Ever since I was young, I’ve liked Christmas a lot,
But that shadow, my personal Grinch, did not.
I didn’t know he was there, he always got overlooked
Creeping in my mind, a holiday Babadook.
I can’t quite tell you why, he’s just always been there,
Cursing the season when I wouldn’t dare.
Christmas was good when I was still young,
But as I grew up, my thoughts on it swung
The lights grew dimmer and farther apart
There was no cure in sight for that Grinch’s small heart
I kept him at bay with cocoa and stockings
But it never quite stopped my Grinch from knocking
He dragged my attention to the lack of lights
Decorations and cheer were nowhere in sight
The tingle and terror of Christmas Eve night
Seemed to have left me all alone out of spite
I thought about why, and I thought it up quick
I knew somehow I would make next Christmas stick
I’d save up more money for gifts for my friends,
And my family, and I would somehow make amends
Next year would work, we’d see come Christmas Eve,
But that Grinch, he just laughed because I was so naïve
But that year came and went, and the one after that
I didn’t bother with decorations or my Santa Claus hat
The cheer, it was gone, wrapped up in a sack
That my Grinch carried away happily on his back
I sat after that and I watched him a while
He seemed to be taller, and when I noticed, he smiled
Dancing around and Grinchishly humming,
He said, “You’re finding out now that no Christmas is coming!”
I trudged through that year and I kept polite
But my Grinch had finally won this long fight
It meant nothing now, Christmas cheer had long gone
And that holiday morning was met with a yawn
Christmas was cancelled, its future in flux
But I was just glad now I’d save a few bucks
Then a thought hit me and made me stop on a dime
I hadn’t seen my Grinch in quite a long time
He’d finished his job and moved on to the next
Knowing someone else was cheerless left me feeling quite vexed
I went to a friend’s house, he ushered me in
And the sight of the living room, it made me grin
Lights, and a tree, and a wreathe on the door
He asked me what I had such a strange look for
“I forgot it was Christmas,” I said with a sigh
And I knew I didn’t want to let this year go by
I’d gotten my proof that Christmas was here
That’s when I heard a familiar voice in my ear
That Grinch whispered noise about my holiday
How the cheer and decorations had all gone away
But I knew he was wrong and I soon tuned him out
My focus was wrong and I’d need a new route
I’d focused so long on superfluous things
Trees, and lights, and boxes with string
I’d fed my own Grinch and let him take me down
I ran back to my family, Christmas was still around
I expected so much, after each year was through
Because that family gave me so much, then I knew
It came without ribbons, it came without tags,
It came without packages, boxes or bags
My Grinch turned and gave me a knowing smile
He’s known this story’s end for a while
But it’s one that I needed to see for myself
Now I could take my ego and put it up on a shelf
“Christmas,” he said, “doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
And with that, he was gone and he left me alone
To enjoy that holiday and know that I’ve grown
I didn’t need Christmas to just work for me
But I’d try to make it work for my friends and family.
I needed them more than I needed that stuff
They needed to know that they were more than enough.
