The start of December has launched the holiday season in full swing. At the moment, high school students are busy studying for finals and pushing to the end of the semester. Despite the stress and rush of the holidays, childhood movies remind students and families about what the season really means.
“I watched all of the originals as a kid,” said senior Nicholas Oey. “I grew up on them.”
Some beloved favorites include “Frosty the Snowman,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and many more.
An especially beloved TV special is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
Down in Who-Ville
“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,” is a line from the song “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is a musical TV special released in 1966 about a cranky creature that attempts to “steal” Christmas from the community of “Who-ville,” who love Christmas more than anything. The timeless tale was based on a book written by Dr. Seuss. The goofy lyrics and colorful animation were certainly a draw for kids all over, probably your parents.
“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” a famous song from the special, reached 54,585,310 streams just on the Spotify platform.
To supplement the original TV special, two remakes came out in theaters. Both adaptations took a different direction, one of them being live-action and the other being a cartoon like the original. According to The Numbers, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” a live-action film released in 2000, had a box office revenue of $261,939,550. “The Grinch,” released in 2018, had a box office revenue of $272,699,130. Both movies ranked in the top 200 All-Time Domestic Box Office.
Trim up the tree
“Trim every blessed needle on the blessed Christmas tree. Christmas comes tomorrow, trim you, trim me!” is a line from another song, “Trim Up the Tree.”
After the Whos awake unbothered by their stolen toys and decorations, the Grinch realizes that there is more to Christmas than material goods, it is about being others that you care about. He returns all of the items he stole and shares dinner with all of the Whos.
Goofy Seuss lyrics like “Trim up your pets with fuzzle fuzz and whiffer bloofs and wuzzle wuzz,” give the show an unserious air. The movie itself is funny and lighthearted but has a deeper underlying meaning.
According to the Christmas Enthusiasts, a site that writes about holiday traditions “The Whos celebrate without the material trappings. This demonstrates to the Grinch that the true essence of Christmas lies in community and togetherness, challenging his cynicism.”
To viewers, this old TV special and its movies are more than just silly musicals with colorful sets and animation. Senior Grace Kara recalls watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” as a young kid.
“‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ showed the importance of family,” Kara said, “Christmas can be festive as long as you’re with people you love.”
The movies, especially the original, have not only had an impact on today’s teenagers. Even some teachers, like Genevieve Tep, recall watching this special as a kid.
“As a kid, my family watched the original ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ every year,” Tep said. “Now, my kid watches it.”
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” has been watched for generations and not combines the rhymes of Dr. Seuss with a deep meaning that has made an impact on teenagers, teachers, and a new generation of children.
As the line in the song “Welcome Christmas” says, “Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart and hand in hand.”
