When the Grinch steals someone’s Christmas

Law & Grace Ministries in Belleville is burglarized and the bad ones take Christmas presents for the poor. A van is stolen outside of a church in St. Louis and with it go the gifts that were purchased for needy children. A fire destroys the home of a Highland family of 13 and takes much more than just their Christmas.

After each of these sorry or sad events we saw the community step up.

Strangers bring donations. Rob Ellison decides he doesn’t need to make a buck on eBay as much as the kids need his collection of Star Wars toys. The Highland Jaycees organize a clothes drive, dance and barbecue.

“We’re always there for families,” Jaycee president Zach Resmann said.

No one likes the thought that the promise of Christmas will be hollow for our fellow man, so we try as best we can to replace the things they lost.

And the people who steal at Christmas are invariably labeled as grinches by someone in the media. Yet to do so really misses Dr. Seuss’s point.

Yes, the Grinch stole “Christmas,” but his redemption did not come from returning the trappings. His heart grew when he realized that the season is not about “stuff.”

We need food, clothing and shelter, but there are greater gifts to offer our afflicted or traumatized neighbors. It may be friendship. It may be renewed hope borne from your kindness.

This story was originally published December 20, 2015 at 1:00 PM with the headline "When the Grinch steals someone’s Christmas."