History Main / TheAntiGrinch

* Jack Skellington from ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' loves Christmas ''so'' much that he tries taking over for the year, only to terrify the ignorant masses with his gifts mail-order from HalloweenTown. It gets so bad the human authorities try ([[spoiler:and succeed]]) to shoot him out of the sky, literally knocking Jack to his senses.

* [[PosthumousCharacter Kate's father]] in ''Film/{{Gremlins}}''. According to her story, he dressed up as Santa to slide down their chimney to surprise her and her mother, but broke his neck and got stuck in the chimney instead. He wasn't discovered until days later. The experience traumatized Kate and understandably ruined the Christmas season for her.

* [[PosthumousCharacter Kate's father]] in ''Film/Gremlins''. According to her story, he dressed up as Santa to slide down their chimney to surprise her and her mother, but broke his neck and got stuck in the chimney instead. He wasn't discovered until days later. The experience traumatized Kate and understandably ruined the Christmas season for her.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': Timmy Turner wishes for Christmas to be every day. This backfires as everyone grows tired of neverending Christmases, and the fairies are unable to cancel the wish as their magic was sent to empower Santa Claus. Only by convincing children all over the world to write letters to Santa and have him end the neverending Christmas was the wish finally broken.

* After the opening origin story stretch of ''Film/SantaClausTheMovie'', the plot is driven primarily by one of his elves, Patch. He is a forward-thinking inventor who believes he can bring the North Pole into ThePresentDay with an automated toy production system, but while it initially works, ''everyone'' realizes too late that many of the toys it produces are defective, spoiling an entire Christmas season. Guilt-ridden and believing Santa no longer likes him, Patch becomes determined to prove he can get Christmas right and descends into the human world to produce, market, and distribute (via a FlyingCar) a lollipop that temporarily induces flight. Unfortunately, as he is a WideEyedIdealist he puts his trust in a crooked toymaker, B.Z., who agrees to bankroll him so that he can exploit his inventions for cold hard cash and become a VillainWithGoodPublicity. Patch's project is so successful come the next Christmas that he ''upstages'' Santa without realizing it, sending Santa into a blue funk. When Patch realizes via a young human friend of Santa that he not only didn't need to win back Santa's favor but actually made things worse, he decides to return to the North Pole with the next treat he was designing for B.Z., candy canes that are even more powerful than the lollipops, and give them to Santa to distribute. Unfortunately there's the little matter that the candy canes [[MadeOfExplodium explode when exposed to high temperatures]], leading to a climactic ChaseScene as Santa and his reindeer pursue the car...

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E7TisTheFifteenthSeason "Tis The Fifteenth Season"]]: Homer decides to change his ways and become the nicest person in town. When he gets told there's too much commercialism in Christmas and that everyone is better off without presents, Homer decides to to the "ultimate good deed" by stealing Christmas. Needless to say, [[TorchesAndPitchforks this doesn't work]].

* WebSeries/TheNostalgiaCritic has turned this into a RunningGag for the start of each December, eventually becoming MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds due to just how ''much'' he loves the holiday.

* WebOriginal/TheNostalgiaCritic has turned this into a RunningGag for the start of each December, eventually becoming MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds due to just how ''much'' he loves the holiday.

** In ''another'' Christmas special, Plankton tricks Spongebob into feeding everyone fruitcake laced with [[{{Aesoptinium}} jerktonium]], which turns anyone who eats it into a jerk. Spongebob is unaware of this, assuming that everyone is just being overenthusiastic, but he himself is immune to the effects because he's [[TooDumbToFool too stupid and innocent]].

** In ''another'' Christmas special, Plankton tricks Spongebob into feeding everyone fruitcake laced with [[{{Aesoptinium}} jerktonium]], which turns anyone who eats it into a jerk. Spongebob is unaware of this, assuming that everyone is just being overenthusiastic, but he himself is immune to the effects because he's [[BlessedWithSuck too stupid and innocent]].

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In the episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E21Hearthbreakers Hearthbreakers]]", Applejack, along with her family, visits Pinkie Pie's home in Hearths Warming Day. Noticing that Pinkie's family tradition differs from Applejack, to the point that it was literally dull as rocks, she vamps up the place using her traditions to enlighten the Hearths Warming spirit. It backfires spectacularly when the Pie family landmark, a giant egg-shaped boulder, falls off the edge of the cliff.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E7TisTheFifteenthSeason "Tis The Fifteenth Season"]]: Homer decides to change his ways and become the nicest person in town. When he gets told there's too much commercialism in Christmas and that everyone is better off without presents, Homer decides to to the "ultimate good deed" by stealing Christmas. Needless to say, this doesn't work.

Considered the opposite of TheGrinch and [[HowTheCharacterStoleChristmas how he failed to steal Christmas]].

* Clark Griswold on both ''Film/NationalLampoonsVacation'' and ''Film/NationalLampoonsChristmasVacation'', where his over-zealousness to give his family the best experience ever come hell or high water overrides said family's desire to enjoy a simpler experience and completely makes their lives a living hell (to not mention wrecks their car/house). Clark's son Rusty follows the tradition on the 2015 ''Film/{{Vacation}}'' remake-slash-continuation.
* Depending how you interpret ''Film/ChristmasWithTheKranks'', it's a bit ZigZagged. The Kranks' neighbors don't seem ''meant'' to be seen this way, but they badger the Kranks into conforming to the big over-the-top neighborhood celebration, leaving us with the {{aesop}} that TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong. Many viewers observe that StrawmanHasAPoint-- the Kranks just wanted a quiet family getaway, but the neighbors' forced holiday cheer ruined their plans.

* In the ''Series/SesameStreet'' special ''Film/ElmoSavesChristmas'' Elmo wishes that it was Christmas every day. Cut to a year later and everyone is broke because they have to buy Christmas presents every day, the Fix-It shop is out of business because they can't be open on Christmas, carolers have lost their voices, Big Bird is despondent because Snuffy is away for the holiday (forever!), and the Count is [[RadishCure tired of counting Christmases]]. Santa himself is a wreck. Elmo gets a chance to press the ResetButton, therefore saving Christmas -- when he was the one who ruined it.

* Depending how you interpret ''Film/ChristmasWithTheKranks'' it's a bit ZigZagged. The Kranks' neighbors don't seem ''meant' to be seen this way, but they badger the Kranks into conforming to the big over-the-top neighborhood celebration, leaving us with the {{aesop}} that TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong. Many viewers observe that StrawmanHasAPoint-- the Kranks just wanted a quiet family getaway, but the neighbors' forced holiday cheer ruined their plans.

There are people who hate Christmas; those that want to see it end in flames and screams and sad little faces. But one cannot accomplish such a thing as the spirit of Christmas is within everyone and can never die. However, [[ObliviouslyEvil sometimes the road to Hell is paved with good intentions]], and the one to pave it is this guy.

[[folder:Film - Animation]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* In the ''Series/SesameStreet'' special ''Film/ElmoSavesChristmas'' Elmo wishes that it was Christmas every day. Cut to a year later and everyone is broke because they have to buy Christmas presents every day, the Fix-It shop is out of business because they can't be open on Christmas, carolers have lost their voices, Big Bird is despondent because Snuffy is away for the holiday (forever!), and the Count is [[RadishCure tired of counting Christmases]]. Santa himself is a wreck. Elmo gets a chance to press the ResetButton, therefore saving Christmas - when he was the one who ruined it.

[[folder:WebComics]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'':
** One Christmas special has Spongebob learn about Christmas from Sandy, and proceeds to get the entire town excited about Santa. Everyone except Squidward, who ends up having to play Santa when the real one doesn't show up.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'': Timmy Turner wishes for Christmas to be every day. This backfires as everyone grows tired of neverending Christmases, and the fairies are unable to cancel the wish as their magic was sent to empower Santa Claus. Only by convincing children all over the world to write letters to Santa and have him end the neverending Christmas was the wish finally broken.

* ''SpongebobSquarepants'':

* ''TheSimpsons'': [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E7TisTheFifteenthSeason "Tis The Fifteenth Season"]]: Homer decides to change his ways and become the nicest person in town. When he gets told there's too much commercialism in Christmas and that everyone is better off without presents, Homer decides to to the "ultimate good deed" by stealing Christmas. Needless to say, this doesn't work.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** In the episode ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E21Hearthbreakers Hearthbreakers]]'', Applejack, along with her family, visits Pinkie Pie's home in Hearths Warming Day. Noticing that Pinkie's family tradition differs from Applejack, to the point that it was literally dull as rocks, she vamps up the place using her traditions to enlighten the Hearths Warming spirit. It backfires spectacularly when the Pie family landmark, a giant egg-shaped boulder, falls off the edge of the cliff.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'':
** Timmy Turner also wishes for Christmas to be everyday. This backfires as everyone grows tired of neverending Christmases, and the fairies are unable to cancel the wish as their magic was sent to empower Santa Claus. Only by convincing children all over the world to write letters to Santa and have him end the neverending Christmas was the wish finally broken.

* Jack Skellington from ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' is the perfect example of the Anti-Grinch (he's in the page's picture, after all). He loves Christmas ''so'' much that he tries taking over for the year, only to terrify the ignorant masses with his gifts mail-order from HalloweenTown. It gets so bad the human authorities try ([[spoiler:and succeed]]) to shoot him out of the sky, literally knocking Jack to his senses.

There are people who hate Christmas; those that want to see it end in flames and screams and sad little faces. But one cannot accomplish such a thing as the spirit of Christmas is within everyone and can never die. However, [[ObliviouslyEvil sometimes the road to Hell is paved with good intentions]], and the one to pave it it the Anti-Grinch.

Considered the opposite of both TheGrinch and [[HowTheCharacterStoleChristmas how he failed to steal Christmas]].

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_lu6wqxoqj91r5d1tgo1_500.jpg]]

This has a history of backfiring, as usually what they bring to the table isn't really something appropriate for the occasion, poisoning the season and those warm-fuzzy feelings. This is mostly out of ignorance of their actions, the Anti-Grinch realizing their mistake and [[SavingChristmas fixing it at the very very very VERY last second]].

'''Indexes:''' ChristmasTropes, IndexFailure