Perhaps the Grinch was Correct

“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more.” ~ Dr. Seuss (1904-1991), American author of children’s books. From ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas’.

‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ is one of my all time favorite Christmas books. What is not to love? Here we have the story of the old curmudgeon who detests Christmas. Instead of living privately with his own misery, he seeks to make those around him miserable, too. As he watches the Who’s, down in Whoville, preparing for the big day, the Grinch assumes that it is the trappings of Christmas – the gifts, the decorations, the feasts – that make Christmas special. 

This is very similar to how many people in real life view Christmas. They hustle and bustle to this store and that store, purchasing items that will be long forgotten by the time Valentine’s Day is here. Folks worry about getting the right gift or the perfect gift. Some put a price tag on the item purchased, associating a higher price gift with love. Somehow more stuff has come to mean that you love someone more.

This past Christmas Eve, I spent the evening with my husband, youngest son, my mom and two of our friends. We shared a simple meal, good conversation and lots of laughs. The biggest chuckle came when our youngest kitten, Ellie Mae, squeezed herself into a little basket I keep on the dining room table for napkins. (Yes, I did manage to mention my kitten – after all, this is the Crazy Cat Lady blog!)

The kitten in the basket led to a discussion about how I have had to modify my Christmas decorating adventures because of the cats. My cats have a passion for home decorating. I put out knick-knacks and trinkets to make my home pretty; my cats rearrange said items in a way that they seem to think is more attractive. In light of that, I made sure to only put out items that are unbreakable. My mom and my friend complimented my decorating even though it was not as much as I usually do.

Even though the decorating was light this year, I have found this Christmas Eve to be particularly enjoyable. Perhaps it was the simplicity of the day. Perhaps it was good food. I am fairly certain the good company contributed to my satisfaction in the day. I ended up getting the best gift of all on Christmas Eve: the gift of my family and friends. As I recently read in an article by Reg Henry, “Presents are fine, presence is better.” I could not agree more!