Speaker 1: How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Doctor Seuss. Every Who
down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch,
who lived just north of Whoville did not. The Grinch
hated Christmas the whole Christmas season. Now, please don't ask why.
No one quite knows the reason. It could be his
head wasn't screwed on just right. It could be perhaps
that his shoes were too tight, But I think that
the most likely reason of all may have been that
his heart was two sizes too small. But whatever the reason,
his heart or his shoes, he stood there on Christmas
Eve hating the Who's, staring down from his cave with
a sour grinchy frown at the lighted windows below in
their town. For he knew every who down in Whoville
beneath was busy now hanging a missiletoe wreath, and they're
hanging there stockings. He snarled with a sneer. Tomorrow is Christmas.
It's practically here. Then he growled, with the grinch fingers
nervously drumming, I must find some way to stop Christmas
from coming. But tomorrow he knew all the who girls
and boys would wake bright and early they'd rush for
their toys. And then oh the noise, Oh the noise, noise, noise, noise.
That's the one thing he hated, the noise, noise, noise, noise.
Then the who's young and old would sit down to
a feast, and they feast, and they'd feast, and they'd beast, beast,
beast beast. They would feast on who pudding and rare
and who roast beast, which was something the Grinch couldn't
stand in the least. And then they'd do something he
liked least of all, every who down in Whoville, the
tall and the small would stand close together with Christmas
bells ringing. They'd stand hand in hand, and the who's
would start singing. They'd sing, and they'd sing, and they'd sing, sing, sing, sing.
And the more the Grinch thought of this who Christmas sing,
the more Grinch thought, I must stop this whole thing.
Why for fifty three years I've put up with it.
Now I must stop Christmas from coming. But how then
he got an idea, an awful idea. The Grinch got
a wonderful, awful idea. I know just what to do.
The Grinch laughed in his throat, and he made a
quick santi claws hat and a coat, and he chuckled
and clucked. What a great grinchy trick with this coat
and this hat, I looked just like Satan Nick. All
I need is a reindeer. The Grinch looked around, but
since reindeer are scarce, there was none to be found.
Did that stop the old Grench. No, The Grinch simply said,
if I can't find a reindeer, I'll make one instead.
So he called his dog Max that he took some
red thread and he tied a big horn on the
top of his head. Then he loaded some bags and
some old empty sacks on a ramshackle sleigh and he
hitched up Old Max. Then the Grinch said, get up,
and the sleigh started down toward the homes where the
Wos lay a snooze in their town. All their windows
were dark, quiet snow filled the air. All the whos
were all dreaming sweet dreams without care. When he came
to the first little house on the square, this is
stopped number one. The old grinchy claws hissed, and he
climbed to the roof, empty bags in his fist. Then
he slid down the chimney a rather tight pinch. But
if Santa could do it, then so could the Grinch.
He got stuck only once for a moment or two.
Then he stuck his head out the fireplace flew when
the little Who stockings all hung in a row. These stockings,
he grinned, are the first things to go. Then he
slithered and slunk with a smile most unpleasant, around the
whole room. And he took every present pop guns and bicycles,
roller skates, drums, checkerboards, tricycles, popcorn and plums, and he
stuffed them in bags. And the Grinch very nimbly stuffed
all the bags one by one up the chimly. Then
he slunk to the ice box. He took the Who's feast,
He took the Who pudding, he took the roast beast.
He cleaned out that icebox as quick as a flash.
Why that Grinch even took their last can of who Hash.
Then he stuffed all the food up the chimney with glee,
and now grinned the Grinch, I will stuff up the tree.
And the Grinch grabbed the tree and he started chef
when he heard a small sound like the coop of
a dove. He turned round fast, and he saw a
small who, little Cindy Luho, who was not more than two.
The grinch had been caught by this tiny who daughter,
who got out of bed for a cup of cold water.
She stared at the grinch and said, Santi Claies, why
why are you taking our Christmas tree? Why? But you
know that old grinch was so smart and so slick.
He thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick. Why,
my sweet little taut the fake santy Claus lied, there's
a light on this tree that won't light on one side.
So I'm taking it home to my workshop. My dear,
I'll fix it up there, then i'll bring it back here.
And his fib poled the child. Then he patted her head,
and he got her a drink, and he sent her
to bed. And when Cyndy lu Who went to bed
with her cup, he went to the chimney and stuffed
a tree up. Then the last thing he took was
the log for their fire. Then he went up the
chimney himself. The old lire on their walls. He left
nothing but hooks and some wire, and the one speck
of food that he left in the house was a
crumb that was even too small for a mouse. Then
he did the same thing to the other who's houses,
leaving crumbs much too small for the other whose mouses.
It was quarter past dawn, all the who's still a bed,
all the who's still a snooze. When he packed up
his sledge, packed it up with their presents, the ribbons,
the wrappings, the tags, and the tinsel trimmings, the trappings
three thousand feet up up the side of Mount Crumpet,
he rode with his load to the tip top to
dump it. Poo pooh to the who's he was grinchessly humming.
They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming. They're
just waking up. I know just what they'll do. Their
mouths will hang open a minute or two. Then the
who's down in Whoville will all cry oooooo. That's the noise,
grinned the Grinch that I simply must hear. So he paused,
and the Grinch put his hand to his ear, and
he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It
started in low, then it started to grow. But the
sound wasn't sad. Why this sounded merry? It couldn't be so,
but it was Mary. He stared down at Whoiville. The
Grinch popped his eyes and he shook. What he saw
was a shocking surprise. Every who down in Whoville, the
tall and the small, was singing without any presence 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.
And he puzzled three hours till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. Be Christmas.
He thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps
means a little bit more. And what happened then? Well?
And who will they say that? The Grinch's small heart
grew three sizes that day, and the minute his heart
didn't feel quite so tight. He whizzed with his load
through the bright morning light, and he brought back the
toys and the food with the feast, and he he himself,
the Grinch carved the roast beast