At the end of Dr. Seuss’ iconic The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, the infamous Grinch’s heart grows three sizes when he realizes that “maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” The Ridgefield Grinch, who shows up in his Grinchmobile at children’s houses, sneaks up to their doors and leaves goody bags full of treats, shows that there are no bounds to how big his Grinchy heart can grow. His initial visits to Ridgefield homes began in December 2020 as a way to bring a little merriment and joy to people stuck at home during the pandemic and were wildly successful.
As the demand for his presence grew, the Grinch realized that grinching wasn’t a piece of fruitcake and he was going to need some help. “I thought who better than the fine folks from the Ridgefield Fathers Club?” says the Grinch. The Ridgefield Fathers Club is dedicated to giving back, supporting the community, and contributing to local charities through various fundraisers and events, so helping out the Grinch was a match made in heaven. “If something can be done for a child or family in need, we’re going to help the Grinch make that happen,” says Brian Armstrong, Executive Director of the Ridgefield Fathers Club.
The concept is simple, parents book a visit and for a minimum donation, the Grinch will pay their child a visit. The proceeds are all fed back to charities connected to the community – in the past the Grinch and the Ridgefield Fathers Club have made donations to organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and the Logan Project, which honors Logan Hale, a young Ridgefield resident who lost his battle with leukemia. “We really want to continue to help people in our community,” says Armstrong.
The Grinch comes calling
All of the Grinch’s visits to children are important, but he admits that some pull on his heartstrings more than others. The Grinch recalls being contacted by a concerned mom who recently lost her husband – she was worried about how she was going to make Christmas magical for her two children. “Let’s just say that my heart had a moment and I found myself quite emotional – almost as if I had been cutting onions, if you catch my drift,” says the Grinch. He worked with the Fathers Club to not only assist with saving Christmas, but also helped the mom tackle some tasks around the house. “It’s experiences like this that keep me, my dog Max, and my whole team motivated to continue spreading holiday cheer,” says the Grinch.
According to the Fathers Club, it takes a support system of about 40 of their members – who help with fundraising, coordinating events, building the website, ordering supplies, navigating the routes, and driving the Grinchmobile – to make the whole season happen. “He takes all the credit, but it really takes an incredible number of people to support the Grinch,” says Armstrong.
With the assistance of the Fathers Club, the Grinch visited over 700 homes last year. Ridgefield has about 550 roads and the Grinch’s logistics team mapped those out into 12 different routes. Each of those routes are assigned two nights. “Most of the nights book up in the first two days,” says Jacob Cascioli, Director of Fundraising for the Fathers Club. “After that, we get some special requests, like for sick children for example. The Grinch, despite his reputation, is a somewhat of a softie and tries to prioritize those visits. That really echoes the mission of our club.”
Not all the Grinch visits, however, are holiday-movie perfection. Sometimes, the youngest little Whos in Ridgefieldville, are a bit afraid and don’t warm up to the green visitor. “Some people don’t have the best opinion of me – perhaps they slept through the second half of the movie, who knows? For those tricky visits, I turn up my Grinchy charm and that seems to work. The goody bags help too!” says the Grinch. The positive reception has done wonders for the Grinch’s image. “Would you believe it? Rudy Marconi presented me with a shiny key to the town!” brags the Grinch.
If you’re interested in having the Grinch visit, go to www.ridgefieldgrinch.com. The 2023 holiday season usually opens around the second week of November and spots fill fast, so don’t delay! •
