Christmas is just five days away. Personally I can’t stand all the commercialization of Christmas and things like “Black Friday,” that are associated with it. One thing that I do love about Christmas time though, is all the lights and decorations that people put up.
MBIP pal and Contributing Writer and Photographer, Bob Gordon does an annual post dedicated to lights and decorations at people’s houses and that will be up on Christmas day. As a warm-up to that, I’ve taken some photos of a place in town that has a really nice display of lights every year and that’s the Peoria Courthouse. And instead of captions, underneath the photos is text from my favorite Christmas tale, “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss. The good doctor nails what the true meaning of Christmas should be. Okay...camera, action...lights!
They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two,
Then the Whos down in Whoville will all cry boo-hoo!
"That's a noise," grinned the Grinch, "that I simply must hear!"
He paused, and the Grinch put a hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low, then it started to grow.
But this sound wasn't sad!
Why, this sound sounded glad!
Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small,
Was singing without any presents at all!
He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming! It came!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling. "How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
It came without packages, boxes, or bags!"
He puzzled and puzzled 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!
And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say,
That the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day!
And then the true meaning of Christmas came through,
And the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches, plus two!
And now that his heart didn't feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light.
With a smile to his soul, he descended Mount Crumpet,
Cheerily blowing "Who! Who!" on his trumpet.
He road into Whoville. He brought back their toys.
He brought back their floof to the Who girls and boys.
He brought back their snoof and their tringlers and fuzzles,
Brought back their pantookas, their dafflers and wuzzles.
Welcome Christmas. Bring your cheer,
Cheer to all Whos, far and near.
Christmas Day is in our grasp,
So long as we have hands to grasp.
Christmas Day will always be,
Just as long as we have we.
Welcome Christmas while we stand,
Heart to heart and hand in hand.
Further Reading and watching: Seussville Books, Wikipedia and Vimeo.