During the season of Christmas, the stories of Santa, Scrooge and the Grinch all speak of the joy of giving as well as of receiving. It spills into every area of our lives. At the door of every merchant clamoring for your holiday dollars, is a person with a bell and a red kettle looking for the leftovers. Our Christmas cards are mixed in with appeals from every possible charity. Our Marines collect Toys For Tots. The plight of the poor gets it's annual spin through the news cycle. We get to feel bad for them, but good that it's not us - except that maybe this year it is us.

We tend to see the Democrats as Santa Claus, giving gifts freely to anyone on the nice list, and distributing lumps of coal to the naughty children. They want to help the poor and the downtrodden. They make gifts magically appear after a midnight sleigh ride through the Capitol. They believe that no one should suffer - except maybe those disappointed naughty children.

Unfortunately the Democrats have the same problems as Santa Claus. There are no magic flying reindeer. He makes no midnight ride. He doesn't have a bunch of elves making i-pods and Barbies at the North Pole. They are made by underpaid workers in China, and shipped to Walmart for our consumption. Santa is real parents spending real money on these gifts, and spending the time carefully wrapping them in order to keep the illusion alive.

In the same way, the Democrat goodie bag is nothing more than an illusion. Every goodie bestowed to those on the nice list has to be paid for. In this case the parents preserving the illusion are the taxpayers who foot the bill for the Santa's gift list. Wouldn't it be nice if the government could solve all of our problems? Wouldn't it be nice if a fat man in a red suit gave us cool stuff after breaking into our homes? 

The Republican stereotype is Scrooge, the king of the naughty list - greedy, miserly, cold and uncaring. He has an amazing talent for turning his lumps of coal into diamonds. His change of heart only comes about after being reminded, educated and threatened by three ghostly apparitions (Democrats, we assume...). Suddenly he is transformed (hmmmm... that sounds familiar) into the most generous of souls. He feeds the poor, treats the sick, and gives Bob Crachit a raise.

Unlike Santa Claus, Scrooge provides this generosity out of his own money. He uses the money that he has earned to provide charity that he deems necessary. Sort of like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett creating charitable foundations. And why do they form these foundations? It's not a vote of confidence in Santa. If they thought that the government was handling these issues effectively through tax dollars, they would just give Santa a few extra billion and not take on the headache of watching where the dollars go.

We find the most compelling character to be the Grinch .He wants to be left alone without the rest of the world intruding. He is not consumed with the gifts, per se, but in the noise of the celebration that he sees intruding on his own way of life. He sees the theft of the Christmas gifts as a way to preserve his own way of life. He is not harassed into a change of spirit by forces outside of his own conscience. When he understands that he is wrong, he chooses to do right. His morphing is one of self-awareness. He learns that he was mistaken in his views, and in his actions. He corrects them. 

The Grinch did not buy little trinkets for the Whos like Santa. He did not throw money at them like Scrooge to ease his guilt. All he did was to give the Whos in Whoville their stuff back. If only we could get the Congress to do the same for us.  Then the Grinch took a place at the table with the Whos.

The Whos are us. They go about their lives, enjoy their families and their traditions and we assume, pay their Who taxes. It was their example that caused the Grinch to do the right thing. The honorable thing. He chose to better himself.

The Grinch came to understand what our Santas and Scrooges do not. The Whos were not upset at the loss of the gifts and decorations, because their focus was not on the trappings - it was on the substance, family and friends. They had faith in their traditions and community. They were grounded. No matter if there are gifts or decorations, we have people to rely on among our friends and family.

This year has many people facing adversity, and to many it's more serious than not having gifts. Unemployment is high, houses are still being lost. People are trying to make due with much less - even people who thought their finances were secure. Many heads of household are under enormous pressure. Those who remained grounded will get through these bad times. Those who cannot will suffer. Some will snap. Some will be broken.

America as a society seems to be on the cusp of a Grinch moment. As we look around, we see that things have changed, and not for the good. It goes beyond a sour economy and right to the heart of our American spirit. More people than ever are dependent on government assistance, and it bothers us.  The generational poverty that has dogged the inner cities and rural areas is staking claim in the suburbs. Ever growing numbers are joining the ranks of those whose finances AND spirits are broken. They wait for Santa and a winning lottery ticket..

The Santas profess to care and hand out aid by the bucket load - however Santa is not able to deliver dignity wrapped up in pretty paper or legislation. The Scrooges see that no matter how much money we spend to fix the plight of the suffering, it will do nothing if the individual is unwilling or unable to use temporary aid to effect permanent improvement in their situation. The Grinch remained a bitter creature until he decided not to be. In the end it is up to the individual.

Common Sense Dictates

Americans are upset this year, as we were last year. We are bitter that our perceived riches have vanished. We may be tempted to make poor choices or wallow in our bad fortune. We can do that. We can join the other angry grinches and opt for the mentality that the government owes us, that it's impossible to dig our way out. We can give up and become wards of the state.

Or we can do as our one Grinch did. We can realize that our plan didn't work out. We can change the plan. That means different things for different people - there is no one size fits all solution. For some it may be returning to school or learning a new trade. For others it may be to start a new business, or to move to a new area. For a few it might be going to family and friends and riding out the storm. Through it all, we can continue to do the right thing and move forward.

As we go about our holiday bustle, we should take the time to count our blessings - our permanent joys even in difficult times. For those who can, drop a few dollars, or even a few coins in the red kettle. It was the example of the Whos that inspired the Grinch. We never know when a small gesture can save a life. If you have the ability to do more, consider it. In this economy, it's not just the homeless that are helped, it may be neighbors.

The Grinch provides us an inspiring illustration of how to use what we can control - our attitudes and actions; to cope with what we cannot control - which is much of life. We should embrace our inner Grinch, and follow his honorable example in all seasons. So says Common Sense.

RLB