The Grinch + Xmas Graffiti

"It's Complicated" About Holidays + Street Art

Dec 24, 2024

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

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
)

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 actress
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

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.

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