This year, the Grinch stealing my Christmas is a horrible flu virus that has made my entire family horribly ill and taken away a lot of the food, fun, and even some of the presents we had planned for ourselves. This episode had to come out late because I wasn’t well enough to record and edit, but this strangely gave me the time for some new reflections on what this story means to me.
Dr. Seuss was worried about the commercialization of Christmas way back in 1957. Unfortunately, things may actually be worse now, with our culture encouraging people to eat, drink, and spend far past the point of satisfaction. Opening the pages of this Christmas classic can help remind us that material goods should be used to express our joy and not be the source of it.
I hope that for those of you who feel worn out and bewildered by the hustle and bustle of excess holiday spending, eating, and drinking, this episode helps you find a moment of calm where you can remember what really matters.
Activity: Would You Feel Like Singing?
After reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas, ask your kids the following questions. Encourage them to be honest, and not to just say what they think you want to hear.
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- How would you feel if you woke up on Christmas morning and there were no presents at all in the house?
- Do you think you could ever feel like singing at such a time?
- If you had all the toys and food you could ever want, but no friends or family to enjoy them with, do you think you could be happy?
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