A classic Grinchy tale, and why we love it so much.

Written and illustrated by Theodore Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), and published in 1957, How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic Christmas favourite, and a story that will live on for many more generations, I’m positive.

Although I’m sure most of you are familiar with this story; but if by chance you’ve never heard it, or if you’d like a quick recap, you can quickly have a listen to it here: Audio: How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

But what is it about this grouchy green Grinch that has captured our hearts for the last 65 years? Why do we love this story so much?

Well, as Ashley Fell says in her Ted Talk, Why Storytelling Is So Powerful In The Digital Era, “Good stories are inherently visual”, which is likely a large reason why this story is loved so much by children.

Good stories are inherently visual

Ashley Fell

The illustrations are fun, detailed, and capture the imaginations of children. Now, pair that with detailed and rhyming sentences, and you’ve got a story every child is guaranteed to love.

But great illustrations and rhyming sentences aren’t the only requirements for creating an engaging story. It helps!! But there’s definitely more entailed. What, you ask? Well, why don’t we ask Pixar, the professionals of storytelling? Luckily, Pixar was generous enough to share with us the 6 Rules of Great Storytelling. Now, let’s see how Dr. Seuss encompassed these 6 rules perfectly, in How The Grinch Stole Christmas:

1- Great stories are universal

We’ve all, at some point, gotten lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas;

• The gift buying, making sure everyone is getting something special and making sure no one is forgotten.
• The one-month prep of Christmas baking; gotta be prepared! What if we get unexpected company? I need to bring something when we go visit!
• All the decorations that take a week to put up.

And with all of these tasks, expectations, and traditions, we often forget the true meaning of Christmas. A relatable issue, felt by many, making it universal. And Dr. Seuss is taking about exactly that.

2- Good stories have a clear structure and purpose

According to Aerogramme Writer’s Studio, using The Story Spine is a great tool for building a well-constructed story structure. As you can see in the following diagram, How The Grinch Stole Christmas follows the requirements of the Story Spine perfectly:

Once upon a time…	there was a grumpy Grinch.
Every day…	he’d be annoyed and frustrated with the Who’s and their Christmas celebrations and traditions.
But one day…	he set out a plan to ruin Christmas, by taking it all away!
Because of that…	he made a suit, sleigh, and reindeer to fool the Who’s into thinking he was Santa.
Because of that…	he snuck in their homes and took all their presents, decorations, and food.
Because of that…	he managed to bring it up the mountain where he planned to dump it.
Until finally…	when Christmas morning came, all the Who’s gathered for their traditional Christmas song. The Grinch, defeated, realized Christmas wasn’t about “things”.
And ever since then…	his heart grew three sizes, he returned all the items, and he realized Christmas wasn’t about the material items.

All in all, giving How The Grinch Stole Christmas clear structure and purpose.

3- Good stories give you a character to root for

Although seeming like the villain at first, the Grinch is the character we are rooting for in this story. How could anyone hate Christmas? Worst yet, how could anyone want to “find some way to stop Christmas from coming”?! We grasp onto hope that he’ll change; That someone or something will show him the goodness of Christmas; That someone or something will make him happy.

4- Great stories appeal to our deepest emotions

Is it safe to say, we feel for the Grinch? We see him sad, angry, annoyed, and lonely. Do we relate to the same feelings at times during busy holiday seasons, when the stress creeps in and starts to somehow outweigh the joy? Are you nodding to yourself as you’re reading these questions?

5- Great stories are surprising and unexpected

This story is full of unexpected surprises which is exactly what appealed to me when I first heard it as a child. My favourites were:

• The Grinch’s ability to take EVERYTHING from the Who’s homes, in an evening. The stockings, the presents, the Who’s feast, the tree, and even the log for their fire.
• Cindy-Lou catches the Grinch stealing (oh no! What’s gonna happen?!)
• The dog, Max, somehow successfully pulling that very full sleigh all the up Mount Crumpit.
• The Grinch’s heart growing three sizes (love that one!)
• The Grinch deciding to not only bring it all back to the Who’s, but to also join in the festivities 🙂 Who would’ve thought?

6- Good stories are simple. They are focused

Dr. Seuss definitely keeps this story simple and focused. Never veering off the path of the Grinch’s mission to “stop Christmas from coming”. Making this story pleasantly easy follow and understand.

There is no denying the brilliancy of Dr. Seuss’ storytelling. He wrote about hard topics in a manner in which children could understand. His serious, sensitive, important messages, composed with literature and illustrations having a deeper meaning that what appears on the surface. A story filled with so much connection, that we’ve enjoyed it for the past 65 years and counting.

“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!”