Something that always made me wonder...
I wouldn't actually classify this thread as a question per se, but rather a thought that I find myself having every time I watch or hear this story. It applies to the book and both films, and I figured I'd put it on the board as I just watched this version of the film earlier tonight with my son.
Has anyone else ever wondered how, exactly, he gets all of the stuff he stole back to the right people? And what about items that can't be replaced? I mean, actual Christmas gifts could be easy in the sense that they're more than likely labeled "To" and "From", but in all three versions of the story (as far as I can tell), he takes literally everything from the Whos except for the clothes on their backs and the beds they sleep in. (Hell, he even takes every ounce of food they have... not all of their food is to be used on Christmas! Yeesh!)
It's a weird thing to think of multiple people wanting their appliances, electronics and such returned to them, and picturing folks arguing over which items belong to whom. As an example, think of the common idea of the "Joneses"; that one person/couple/family who always seems to have what everyone else wants. Maybe they owned a rather expensive HD/LCD 60 inch TV, but suddenly someone else comes along and takes claim to it. Sure, the Grinch thought that by bringing all of the items back he was doing a good thing, but in reality would that be the case?
I understand that the end of the story highlights the actual meaning of Christmas, and how it's more important to be with family and friends who love you rather than focusing on the pricey gifts and decorations. But let's be honest here. For me personally, if I look around my home right now, my family and I have a lot of stuff that is OURS. Some of it we paid for ourselves, and others we received as gifts over the years, or got through other means (for example, some of my furniture and figurines were left to me when my grandmother passed away.) If it was all taken and mixed with other people's items, the stress of having lost items (in particular the sentimental and irreplaceable ones)and possibly never getting them back would be chaotic and stressful to say the least. Not to mention heartbreaking at times as well.
Maybe I'm reading too much into things, but it's something that always comes back to me. I guess if the Grinch had only taken the Christmas items (trees, decorations, gifts and so forth), it might not take things to such a deep level, and of course the situation would be more directly linked to the story. However, he took EVERYTHING. Something about that fact seems to make the plot much more morbid and twisted, and it's an otherwise unmentioned part of the story that really seems creepy to me.