Scrooge vs. Grinch Which classic Christmas character is meaner?

Ladies, gentlemen and children of the Christmas jury, two villainous defendants are presented before you for judgment.

Defendant 1: Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge of London -- a "squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire ..."

Defendant 2: The Grinch from the mountainous environs above Who-ville, whose story -- 50 years old this year -- recounts multiple crimes entered into evidence -- breaking and entering, burglary, robbery, animal cruelty to a dog named Max and impersonation of St. Nick. All committed in a wanton attempt, by his own admission, "to stop Christmas from coming!"

But who, in your judgment, is truly the meanest Christmas character of all? And why? To be sure, the stories of Scrooge and the Grinch share much in common -- bitter coldheartedness melted by the warmth of Christmas.

But is miserly Scrooge truly the meanest? Legally, he committed no overt crime but rather adopted a lifelong, coldblooded and hardhearted disdain of mankind.

"If they would rather die," he said in denying help to those in need, "they had better do it and decrease the surplus population." To him, Christmas was a "humbug."

Or perhaps the meaner is the Grinch, who deceived innocent Cindy Lou Who as Santy Claus and, in the very first household he entered, stole: "Pop guns! And bicycle. Roller Skates?! Drums! Checkerboards! Tricycles! Popcorn! And plums! And he stuffed them in bags. Then the Grinch, very nimbly, Stuffed all the bags, one by one, up the chimbly!"

Once you have judged, you have one more task -- to determine whose subsequent redemption is greater.

The Grinch, by understanding that Christmas spirit could not be stolen, found that his small heart grew three sizes. He returned everything he'd taken, sat at the Who feast and carved the roast beast. Scrooge, transformed by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future and haunted by the vision of his own death, helped Tiny Tim and more.

We asked these same questions to experts on matters of toughness, tenderness, crime and clemency. Hear their opinions.

Ernest Johnson, district court judge

The worst offender: "I think Scrooge was the greater offender because he had power and abused it. He had power over people and abused the people and abused his power. I consider the way he treated people to be offenses against humanity, even if they are not illegal. Scrooge, as well as having been a jerk, was also an unscrupulous lender. He also treated his employees bad."

Greater redemption: "Scrooge. My own reading of the Scrooge story was that, whatever the psychological vehicle was that generated his dreams, it was a self- redemption. It was internal and real."

The Rev. Angela Sims, theologian

The worst offender: "I would have to go with Scrooge. One would have to ask, 'Can one (the Grinch) really steal Christmas? Is the person really seeking to take something, or is it an internal struggle? I'm saying the Grinch was really trying to find self. Given that, I see Scrooge being a little meaner. Scrooge has a little bit more personal information about those with whom he was interacting. His actions were guided by self-centeredness, selfishness, egotism, hubris, but taken to an extreme. Because of his resources, he could make their lives good or bad. Scrooge had an amazing ability to do good. He actively chose not to."

Greater redemption: "I would probably stay with Scrooge. He may have been guided by self-interest, but in the end, Scrooge recognized how he could use the privilege given to him. He could be an agent of transformation. The reason may not matter much."

Sgt. Mike Foster, supervisor, violent crimes and robbery unit

The worst offender: "I would go with the Grinch because he went into town and broke into houses and stole everybody's stuff. Scrooge is just a mean person who doesn't happen to care. He's not going to help you, but the Grinch went out of his way to ruin everyone's Christmas."

Greater redemption: "That's a tough one. The Grinch. He realizes what the spirit of Christmas means and went out of his way to help. The Grinch turned good on his own. But Scrooge had to do it because he sees his own life in front of him."

Desmond Jenkins, boxer

The worst offender: "The Grinch is just a thief. But Scrooge was coldblooded. The Grinch stayed up in that mountain by himself with his dog. He doesn't have it to give. Scrooge saw those people every day. He was probably the richest man in that town. Scrooge really didn't do bad, but he was just a mean, coldblooded person. I can't say the Grinch is better, but he gave the stuff back. Scrooge didn't steal nothing, but he had it to give and never gave anything."

Greater redemption: "The Grinch. He didn't have to give anything back. He could have taken all that stuff and kept it. He gave it back and still doesn't have nothing. But Scrooge, he could have given it in the first place. He had a nice redemption, bought a turkey for Tiny Tim and all. But it's not big enough redemption for me. Any good man, with wealth like that, should help a family out."

This story was originally published December 25, 2007 at 1:41 AM with the headline "Scrooge vs. Grinch Which classic Christmas character is meaner?."