While millions of children around the world had a holly, jolly Christmas, playing with the presents they received from Santa Claus, others didn’t enjoy the festivities as much.
“The Grinch” broke into their homes and stole all their holiday cheer, making Christmas Day memorable for all the wrong reasons.
A video posted by Katelyn, who goes by @K8Dehm online, shows two children running away from the furry green creature created by Dr. Seuss as he chases them around the house.
A trend among parents dressing up as The Grinch to scare their children on Christmas is being widely criticized online
Image credits: k8dehn
The youngest child, who appears to be two or three years old, begins to cry as You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch plays in the background.
The video is part of a growing trend among parents of dressing up as The Grinch to prank their children or other young family members—many of whom don’t find the situation amusing in the slightest.
And neither do social media users, who criticized the parents for scaring their children just to gain a few likes or laughs.
“Why are you doing this to them?” one user asked.
Image credits: k8dehn
“Just think about the psychological consequences before making jokes, children do not know how to differentiate fiction from reality,” another said.
“Were they trying to surprise them or traumatize them for life?” questioned someone else.
“That’s so mean,” added a fourth, while a separate user shared, “As a kid I was so terrified of The Grinch.”
Another user said, “The second kid had the purest form of fear I have ever seen in someone’s face.”
Children, especially younger ones, don’t find the prank as funny as their older relatives do
Image credits: k8dehn
At a different gathering in Chicago, The Grinch surprised a group of children dressed in festive pajamas and green and red outfits. The reactions were as varied as the number of kids in the room: some cried, while others fought the green intruder, throwing pillows at him before he grabbed the Christmas tree and left the room.
In the final frame of the video, posted by @frankiedejoya, the camera captures the aftermath of the prank, showing three young children visibly upset.
@k8dehn #YourAmeanOne #MrGrinch ♬ You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch (A Funny Christmas Song) – Allan Sherman
Another video by @kuleeikim shows The Grinch dressed in his Santa suit stealing presents from nine children. The situation seemed amusing to some of them, but a girl was particularly distraught and burst into tears at the unexpected sight.
In the video hashtags, @kuleeikim included #GrinchTikTok and #ChristmasPartyGames.
“The Grinch is at it again destroying kids Christmas’s 😭 Someone please stop this! 😂😂” reads the caption of another clip shared by @famousunderdog that shows the cranky character stealing presents from four children, then waving goodbye as he heads out the door.
“Were they trying to surprise them or traumatize them for life?” one critic asked
Image credits: diegolopez21_
Published by children’s author Dr. Seuss in 1957, How The Grinch Stole Christmas follows a solitary creature with a heart “two sizes too small” who steals presents and decorations in an attempt to ruin the festive spirit.
The story, famously adapted into a feature film in 2000 with Jim Carrey starring as the titular character, criticizes the consumerist culture surrounding Christmas and the holiday season.
In 2007, the National Education Association included The Grinch in the Teachers’ Top 100 Books for Children.
@diegolopez21_ xoxo the grinch #christmas #canonevent #grinch #trama #fyp ♬ original sound – 𓍼 ׄ ִ . ॱ
But why do children like stories that scare them? From the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood to the witch in Hansel and Gretel, children’s stories are filled with villains.
After all, fear is a natural part of childhood. Reading about it helps children put the emotion into words instead of locking it away, explains psychoanalyst Sophie Boutin.
“The child is afraid of what he cannot express and which stirs within him,” notes Boutin.
“The fear of the dark, for example, is universal. It is the fear of the living that we cannot represent, the fear of the monstrous, of the unrepresentable, of the impulses that run through us.”
Videos of the green intruder stealing presents from children are receiving thousands of views
Image credits: festivexmastok
@festivexmastok the grinch comes to visit #fyp #xmas #snow #snowing #snowman #decor #christmasdecorating #snowing #grinch #thegrinch #prank #christmas ♬ I Am the Grinch (feat. Fletcher Jones) – Tyler, The Creator
@frankiedejoya Grinchmas #grinchtiktok #grinchtok #fyp #christmashorror #christmasgrinch ♬ original sound – FRANCESCA
“Stories that scare are those that give words to the child’s fear. They have a therapeutic power. The children’s book is a friend who comes to talk to them about something they could not express.”
However, it’s up to parents to learn how to act as responsible mediators, providing a safe space for children when introducing these stories to them.
Unlike books, which can be opened and closed and “arouse a critical instance” in children, scary films—or other terrifying sights that cannot be stopped, such as a relative dressing up as The Grinch—have a “hypnotic power” that “short-circuits” in this mediation, Boutin points out.
The Grinch “prank” sparked mixed reactions online, with some viewers finding it funny and others criticizing the parents
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