You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch! You really are a heel. You’re as cuddly as a cactus, you’re as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch!… You’re a monster, Mr. Grinch! Your heart’s an empty hole. Your brain is full of spiders. You’ve got garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch! I wouldn’t touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole!

Originally written for the 1966 television special, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, this song is meticulous in its lyrics describing the worst of all Christmas villains.

The Grinch is the character we all love to hate. The modern-day Ebenezer Scrooge, the Grinch holds tight to his animosity towards Christmas like the king of sinful sots that he is.

One problem though: just like A Christmas Carol, the story of the Grinch is a story about redemption.

Even when we call someone a Scrooge or a Grinch, implying their serious disdain for the Christmas season, we must never forget that their frustration most likely comes from a place of pain. Though we do not learn the origin of the Grinch’s hurt from Dr. Seuss’ book, we all know from real life how easily we can shut ourselves off from the world as a result of grief.

By the end of the book, the Grinch is changed by the kindness of one small child, Cindy Lou Who. Her small but profound actions cause the Grinch’s heart to grow three sizes that day. (If you ever wonder why God loves children, here’s yet another example).

For us adults, who have lost that gentle openness that accompanies childhood vision, we may have a more difficult time reaching out to the Grinches in our midst. And yet, that is exactly what we are called to do.

We are to show love and kindness as much as possible – all year-round, but especially during Christmas time.

And if you are feeling like a Grinch, here is my message to you today: you are seen. You are important. You are loved.

Now everyone: go and be a Cindy Lou Who and say, “don’t forget the Grinch. I know he’s mean and hairy and smelly. His hands might be cold and clammy, but I think he’s actually kinda… sweet.”

Traditional Hymns & Carols – Wild and Lone, the Prophet’s Voice

Lessons & Carols – I Saw Three Ships