I was born in early December, and it’s quite possible that my parents (most likely my mom) spent the rest of that month making sure to record as many of the traditional Christmas specials as they could onto VHS. I suspect this was the case, because for as far back as I can remember, I did have a VHS tape with multiple Christmas specials on it. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Charlie Brown, Frosty the Snowman, etc. I would watch and enjoy these specials every holiday season... and for some reason, the one that has stuck with me beyond all others has been the 25 minute long, 1966 animated special How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, based on the children’s book by Dr. Seuss.
Maybe the Grinch has stuck with me because it’s more quickly paced than some of the other specials. Maybe it’s because it’s not a bummer like some of them are. Maybe Dr. Seuss’s writing on this one connected with me more. Or maybe it’s because horror icon Boris Karloff narrated the special. Whatever the case, as I grew into adulthood some of the other specials were watched less and less, but the Grinch has remained one that I return to every year.
As the story goes, there’s a snow-blanketed village called Whoville, where the residents go nuts for the Christmas holiday season... and in a cave on the mountain that overlooks the village, there lives a grumpy creep called the Grinch who hates the holidays. The narrator isn’t quite sure why – whether it be that his shoes are too tight, that his head isn’t screwed on right, or that his heart is two sizes too small. It could be any of those things, but seeing and hearing the Whos celebrate Christmas drives the Grinch nuts, so he decides to crash the holiday. He makes himself a Santa Claus costume and has his adorable little dog Max serve as his reindeer, hauling him into town on a sleigh. And he proceeds to steal all of the Christmas decorations, presents, and even the food the Whos have for their holiday feast. Christmas is ruined... or so the Grinch thinks. Of course, by the end of the special’s 25 minutes, the Grinch will have learned the error of his ways.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is quite a heartwarming tale when all is said and done, and getting to its feel-good ending is an amusing journey... And one big reason why the Grinch remains so special to me after all these years are the childhood memories of how much this Christmas special made my father laugh. The other specials didn’t make him laugh like this one did. He didn’t even like some of the most popular ones. But he liked this one, and it’s nice to remember him laughing at certain moments.
The Boris Karloff narration definitely helps as well. So do the trio of songs that are featured, most notably “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”, performed by Thurl Ravenscroft.
The Grinch is a mean one, but How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a fun one. I have watched it many times over the decades, and will continue watching it each December for as long as I’m able to. Some Decembers I’ll even rewatch some of the other holiday specials I watched regularly in my childhood, but that won’t be every year like the Grinch will be. It’s just not Christmas without a visit with the Grinch that directors Chuck Jones and Ben Washam brought to the screen back in '66.
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