It’s that special night before Christmas when my family watches all these silly Christmas movies. When it’s my turn to pick the flick, I’m really trying to pick one for my selection that will only take about 25 minutes. So, what do I choose? The Grinch of course. Not the one that is two hours long, but the old classic.
If you have never seen this movie before…chances are you’re not gonna watch it now, so I might as well tell you the ending. There’s a green guy that basically hates Christmas. He’s really unhappy with everybody being so darn happy, and he believes that it’s all the gifts that they have. So, what does he do? You guessed it. He goes down on Christmas Eve and takes all the presents, takes their mouses, takes their houses, don’t let me Suess you, but you know what I’m talking about. When morning comes he waits to see everybody miserable around the tree that they usually sing around, instead what he sees is everyone singing around the hole where the tree used to be, holding hands just happy as clams. Christmas clams.
This year we have our own Grinch. His name is Covid. I’m not sure if he’s green or not because I’m not a scientist. He may not be robbing us of our toys and our trees, but he certainly is robbing us of our joy because of all the fear and anxiety that’s been around for so many months, the loss of our traditions, and even worse…having to sit in the unknown of whether or not these things will ever actually come back.
So, what does this 1960’s cartoon Grinch have to teach us this year that could help us through this Christmas? It reminds us where real emotion is created. The Whos from Whoville circle the tree (or at least the spot where it was), hold hands with each other happily, and seem to be grateful for everything that they have. Someone might actually ask what do they have? Whos know that the very important truth is that they create their connection with one another. Their own joy. Only they have the ability to create their own Christmas spirit.
Joy, happiness, and gratefulness are felt when you create them inside you. Although tiny tots with their eyes all aglow are looking for toy horses, train sets… Ok, let’s be honest, I’m old! It’s more likely an XBox. People with a little bit more wisdom and awareness know that the emotions they’re looking for do not come from the gifts, but are within the people that surround them.
We all have people that surround us, near and far. People that we have always been grateful for having in our lives. This is true whether you have to look at them through a computer screen or they can sit in your very living room. The one place that they always are is in your life, and for that we should have a very merry Christmas. If you are able to remember your celebrations, your happiness and connection is in the presence of your heart, not the presents that surround your tree. What time-honored traditions can we still practice with our loved ones regardless of Covid?
