Yeoman's in the Fork Blog

A timeless Christmas book for me is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. It’s a wonderful story for both the ever absorbing mind of a child and the unimaginative brain of an adult. For a child, the emotive tale of the very spirit of Christmas possibly being abducted by the Grinch is somewhat an emotional rollercoaster. It twists and turns with a spiral of fear for the essence of Christmas; A whirl of doubt for the Whos of Whoville; and a beautiful winding down with the realization that the Christmas spirit is not something that can be taken physically. The Christmas spirit is a manifestation of the hearts and souls of every Who in Whoville and cannot be destroyed so easily. When the Grinch becomes aware of this, he has a change of heart and transforms from foe to friend and gives them back their presents and even joins them in their celebrations. It’s beautiful story for children of any age.

For an adult looking back you realize the subtle yet striking slights made towards the commercialization of Christmas and the vilification of those that set out to profit and exploit the Christmas holiday. It’s a concise, yet elaborate attack on the media fat cats that, like the Grinch, are dead-set on the complete sovereignty of the Christmas spirit. The Whos are a literary representation of the human spirit. Their ability to endure and overcome after losing their physical gifts is a victory not only for the Whos but for the human spirit. We can learn a lot from the Whos of Whoville. Maybe that was the Dr.’s plan all along.