When the Grinch set out to ruin Christmas, he had only one thing on his mind, the sad and disappointed faces of the children of Whoville on Christmas morning. To his surprise, rather than tears and looks of despair, the people of the town gathered together and began to sing songs of cheer to ease their disappointments. At this climatic point in the movie, The Grinch comes to an eye-opening realization that Christmas could be more than just “gifts, gifts, gifts…”
We definitely didn’t expect to learn financial lessons from a Christmas classic but here we are.
In one of Universal Studios numerous classics, there was a grumpy green hermit on Mount Crumpit who unknowingly gave us our first lesson in behavioral economics – that happiness might be an inside job and not the result of a shopping spree.
The movie opens with a breathtaking view of the town of Whoville, where the Christmas spirit lives. As the camera descends into the sea of decorative lights, we witness the pre-christmas bustle that has taken over the whole town. There are sales discounts in every shop window and long queues of people eager to take advantage of them. Several Christmas contests that promise exciting rewards, and mothers competing to outdo each other’s holiday decorations.
In Cindy Lou Who’s home, we see a close up perspective of the Christmas spirit in Whoville. Cindy Lou’s mother cares only about the neighbors’ opinions of her decorations, and her father, the local postman, feels too overwhelmed by the flood of holiday packages to engage in the festivities. It seems that the Christmas spirit that lives in Whoville has quite a commercial side.
Everyone focuses on who buys the most presents, who gets the most presents and who enters the most contests. Christmas is quickly reduced to a celebration of financial prowess thereby prompting the citizens of the town to make drastic financial decisions just to fit in. It is this obvious commercialization of the festivities that inspires the Grinch to take his revenge by “stealing Christmas,”—taking every gift from under the tree.
Sounds familiar?
Suddenly a Whoville Christmas and Detty December don’t seem too different. Let’s be honest, 40% of the fun in Detty December is letting the world know just how much fun you had and having them silently estimate what it might have cost you. Already, there is a common grumble along the lines of ‘Christmas won’t be the same this year’ and while that is true, it shouldn’t take away from the real value of what this season means.
The trend of overconsumption during the holidays leaves little to no encouragement for financial responsibility. The general excuse to overspend is the cliché ‘It’s Christmas – live a little’ but as we’ve learned from the citizens of Whoville, Christmas isn’t about the material things, but about celebrating the special human connections we experience.
In the famous words of The Grinch “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more.”
By embracing Christmas’s true essence, we can find joy even when the gifts disappear and the glittering lights fade. In a society where the true meaning of Christmas is upheld more than the material and commercial value of the season, financial restraint becomes easier to practice and financial health becomes a trend.
At Bravewood, we witness this philosophy in action every day. Just as the Grinch discovered that joy comes from community rather than consumption, we help our clients understand that true financial wellbeing isn’t about deprivation. It’s about making intentional choices that align with what matters most.
Our approach to wealth management mirrors the lesson from Whoville: lasting satisfaction comes from building meaningful relationships, creating genuine experiences, and investing in your future, not from chasing the temporary high of excessive spending.
So ask yourself, if the grinch wanted to steal your Christmas, could he?
Bravewood is licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria to provide investments with low risk and high returns for Nigerian professionals.
