Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Lessons I've Learned from The Grinch




The Grinch (both the 2000 and the 1966 versions) movie is one of my favorites. There's so much to love about the story of the Grinch and a lot of important life lessons you can learn from him.

Christmas is more about togetherness than it is about gifts.
Well this one is kind of given...it being the theme of the whole movie and all. The Whos in Whoville had nothing. Not a scrap of anything and they still gathered together to celebrate Christmas. Now, I could put some religious meanings in with this, but I won't. The basic idea is that you don't have to SPEND to celebrate Christmas. It's about togetherness and unity.

Teasing people about their appearance can ultimately lead to dire consequences.
In the later movie version, we get much more of an in-depth look at the childhood life of The Grinch. He wasn't born with anger towards the Whos. It grew out of mistreatment, teasing and torment at the hands of the Whos all his life. Ultimately, the Whos probably regretted being so mean to The Grinch when they saw all he was capable of and all he tried to destroy.

Comparison is the thief of joy.
I feel like this is an actual quote and not something that just came to mind. Maybe I've heard it before, but either way, it's a real lesson that can be learned from the movie. In the later version, we also see the competitive nature of the Whos (with all of their Christmas decorations and Christmas lights on their houses). Each year, they do more and more to win the best house prize and eventually they are spent. They've exhausted themselves competing with each other and the true spirit of Christmas is gone.

Heart growing is the same as heart softening and it does happen!
The Grinch's heart grows three sizes when he sees how the Whos celebrate with no Christmas "stuff". Now, IRL you don't want your heart to enlarge by 3 sizes, that's actually a bad thing. But you absolutely can soften your heart towards something. Maybe it's a group of people or that annoying coworker. Maybe it's a cause that's recently become dear to your heart. Ol' Grinchy can teach us a lesson in learning to soften your heart towards things.

Forgiveness restores unity.
When the Whos forgive The Grinch and accept him back into their community, all is well. He brings back all of their Christmas trappings and their food and the unity of Whoville is restored. Forgiveness goes a long way in repairing relationships. Christmas is an excellent time to let bygones be bygones and let grudges die. Forgiveness restores relationships and unity.

Merry Christmas!


3 comments:

  1. Comparison is the thief of joy is an actual quote. And the truest quote there is!

    I wish gifts were out of the equation. While I like getting them and giving them, I think they add a whole layer of pressure and bad feelings that does not need to be there.

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