Review staff
Anyone who’s read or watched the holiday classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas, knows that no matter what he does, and how much how takes from the residents of Whoville to prevent them from having Christmas, the holiday arrives nonetheless.
Further, coming to the realization that Christmas isn’t about presents and instead, is about spending time with family and friends, the Grinch’s heart goes from being “two sizes too small” to growing “three sizes larger” as he finally understands the meaning of Christmas and in the end, gives back all he stole from the residents of Whoville and they all celebrate and live happily ever after. So instead of stealing Christmas, ultimately the Grinch actually provides a bit of a better Christmas for all.
And while the 1957 classic Dr. Seuss book that was made into the animated feature in 1966 that we enjoy every holiday season, even in 2009 the Grinch is going a long way in making Christmas better for all, as was the case recently in Rimbey.
Regular readers would have already seen the Page 1 photograph in the Dec. 15 edition featuring the Grinch, his dog Max and the five Schatschneider kids, but just like the original, there’s a lot more to this story than meets the eye.
“It was awesome. The kids had a blast, the adults had an even bigger blast and we ended up raising $511 for the Kris Quaife family,” said RaeAnn Keessar who played the role of the Grinch in the fundraiser. “We didn’t end up scaring anyone — which was a bonus, and I think the adults ended up having the most fun.”
“It went really well and we were steady all day. It was great,” added photographer Tresa Lowe. “We had a lot of fun and had hot chocolate and cookies for the kids, we had How the Grinch Stole Christmas playing on DVD for them to watch and it was a great turnout.”
And while both Keessar and Lowe said the kids were thrilled to be photographed with the green one, they found it very refreshing to see so many adults out as well.
“We had tons of adults and one group in particular of three adult males that were quite excited to come and see the Grinch,” Lowe said. “One of them came back a few days later to pick up his photograph with a huge smile on his face and thought the whole thing was awesome.”
The Quaife family was left homeless following a Dec. 2 fire that destroyed their Bluffton home. And while the family has received more than enough clothing, they still require a number of household items and/or cash. Anyone who would like to is invited to contact Loretta Matthews at 404-843-0022.