The Grinch + Xmas Graffiti

"It's Complicated" About Holidays + Street Art

BORIS KARLOFF NARRATES HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!

Scrolling through a rabbit hole of videos last night, searching for something to sum up my own “it’s complicated” relationship with the holiday, I stumbled on a clip of a street artist tagging a piece of plastic in the middle of a bustling holiday market.

His subject? None other than The Grinch—more Jim Carrey’s manic interpretation than Dr. Seuss’ vintage original. Now that’s my kind of graffiti and performance art!

What made the video catch my eye—and imagination—wasn’t just the art. Though it was bold, bright, and gloriously green. No, it was the artist’s ability to create in such a public space and then invite the crowd to grab a can and add their marks to the mess. And it wasn’t your standard guerrilla street art either. No buildings were harmed in the making of this temporary mural.

While I’m no fan of forced merriment or paint-splattered mess, something about this act of controlled chaos put a smile on my face.

Maybe it was the playful nod to destruction that didn’t actually destroy anything.

Or maybe it was the reminder that those of us on the Grinch-Scrooge spectrum can find joy in the season too.

Dunno about you, but if I’m gonna celebrate the holidays, I prefer to keep the creativity to a maximum, the mess to a minimum, and the holiday music on repeat. Here’s a playlist I made….for your consideration:

On this Christmas Eve, I hope you sing, dance, and/or enjoy a long winter’s nap.

Thanks for reading!
Clint

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FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

• "Gay" vs. "Same-Sex Attracted" (GeekyJustin)

• Richard Hunt: The Gay Man Behind the Muppets (Matt Baume)

• Third Time's A Charm = Twas The Days Before Christmas Vlog (PJ and Thomas)

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ON THIS DAY = DECEMBER 24

BIRTHDAYS

• 3 BCE = Galba = Roman emperor 🌈

• 1810 = Wilhelm Marstrand = Danish painter and illustrator

• 1886 = Michael Curtiz = Hungarian-American actor, director, and producer

• 1903 = Joseph Cornell = American sculptor and director

• 1905 = Howard Hughes = American businessman, engineer, and pilot

• 1922 = Ava Gardner = American actor

• 1923 = George Patton IV = American general

• 1924 = Lee Dorsey = American singer-songwriter

• 1927 = Mary Higgins Clark = American author

• 1940 = Anthony Fauci = American physician

• 1944 = Woody Shaw = American trumpeter

• 1945 = Lemmy = English singer-songwriter (Motörhead)

• 1945 = Nicholas Meyer = American screenwriter, director, and author

• 1946 = Brenda Howard = American LGBT activist 🌈

• 1959 = Lee Daniels = American filmmaker and tv producer 🌈

• 1962 = Kate Spade = American fashion designer

• 1966 = Diedrich Bader = American actor

• 1971 = Ricky Martin = Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and actor 🌈

• 1974 = J.D. Walsh = American actor, director, and producer

• 1974 = Ryan Seacrest = American radio/tv host and producer

• 1991 = Louis Tomlinson = English singer

• 1991 = Taylor Zakhar Perez = American actor

HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES

• Christmas Eve

• National Eggnog Day

EVENTS

• 1777 = An expedition led by English explorer James Cook reached Christmas Island, the largest coral atoll in the world.

• 1818 = The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the Nikolauskirche in Oberndorf, Austria.

• 1826 = The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning.

• 1871 = Giusseppi Verdi's Aida premieres in Cairo, Egypt.

• 1906 = Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech.

• 1922 = The BBC broadcasts its first radio drama, The Truth about Father Christmas, with Arthur Burrows in the title role.

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PHOTO + QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Amongst the qualities a hero should have, I would include determination, loyalty, courage, perseverance, patience, focus, intrepidity and selflessness.”
Ricky Martin