Maybe the Grinch was right

As noted in an earlier blog, I am a big fan of The Grinch That Stole Christmas.  However, I hold some rather unconventional views on the main protagonist of the story.  It is simply this: I liked the Grinch better before he got "Who'd".  To my mind, he was a much more interesting character prior to his heart growing three sizes that day. And those Whos!!!  Am I the only one that really found them to be annoying with their constant smiling and insipid singing?  I say Amen to the Grinch's response, in the words of Dr. Suess:

And the more the Grinch thought of the Who-Christmas-Sing
The more the Grinch thought, "I must stop this whole thing!

In the debate over the real message of Christmas and whether Christmas has become too commercialized, it must be said that the Grinch had a point in his dislike of Christmas and all of its trappings.  The English Puritans certainly shared his desire to ban the whole thing. In 1647, the English parliament passed a law that made Christmas illegal. Oliver Cromwell considered all of the feasting and revelry on what was supposed to be a holy day quite immoral and anyone caught celebrating Christmas was arrested.  In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the observance of Christmas was once banned for 22 years. Even after it was legalized, public disapproval of Christmas celebrations lasted several years longer.  Just this year, the government of Croatia has banned Christmas and New Year parties in the public sector because of the global financial crisis.

Ah, but you will say, the Grinch later witnessed how Christmas came, despite all his efforts:

"It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

And how, after he had puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. "Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

Perhaps, but what that "little bit more" is, is never said and his response is simple capitulation, as the Grinch actually becomes a Who. Indeed, he even carves the roast beast, something he earlier said, he couldn't stand in the least!

So, is this Suess story one of a life changed by singing?  Or it a tale of a lonely old man who gives up his convictions and a good part of what actually made him interesting in order to get a good meal and some company on Christmas?

In conclusion, let me ask you.  Did you like the Grinch better before his Who experience or after it?