GRINCH STOLEN CHRISTMAS!

GRINCH STOLEN CHRISTMAS!

Liked Christmas they did
Every Who Down in Who-ville
But the Grinch, Did NOT!

Just north of Who-ville,
lives Grinch - hater of the whole
fun Christmas season!

Why? No one quite knows.
Perhaps head’s not screwed on right,
his shoes were too tight?

If not shoes, then his
heart was two sizes too small,
to loathe Christmas Eve.

Staring down from cave
with a sour, Grinchy frown
stood hating the Whos.

Below in their town,
busy in warm lit Who-homes,
hanging their stockings,

the mistletoe wreath.
“And Tomorrow is Christmas!”
he snarled with a sneer.

“It's practically here.”
he growled, Grinch fingers drumming,
“I MUST stop Christmas!”

For, bright and early
Who girls and boys rush their toys-
Oh, the noise! Noise! NOISE!

That's Noise he hated!
Then Whos, young and old, sit down
and they'd FEAST! FEAST! FEAST!

Feast on Who-pudding,
rare Who-roast-beast; and something
Grinch liked least of all -

each Who, tall and small,
stand hand-in-hand, bells ringing,
and they'd SING! SING! SING!

This Who-Christmas-Sing,
fifty-three years he’d endured
“Stops now!” – ‘how?’ Grinch thought

scratching head, puzzling.
Then Grinch got an idea -
wonderful, awful!

Grinch laughed as he made,
quick Santy Claus hat and coat
“my great Grinchy trick

I look like Saint Nick!”
Did the old Grinch stop there? No,
he called his dog Max.

Then took some red thread,
tied big horn atop dog’s head,
“Voila, a reindeer...”

Loaded empty sacks
on a ramshackle old sleigh
and hitched up poor Max.

“Giddap!” Grinch said,
sleigh slides down towards homes where Whos
lay a-snooze in town.

All windows were dark,
and quiet snow filled the air,
while Whos sweet dreaming.

“Here’s stop number one”,
first little house on the square,
old Grinchy Claus hissed.

Slid down the chimney
from roof, empty bags in fist,
a rather tight pinch.

But, Grinchy Santa
got stuck once - moment or two,
then out fireplace flue.

“The first things to go”
Who stockings hung in a row,
stuffed in bag, he grinned.

Grinch smile unpleasant
as he slithered and slunk, and
took every present.

Pop guns! Roller skates!
Bicycles! Drums! Toys! and plums!
he stuffed in his sacks.

Grinch, very nimbly,
hoists these bags up the chimbley.
Then to the icebox,

where he steals Whos' feast!
Took the Who-pudding, roast beast,
he cleaned icebox out.

Last can of Who-hash,
stuffed with the food up chimney,
the Grinch grinned with glee.

“Now, to stuff up tree!'”
Grinch grabbed the tree, and shoved up
then heard small dove coo.

He turned and saw small
Little Cindy-Lou Who, who
was not more than two.

Caught by tiny Who
daughter getting some water,
Grinch stopped and she stared.

“Santy Claus, why are
you taking our Christmas tree?
Why, oh, WHY?” she asked.

Old Grinch thought up lie
so smart, so slick, and so quick!
“Why, my sweet small tot,”

fake Santy Claus lied,
“A light on this tree won't light,
so, at my workshop

I'll fix it up there,”
he smiled, fib fooling the child,
“then I'll bring it back.”

With a pat on head,
Grinch got Cindy-Lou a drink
and sent her to bed.

Back to chimney, the
tree, fire log, stuffed up and last
himself, old liar.

In house nothing left
but wire hooks, and one speck of
crumb too small for mouse.

Then he did same thing
To the other Whos' houses
Left nothing but crumbs.

At quarter past dawn
all Whos still a-snooze in bed,
Grinch packed up his sled.

Packed with their presents!
The ribbons, wrappings, and tags!
Tinsel, trims, trappings!

Three thousand feet up
the side of Mt. Crumpit, rode
tiptop to dump it. 

“Pooh-Pooh to the Whos!”
he was grinch-ish-ly humming,
“Christmas’ not coming!”

“They're just waking up
and their mouths will hang open
to all cry BOO-HOO!

Whos down in Who-ville
will make a sad sound,” grinned Grinch,
“I simply MUST hear!”

He paused, hand to ear.
to hear a low sound rising
over the snow, but

the sound wasn't sad
Why, this sound sounded merry!
“It couldn't be so…”

Grinch eyes popped, surprise,
every Who down in Who-ville,
the tall and the small,

merrily singing!
Without presents Christmas came,
he hadn’t stopped it.

Somehow it just came.
In snow, with grinch-feet ice-cold,
the Grinch stood puzzling.

‘How could it be so?
without ribbons! tags! or bags!’
he puzzled three hours,

till his puzzler sore,
then, “Maybe Christmas means more
than gifts from a store...”

And what happened then?
Well, the Grinch's small heart grew
three sizes that day!

Heart not quite so tight,
Grinch whizzed Whos’ load down mountain
to bring back their toys!

Their food for the feast!
And he... HE HIMSELF...! The Grinch,
he carved the roast beast!