The Grinch | Winston’s Words of Wisdom

Before we know it, Christmas will be upon us… How on earth did that happen!

To say 2020 has been a crazy year is an understatement of biblical proportions. We started the year with Australia being on fire, Harry & Meghan quitting the royal family, then the largest pandemic in a generation hit, and that was all by March! The list of huge events which would normally dominate any year AFTER that point is also mind boggling. Depending on whether you spent the year working like a trojan, or kicking your heels on furlough, will then depend on how much you tuned in/out of the news from that point onwards. My advice would be to avoid the news at the best of times anyway, but never has that been truer than in 2020…

Smarter and more insightful people than myself (‘people’ being the key word here as what does a Dog know about the world anyway?!), will sum up the year better than I can, so for it is worth, I am signing off 2020 with one of my favourite books of all time:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss

As I say, one of my favourites to listen to when it is being read to the kids while I curl up next to their beds. I love that Cindy Lou Who sees the good in The Grinch even before he sees it himself (as your heart being 2 sizes too small does not sound fun at all!) and her unwavering persistence gets everyone to see the true meaning of Christmas, which is to be there for one another, and not all about the presents and shiny things. Perhaps the lesson there is that if we try to see the good in each other, without focusing on the differences or what divides us, we could all get along a bit better after such a turbulent year? That’s my approach anyway, an excitable tail wagging and lick wins over most people! Perhaps not directly comparable but you get the point…

Take care, be safe, and enjoy the festive period whatever your plans in this strangest of years.

Happy reading, Winston x

An extract from Goodreads

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr Seuss

Dr. Seuss’s small-hearted Grinch ranks right up there with Scrooge when it comes to the crankiest, scowling holiday grumps of all time. For 53 years, the Grinch has lived in a cave on the side of a mountain, looming above the Whos in Whoville. The noisy holiday preparations and infernal singing of the happy little citizens below annoy him to no end. The Grinch decides this frivolous merriment must stop. His “wonderful, awful” idea is to don a Santa outfit, strap heavy antlers on his poor, quivering dog Max, construct a makeshift sleigh, head down to Whoville, and strip the chafingly cheerful Whos of their Yuletide glee once and for all.
Looking quite out of place and very disturbing in his makeshift Santa get-up, the Grinch slithers down chimneys with empty bags and stealing the Whos’ presents, their food, even the logs from their humble Who-fires. He takes the ramshackle sleigh to Mt. Crumpit to dump it and waits to hear the sobs of the Whos when they wake up and discover the trappings of Christmas have disappeared. Imagine the Whos’ dismay when they discover the evil-doings of Grinch in his anti-Santa guise. But what is that sound? It’s not sobbing, but singing! Children simultaneously adore and fear this triumphant, twisted Seussian testimonial to the undaunted cheerfulness of the Whos, the transcendent nature of joy, and of course, the growth potential of a heart that’s two sizes too small.

This holiday classic is perfect for reading aloud to your favorite little Whos.