1957 was almost the last Christmas.

The Grinch stood on Mount Crumpit and sneered down on all of us here below in Whoville.

“Why the incessant music, Max? What makes them so happy down there? What’s so special about Christmas? Decorations, colored lights, presents-under-the-tree, roast-beasties and who-hashies? Something must be done, Max. Something must be done right away to ruin, topple, pulverize, smash and stop this Christmas-thing once and for all.”

So said the Grinch to Max his loyal dog as the great green brain hatched a despicable plot in the head above the two-sizes-too-small heart. Grabbing and gluing, sawing and nailing, bending and blow-torch-attaching, that large green-furred Grinch assembled his Christmas-steal-away sled. Lifting Max by the tail, with a sneer and a glee, the large green-thinking Grinch screwed a red bulb to the small dog’s nose and tied a single lichen-coated-and-broken antler to the worried canine’s head.

“Ready and off, mush Max. Off we go and a wheeee. . . .”

Stealing into Whoville in the dark of Christmas Eve night – sliding, slipping, squirming and crawling – the deft-and-long-green-fingered Grinch took it all. On furry green toes, he left not a crumpet crumb in a fridge, a lighted lightsie on a roof, or a present-to-be-presentedie under a tree, and then he took the tree too boot, and kicked and pushed and crammed it all in the giganteous-largess-oversizedeous bag on his sled. He even stole the electricity and cut the cord.

“Mush up, my Max, the mountain is yours to mount. Go trusty steed-courser, more rapid than a mini eaglet with small brown legs. I whistle and shout and call you, my doggedy-dog-engine, by name. Now, Max! On, Max! To the top of Mount Crumpit! To the edge of the cliff! Now, dash away! Dash away! Dash away, Max!”

And, that honest and faithful little dog did just that, though he did not like it all, not one little bit. Max pulled the sled with all of Christmas to the top of the great hill. At that height in the cold and frosty air, the Green Grinch jumped down and gloated in great-sneer-and-wait for the wails to rise from far below. He waited in freezy-frozen cold and cold-coldiness to hear all us Who’s in Whoville wake and moan and cry and whimper and sit in the snow and shiver without hope at Christmas broke, stolen, gone, lost and ruined forever. That Grinch rubbed his icy hands and listened to hear. . . .

“Fah who for-aze!
Dah who dor-aze!
Welcome Christmas,
Come this way!

Fah who for-aze!
Dah who dor-aze!
Welcome Christmas,
Christmas Day.”

“Max, come over here and stick a brown-and-broken branch in my ears. My sound drums must be aligned to a wrong channel. I hear the notes of happy-in-the-wind winding and now I see down there smiles-on-the-faces smiling.”

It was then the great Grinch dropped that stick and his eyes grew wider-than-big-widest. A “Thump, Thump, Thump!!!” was heard by Max as the green chest expanded with a new heart grown three times its size.

“Max, the can’t-be-couldn’t-be-wouldn’t-be is there where it shouldn’t be. Christmas came just as-it-is-be, without the loot-and-toot and crinkly-open-and-shout and all the gifty-get-thees, the great roast beasties on plattery platteries and the hashed hashedies in cranberryeous saucedies.” A heave of laughter shook the tall green figure with its new-and-knowing heart of lead-turned-gold and shiny-throughtedy thoughtediness. “Max, my trusty stead, saddle up. We have some presents to deliver and amends to remend and commendedy.”

As fun thoughts before the wild Grinch sled fly, When they meet with Who’s, waving to the sky; So down to Whoville, Max the Red-Nosed Grinch Dog flew, With the sleigh full of toys, and the Great Green and Smiling Grinch, too.”

And, when they arrived, before a single gift was dissembled or plate of treats reassembled, a smallish-small Who child named Cindy grabbed the large furry hand and small brown paw and pulled the two new guests into the circle of now-and-ever-always-will-be Who friends, where the overly-large-and-growing-still, greeny-green-the-color-of-Christmas Grinch added his great-clear-and-mighty voice in harmonious-harmony to that-which-he-had-missed-so-long-and-now-shared-there-with-all-this-day, as the tiny dog at his side barked the what-he-always-knew-and-now-knew-with-new-new bark and wagged his tail and rubbed his Master’s leg, and received for the first-everyess-ever time a Christmas Grinch rub back in tune:

“Welcome Christmas
Fah who rah-moose!
Welcome Christmas
Dah who dah-moose!
Welcome Christmas
While we stand
Heart to heart
And hand in hand

Fah who for-aze
Dah who dor-aze
Welcome welcome
Christmas
Christmas
Day”

May your Christmas Day be every Day, as it is with the Large-Hearted Green Grinch of Happy Mount Crumpit and his trusty and loyal companion, Max the Red-Nosed Grinch Dog,

Grandpa Jim