It was the Grinch's first year living in Whoville, and it was also his first year celebrating Christmas. He wasn't the best at making friends, so evidently, he was spending Christmas alone. The Grinch didn't mind being on his own, he'd done it for years, but there was something about Christmas that made everyone feel as if they'd have to share it with others. The problem was he had no idea how to even celebrate Christmas. He knew people bought presents, and decorated their homes. But he didn't know what was considered a 'good' present, he didn't even know how to shop for a Christmas tree! From his point of view, he was practically hopeless. Mr. Grinch heard a commotion going on outside. Annoyed, he looked out the window. "Ugh," he muttered to himself. It was his next-door neighbor, the Nutcracker.
All the other people in the neighborhood were awed by his extravagant decorations. He only moved into Whoville a few months ago and he was already loved by everyone in town. He heard about the famous "Nutcracker" everywhere. He constantly heard about how charming and popular he was, but the Grinch never understood the appeal. He'd ran into the Nutcracker a few times before, but there was one specific time that defined their relationship as a whole. Mr. Nutcracker was putting up his Christmas lights when he knocked an icicle into the Grinch's special trash pile. Mr. Grinch stomped out of his house in a rage. "What are you doing!? You just dropped one of your dang icicles in my pile!" Grinch yelled. " Oh yeah, sorry about that, can you get that icicle for me? It's part of my decorations." the Nutcracker called out from the ladder. "No! You're being so careless with those way-too-bright lights of yours! You're always causing so much noise, noise, noise!" the Grinch raised his voice. "Well, then you should get rid of all that trash around your house! Maybe then I won't get in your way!" Mr. Nutcracker replied with anger. The Grinch stormed back inside. Since then, most encounters he had with Mr. Nutcracker were filled with bickering and resentment.
The Grinch blinked back to the present. As he peaked out of his window, he caught on to his neighbor's muffled conversation. The Nutcracker was hosting a Christmas party! "How delightful." The Grinch thought to himself with sarcasm. The Nutcracker was already throwing a party, and he hadn't even gotten started with the Christmas spirit. The Grinch paced around his living room, thinking of a plan. "Ah ha!" he exclaimed. The Grinch sneaked outside wearing a hood to cover his green face. He went to every house, and peaking through every window, all to see that every house was different! Some Christmas trees had shiny round ornaments, some were draped with long colorful ribbons. Some trees were topped with stars, some with angels. And the worst of it all, the presents were already wrapped, so he had no idea what to buy his acquaintances! Mr. Grinch moped back home in sorrow, unsuccessful with his plan to understand Christmas, when he glanced at Mr. Nutcracker's house. As he stared at the beautifully lit home, desperate for a solution, he came up with a last minute idea. The Grinch walked up to the Nutcracker's door, he lifted his hand and delivered a knock. He heard a hurried "coming!" followed by an excited unlocking of Mr. Nutcracker's door. Mr. Nutcracker swung the door open with a smile, but that smile quickly faded when his visitor was soon revealed. "Grinch," he said with a questioning tone. "Nutcracker," the Grinch replied. "What do you want," Nutcracker started. The Grinch stared at the ground trying to find the words to say. "Look, I don't have time for arguing right now so-" the Nutcracker started to close the door. "Wait!" Grinch cut him off, "I need your help,". The Nutcracker stopped to listen. "I... I don't know how to celebrate Christmas, and I need your help," The Grinch muttered. The Nutcracker stared for a moment, then a quick sparkle shined in his eye. He looked down with a sigh, "wait here". The Grinch tilted his head up, "what?". "I said 'wait here'," the Nutcracker answered as he quickly shut the door. He returned soon after with a big coat around him. "Let's go," the Nutcracker said as he started to walk off his porch. "What? Go where?" The grinch followed. "Late night Christmas shopping!" Mr. Nutcracker said with a prepared smile.
They rushed to the shops, gathering as many lights and wreaths as they could. The Nutcracker grabbed every kind of ornament and ribbon he could find. The Grinch, desperately trying to keep up, rolled behind him with a cart. The Nutcracker ran around with a huge smile on his face, throwing all his findings in the cart. He went on and on describing to the grinch why each decoration was important, and every single tradition he and his family would do on Christmas. The Grinch was confused, not understanding the meaning behind all of these useless traditions and decorations. The items piled onto the cart, and the Grinch had to peek around the mountain of stuff to see where he was going. The Nutcracker came to a stop in front of the forest entry. "Are we finally done?" the grinch said with a grumpy voice. "Not just yet! We have one final item." the Nutcracker announced. The Grinch left the cart by the entryway and followed the Nutcracker into the woods. "What are we looking for again?" the Grinch asked, as he dragged his tired feet. "A Christmas tree, obviously!" the Nutcracker marched through the snow. "Back when I was a child, my father told me that the tree with the strongest scent of pine would bring the most Christmas spirit!" the Nutcracker explained. Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps behind him stopped. The Nutcracker turned around to see the Grinch's upset and exhausted face. "What's wrong?" the Nutcracker said with a worried tone. The Grinch burst into distress, "I'm just so tired of this! You keep talking about all these great things you did with your family, and the meaning behind them. But I just don't understand! I never spent Christmas with anyone! And the day I tried stealing Christmas, in the end, everyone still sang their stupid songs together. I understand there is more to Christmas than presents and all that, but I've never experienced it with anyone else! All these family traditions and buying people meaningful gifts. I don't know what that feels like!". The Nutcracker look at him with a sympathetic expression. The Grinch never admitted it, but he was truly jealous of the Nutcracker. He knew he'd never be as popular or as liked as the Nutcracker was. In the end, the Grinch just wanted to feel loved. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that this was making you upset. I was trying to help you understand the meaning behind Christmas, but maybe I should show you instead." The Nutcracker walked towards him and wrapped his arms around the Grinch. His heart raced, he'd flinched a little when the Nutcracker opened his arms. The Grinch was confused, but then he felt safe. The Grinch leaned into the hug, "Thank you, Nutcracker". Mr. Nutcracker pulled away, "Call me Timothy". "Okay, Timothy, call me Ethan," they started to walk deeper into the trees, "Ethan? Is that really your name?" the Nutcracker asked, "well that's what my parents called me before I ran away," the Grinch replied as they walked into the distance laughing with each other.
They finally made it home, carrying mountains of Christmas decorations. They hung up all the lights around the house, set up the Christmas tree, and even built a snowman in the front yard. When they were finished, they laughed as they had snowball fights, and baked cookies together. They spent the whole night talking, laughing, making up new traditions with each other, and most of all having the perfect Christmas eve. At first, the Grinch didn't get the meaning of Christmas, but when he looked at the Nutcracker and saw his reassuring smile, he somehow finally understood. The next day, Mr. Nutcracker and the Grinch hosted the Christmas party at the Grinch's house. The house was perfectly decorated for a Christmas party. The Grinch and the Nutcracker were walking in through the front door after greeting a few guests when all of a sudden somebody calls out to them "look up!".They both looked up, then back at each other. Somebody had placed a mistletoe above the door frame! Everybody in the room eagerly waited for something to happen. As the Grinch and Nutcracker looked deeper into each other's eyes, they found Ethan and Timothy in themselves. Both of their eyes shined in the starry light as their faces grew closer and closer. They both closed their eyes and leaned in. They shared a gentle, and embracing kiss, knowing they were safe with each other only, and only each other. They pulled away, unable to look away from each other's gaze. Then the whole room cheered with excitement. It caught the two off guard, but they just looked back at one another and smiled as they walked back inside holding hands. That's how the Grinch learned how to share the meaning of Christmas.
