SANDPOINT — “Maybe Christmas,” the Grinch thought, “doesn’t come from a store.”

The classic Dr. Seuss tale follows the transformation of the Grinch, a bitter, cranky, cantankerous and crabby cave-dwelling soul who ever-so-much HATES Christmas. With a heart “two sizes too small,” the Grinch can hear the merry dancing, singing and laughter from the bright and cheery town of Whoville, home of the warm-hearted Whos. Annoyed, ever so annoyed, the Grinch plots to steal Christmas — not just the trees, not just the presents, not just the bright lights glowing in the night or the star atop the Christmas tree — but every single scrap, every bow, every box, every present. Everything.

Disguised as a wrinkled and barely passable Santa Claus and with his loyal dog, Max, disguised as a reindeer, the Grinch makes his way stealthily down the steep, snowy mountains toward Whoville, where he slides, slithers and maneuvers his way down the chimney of one house, and then another, stealing the presents, the trees and even the log for the Christmas fire.

After stealing Christmas from every home in Whoville, the Grinch and the loyal Max head back up Mount Crumpit, where he plans to toss every last scrap of Christmas into the abyss. He is shocked when, instead of tears and cries of sadness when the Whos discover the absence of everything, he hears the joyful sounds of a Christmas song.

As he hears the Whos singing, the Grinch realizes that maybe, just maybe, Christmas is about more than presents and feasting. His shriveled heart grows three sizes that day, relates Dr. Seuss in the book.

The Grinch does a 180 and turns the sleigh around and returns every last scrap to the Whos before joining in the Whos' Christmas celebration.

We have our own Whos in the community in the form of the Sandpoint Lions. Always cheerful and always wanting Christmas to be merry and bright, they work hard to make Christmas something special for each and every youngster in the community. But the Lions aren’t the only Whos around — everyone who donates, everyone who drops a coin in one of the various and assorted jars also gets to claim Who status (and the Grinch after he reformed).

To help the Lions raise the needed funds to ensure Christmas is merry for all the community’s youth, we’re going to keep the drive going through New Year’s Eve.

The drive sits at $45,974.03 — just a tiny bit short of the Lions' $50,000 goal.

Donations for Toys for Tots can be dropped off at the front desk at the Bonner County Daily Bee, 310 Church St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can also drop off donations at Columbia Bank’s Sandpoint branch, 414 Church St., or at the Ponderay branch, 300 Bonner Mall Way; the Ponderay Starbucks and the Ponderay Mountain West Bank.

Donations may be mailed to the Sandpoint Lions Club, Box 414, Sandpoint, ID 83864.

Donations made by check are preferred. Be sure to include a note with your check indicating that it is a Toys for Tots donation. If you wish to make an anonymous donation, please include a note.

If the donation is being made in someone’s name, be sure to also include a note.

Information: Sandpoint Lions Club, 208-263-4118