Watching the classic holiday cartoon “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” on the last day before break really opened my eyes to the deeper meaning of the entire story. The Grinch, despising the spirit of Christmas in Whoville, formulates a plan to rid them of just that. He goes through the town and steals every tangible aspect of Christmas that he can find. However, what he didn’t realize was that the most important part about Christmas to the Whos down in Whoville was something he couldn’t steal, and much to his surprise they joined hand in hand to sing together in true holiday spirit. “Maybe Christmas, he thought… doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps… means a little bit more!…It came without ribbons!… it came without tags!… it came without packages, boxes or bags!” They weren’t upset when most everything was taken from them because they still had most important thing of all: their holiday spirit that come not from all of their belongings,but from them being together united in love.

This entire concept can be related to our lives as well. Too often we concern ourselves with what we have and what we don’t and fixate on getting all of the latest goods to fit with society. This materialistic mindset blinds us to what is truly important in life and the holiday season. Instead of focusing on wanting to make memories or feeling true human-to-human connection, many people become preoccupied with the things that they can see and touch but won’t even last a lifetime. We feel that to show our appreciation and love for someone, we can fit it all into a palpable object and be done with it. However, what is carried with people far longer than any item is the memories and feelings that you give them. With the idea of having presents to measure your admiration for someone, it sets a wrong kind of standard. It’s sometimes seen that if you don’t get someone a gift, you didn’t take the time to think of them and don’t really care about them, instead of realizing the unnoticed gift of treating people with kindness and making time for experiences that bring you closer together.

This holiday season, try to take away from the The Grinch and put aside all of the tangible objects that tend to control our lives and live for the moment, enjoying time being with family and friends brought together through the spirit of the holidays. As stated in the movie, “Welcome, Christmas, while we stand… heart to heart… and hand in hand.”