It was truly amazing how much could change for one individual in the span of a single year. At this time last year, The Grinch had despised the entire holiday of Christmas from start to finish. Hated the Whos of Whoville and the nose produced by the children when they woke bright and early each Christmas morning to play with their toys, before feasting and then singing.
But that fateful Christmas morning atop the summit of Mount Crumpit, when his small heart had grown three sizes, the Grinch at last realized how wrong he had been to ever hate the holiday. And much like the Whos, his heart became full of joy year round.
At first he had gone back to his lair after Christmas dinner in Whoville, but by New Years the Whos had all chipped in and arranged for him to come down and live with them. Cindy Lou Who especially was overjoyed. To her the Grinch was not unlike a distant cousin, and whenever she found the time she would send him a letter. Or if she happened to find him in town, she would try to talk to him face to face.
And now here the Grinch was on Christmas Eve once again. No longer dreading the holiday and wishing it would end. In fact it was the very opposite, he had embraced the spirit of it full heartedly. To that end he had put on his fake Santa Claus hat and coat he had made when he thought Christmas could be stolen. Now, however, he was using it to play the part of Santa for all the Who girls and boys. One by one they would come up to him, be seated in his lap, and whisper to him what it was that they wanted for Christmas.
Max was getting into the spirit of Christmas as well, dressed up like a reindeer. This time, instead of a great big antler, he had been thankfully given some smaller ones and a collar with jingling bells all around it. He happily wagged his tail, delighting in the Who girls and boys that would pet him on the head or scratch under his chin from time to time.
As the line began to thin and the last of the Who girls and boys took their turns on the Grinchy Claus' lap, his eyes caught sight of a very familiar Who at the back of the line. It was none other than little Cindy Lou Who. The same Cindy who had a year ago been the only one to see him in the act of trying to steal Christmas.
The Grinch felt his heart skip a beat, anticipating when the girl would be seated on his lap for her turn. He always felt happier and friendlier whenever she was around, something about her sweet nature got to him in a way that nothing else really did.
Sure enough, Cindy Lou Who was sitting on the Grinch's lap. The Grinch adopted his best jolly voice as he asked her. "What is your name, little girl?"
"Cindy Lou Who, sir." Cindy politely replied.
The Grinchy Claus smiled. "And tell me, Cindy Lou Who, have you been a good girl this year?"
Cindy Lou Who nodded and smiled. "Oh yes, I've been very good all year round. I always get up and go to bed when my mommy and daddy tell me to. I never try to touch things the grown-ups tell me not to touch. And I make sure to eat all my vegetables so I'll grow up big and strong."
"Excellent! That's very lovely to hear, my dear," The Grinchy Claus proudly declared. "So then. What is it that you would like for Christmas, Cindy? A girl as good as you can have just about anything her heart desires."
For a moment, Cindy was silent. She put a finger to her chin as if she had never thought about what she wanted, even just for a little while. The Grinch waited patiently.
At last, Cindy's mind appeared to settle on an answer as she leaned in close and whispered to the Grinchy Claus. "What I want most for Christmas is a visit from my new friend, Mr. Grinch. Do you think you can arrange that, Mr. Santy Claus?"
"I think so, my sweet little tot," The Grinchy Claus sweetly replied. "Go to bed tonight as you did last Christmas. And I will do my best to track down your friend and deliver him to you. Expect him by midnight."
Cindy did just as she was instructed. She was in bed by nine with no fuss. And despite her excitement, she fell asleep with little trouble.
She awoke at what she assumed was midnight to the sound of something (or possibly someone) sliding down the chimney.
Rising from her bed, the girl no more than three carefully crept to her bedroom door and opened it just a crack. When her eyes fell upon the familiar green fur of the Grinch, she immediately dropped all pretenses of stealth and rushed over to greet him! "I knew you'd come!" She happily exclaimed! "I'm so happy to see you again, Mr. Grinch!"
The Grinch smiled. "This is what you wished for is it not? For me to pay you a visit this very night?"
Cindy Lou Who nodded. "And you're the only present I need, Mr. Grich! No gift in the entire world could compare to a friend like you."
The Grinch felt his heart skip a beat. He had suspected that Cindy had a personal attachment to him, but he never imagined her sense of a connection to him ran that deeply. "You really mean that?"
Cindy confirmed the Grinch's question with a firm nod. "When you showed up here last year, trying to steal Christmas, you helped us all to remember what Christmas was really about. It's not about the toys, or the food, or the decorations. It's about being with friends and family, spreading good cheer. Since then, Christmas has truly been grand. So I just wanted to say, thank you. Thank you for helping all of us Whos to remember the true meaning of Christmas."
The Grinch lightly stroked Cindy's head, smiling as he looked down at her. "My sweet little tot," He cooed softly. "The world could certainly benefit from more Whos like you. Promise me one thing, my dear. Promise me that no matter how old you become, you never lose this cheerfulness within you. It's something that you should treasure and cherish for as long as you live."
"I will, Mr. Grinch. I will!" Cindy firmly vowed. If it meant having a friend like the Grinch, she'd have no trouble maintaining that cheerful attitude of hers.