Searching for Meaning

What is the meaning of Christmas? The 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas shows the existential crisis of the character Cindy Lou Who, trying to understand what Christmas is “all about” (directed by Ron Howard [Universal Pictures, 2000]). For the residents of Whoville, the meaning of Christmas is about presents, competition, and ultimately consumption. The Grinch tells Whoville where their stuff (that is their meaning of Christmas) ends up: “That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? That’s what it’s ALWAYS been about! Gifts. Gifts … Gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts! You wanna know what happens to your gifts? They all come to me. In your garbage. You see what I’m saying? In your GARBAGE!” In Ecclesiastes chapter 2, we see Qoheleth likewise trying to find meaning in life through working hard and obtaining stuff.