I spoke to The Grinch Today

By Cheryl Wilms

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I spoke to The Grinch today and I asked him, Grinchy-poo, why on earth do you not like Christmas? I asked him this question because I am a big Christmas lover…..that’s right, I have my Christmas tree up before December, I love Christmas songs, I love all the reds, greens, and golds, I love all the snowmen and Christmas lights. I say bring on Christmas where Mr.Grinch seems to be grumbling away.

So what was Mr.Grinch’s response to my question? Well it turns out that he feels that Christmas doesn’t have the same magic that it used to have when he was a little grinchster. He feels that in today’s world it is all about money and competing to get the best and biggest gift. He also feels that it is just a big ole commercial holiday and it drives him bonkers. Oh, and his birthday is also a week before Christmas and sometimes he feels forgotten about in the midst of the craziness. The more crazy it is, the more forgotten he feels. Poor Grinchy.

Here was my response to Mr.Grinch. I explained to him that it is up to us to keep the magic alive in our own homes. It is important for us to not get caught up in the chaos outwards, but keep the peace within. Having said that, Mr.Grinch has a valid point, we need to keep it simple. We need to keep the real true meaning of Christmas in mind. The more we get caught up in the hype and try to out-do last year, the more we downplay the year before, which could also result in spending large amounts of money and create panic when shopping to get the best deal so you don’t feel forced to dip into your savings or max out your credit cards.

Here are some tips to keeping the magic of Christmas:

Set a budget that will fit your household finances and don’t exceed it
Shop online for great deals and hopefully free shipping to avoid going out in the chaos and getting exactly what you wanted
Keep traditions alive in your home. Do simple and enjoyable Christmas activities to capture the very esscense of what Christmas is all about, such as making Christmas cards, your own homemade ornaments or any Christmas craft, and make graham cracker or gingerbread houses with the kidlets, all while listening to your favorite Christmas songs.
Go for a walk with hot chocolate and marshmallows while looking at all the nice Christmas lights. If you have little ones, pull them in a sleigh, they will love it.
Build a snowman. Who doesn’t want Frosty the Snowman in their yard? Get even more creative and have a snowman building competition…..don’t forget the hot chocolate with this competition either.
Watch, It’s a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)with Jimmy Stewart. This movie is a classic and will be a great reminder of what Christmas is all about.