Escorted by motorcycles, a rainbow Mustang convertible pulled up in front of Smallcakes Cupcakery in North Lubbock.
Santa Claus is in the driver’s seat, but his green, yellow-eyed passenger draws the most squeals.
“We started going and I said, ‘Hey Santa, why don’t you drive my car and you drive me around. You get the sleigh all the time, you get all of the publicity,” the passenger said. “‘Hey, let The Grinch get this one.’”
The Grinch gets out of the car and dances to the updated version of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” that accompanied the latest animated movie of the Dr. Seuss classic.
People’s eyes go big when The Grinch brings out a small dog with one antler tied to its head - he even brought his trusty companion Max.
Inside, Santa, The Grinch and Max set up near a Christmas tree decorated with cupcake boxes. They’re ready for a few hours of taking photos with kids and families.
For COVID-19 precautions, the number of people allowed in the shop at a time is limited. Many people leave their masks on even for the photos. Interactions are brief, but seem to be satisfying for all.
One visitor brings an onion, a favorite snack of Jim Carey’s interpretation of The Grinch. When the picture’s taken, kids grab a Laffy Taffy out of Santa’s sack. Only the green apple flavor, of course.
Like every Christmas, not every kid is happy to see Santa. Some are apprehensive of The Grinch, too. And he respects that. If a kid seems scared, he either backs away or uses Max the dog to warm them up. It works almost every time.
Three-year-old Avryn was so excited to see The Grinch, he was shaking while waiting in line. His mom Ashley Graves says he watches the movies all of the time.
When it was time for Avryn and his two sisters, in matching plaid outfits, to take their picture with The Grinch and Santa, he seemed starstruck. He eased up there.
After everyone left, The Grinch remembered Avryn.
“Today, for the first time, I saw a child actually shaking,” he said. “For them to ignore Santa and come to the Grinch, that makes me happy.”
The Grinch initially did this just for his own kids. But when the green man went out on a motorcycle, other people noticed.
“Everybody kept looking and waving,” The Grinch said. “I rode down the road and I was, like, before I knew it, I had a line behind me.”
It’s grown from there. The Grinch has been spotted all over Lubbock and is now visiting other towns in the area.
“I got Santa to come along, and we saw the smiles and stuff that we were putting on the kids’ faces,” he said. “And being that we’ve been through so much in 2020, we decided to keep it going.”
They’re doing all of this for free. They ask people who can to bring new toys or gifts that will be donated to kids in need on Christmas. Donations can also be dropped off at Crowned Customs and Wally's Dent Shop, 1917 Ave. Q.
The Grinch and Santa are doing all of this out of their pockets.
“It’s addictive,” The Grinch said. “We’re addicted to making people smile.”
In the classic book and movies, The Grinch’s heart grew three sizes when he finally felt the Christmas spirit. The Lubbock Grinch’s heart seems to already be that big.
Have a news tip? Email Sarah Self-Walbrick at saselfwa@ttu.edu. Follow her reporting on Twitter @SarahFromTTUPM.
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