaning behind them.  Apparently, that is what happened to the Grinch. The Grinch tried to ruin Christmas by stealing everything he thought made it special.  Then he leaned in to hear crying but heard singing instead. How could Christmas come if there weren’t any decorations, food or toys?  Then he thought, maybe the gifts of joy and love don’t come from the store!  The people of Who-ville showed that happiness comes from within, not from material things.

We can avoid being a Grinch by focusing on gratitude and giving joy to others.  Instead of  thinking about   the inconveinences and complaining  about all the excess or lack of either join in the chaos or try to keep it simple.  The pilgrims certainly did not have a perfect feast. God only cares about what is in our hearts.

Have a blessed and non-Grinchy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100:1–5      A PSALM FOR GIVING THANKS.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.