Who’s a Grinch?
The Grinch has been an unforgettable part of the holiday season for half a century. Thousands of children read (and watch the movie) ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ every year. With its happy ending and benevolent, cheery society of ‘Whos’ it’s easy to miss an important detail.
If you celebrate Christmas – whether culturally or religiously – how do you feel about those who do not? In particular, how do you feel about Muslims who live in America, yet don’t celebrate Christmas? People who don’t decorate their homes, wish you merry Christmas or happy holidays, don’t give Christmas gifts, and don’t even attend the family or company Christmas party? Does the title ‘Grinch” come to mind?
A Simple Question
Dr. Seuss’ Grinch, a character with a heart two sizes too small, aloof from the celebrations of Christmas, is profiled as “a vile one”, a “foul one”, and “a king of sinful sots”.
While ’How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ seems to emphasize the importance of togetherness and community over commercialization, the litany of pejorative terms levied against the Grinch for not celebrating, hardly eludes the psyche of the reader.
Why the Grinch did not participate in Christmas is unknown: “Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.” But the Whos of Whoville did suspect that “his head wasn’t screwed on just right”.
In the story, 53 long years had passed and no one from Whoville cared to find out why the Grinch remained in isolation on Mount Crumpit away from their Christmas joy. That was, until the Grinch, in the midst of breaking into homes to ‘steal Christmas’ while the adults of Whoville were “dreaming sweet dreams without care”, met Cindy-Lou.
She was less than two years old, and the only one who ever asked him, “WHY?”
Successfully stealing all the Whos’ trappings of Christmas, the Grinch hoped residents of Whoville would get his message. Togetherness, he thought, needed to be genuine– with or without the items from the store.
However, when the Whos celebrated without the commercial goods, the Grinch realized that their togetherness and happiness were sincere. He brought back their goods and was invited to the feast as the guest of honor where “he carved the roast beast”.
He wasn’t against gift-giving or celebrations after all.
What Whoville Did Not Do
The story is entitled, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, compelling us to focus on the actions of the Grinch. However, have you stopped to think about what Whoville did not do?
How could a community with a strong sense of togetherness and love not care about the lonely Grinch for 53 years? Why did they not care to have a dialogue to understand him more, why did they refuse to ask “why?”
Rather than inquiring, hurling insults at the Grinch was a convenient way to define and inevitably put “the other” in a box. The Grinch doubted the Whos’ togetherness because they ostracised and reviled him. He may have thought, “if their togetherness was genuine, why hasn't anyone invited or spoken to me for 53 years”?
The Grinch and Whoville, ironically, both valued togetherness. Yet, the communication gap made them assume the worst of each other. Perhaps the Whos and the Grinch could have coexisted more amicably had they had a conversation instead.
Ask Why
Living in a strong celebratory environment each winter holiday season, non-celebrants may feel as isolated as the Grinch on Mount Crumpit. Muslims who have to decline invitations to company Christmas parties, family gatherings, and gift exchanges are often made to feel as if they are against ‘Joy to the World’. Muslim children in classrooms across America are embarrassed to return to school with no news of piles of gifts beneath a tree.
It could be convenient to assume that Muslims who don't celebrate a holiday every winter are somehow dissenting or disparaging the holidays by not participating. In reality, as matters of faith, Muslims love many essential parts of Christmas. Gift giving, charity, family, social cohesion and even the birth of Jesus Christ are all important and valued in Islam.
Diversity is a beautiful part of our world. Therefore, to make our world where everyone can be treated as the guest of honor, espousing open conversations is key. These conversations would then fructify greater understanding and allow for compassionate coexistence. “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another.” [Quran 49:13]