CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Grinch is coming to a neighborhood in northwest Clarksville to spread his own type of holiday cheer on Christmas Eve.
Lynda Baker, grandmother of eight, tells Clarksville Now she wanted to have one last Christmas for her grandchildren to remember after having her second open heart surgery. So, with the help of her family and friends, they pulled out all the stops and began constructing their own little version of Whoville from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
It started with rewatching the movie, Baker said. “We went through some of the pictures of Whoville and came up with the idea of putting it on plywood.”
It was a community effort, as everyone pitched in to help bring this fictional Christmas village to life, including her husband, Ronald Baker, who has embodied the role of the Grinch for this holiday season.
“When the grandkids found out that we were going to do a Whoville Christmas, they were like, ‘Is Grandpa dressing as the Grinch?'” Baker said. “He loves it. He loves being the Grinch.”
Baker said her husband was out one day in the Grinch costume and people of all ages were stopping and asking if they could take pictures with him. “It wasn’t just children, it was teenagers, married couples, older ladies, they came running down the street to take pictures with him.”
After that, they decided to do a big Grinch-themed photo opportunity on Christmas Eve and began promoting it on social media.
“You’re never too old to be a kid,” Baker said with a smile. “Christmas is really magical. And it’s not that you may not have a lot of things in life, and you may not have a lot of money to spend for Christmas, but you can always find the magic in Christmas.”
The Grinch will be available from 2-7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24, at 310 Buckeye Lane.
Santa Claus will also be in attendance, along with other characters from Whoville.