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It is the time of year when we all huddle up and watch our favorite Christmas movies. Among our favorites is still the animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas film, with Boris Karloff narrating and those classic Chuck Jones facial expressions bringing the iconic Dr. Seuss book to life. This year, McDonald’s has gotten into the Grinchmas season in a big way, and people are losing their minds over Grinch Salt, all while missing the point of the original story.

The commercialization of the Grinch is one of the more baffling parts of Christmas this year. The character is advertising nearly everything, including supermarkets and fast food. McDonald’s is using the iconic Christmas character as part of the current marketing campaign, with Grinch Salt Dill Pickle seasoning being added to many orders. However, that’s not enough for many fans. No, they need to get their fix, and they’re turning to eBay to make it happen.

Snackolator, who often collates information about fast food offers and events, posted screenshots of Grinch Salt being resold on eBay for more than $3 a pack. We checked, and you can, indeed, still find these listings online. This is despite the fact that you can still get Grinch Salt in stores as part of McDonald’s festive menu. There is absolutely no reason to spend money to get it delivered to your home, no matter how much you find yourself craving it.

This is the kind of story that makes us scratch our heads, not just because it shows just how effective the marketing for this event has been, but it is also so far from the point of the original Dr. Seuss story that it feels too on the nose. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is explicitly about how the commercialization of Christmas is not a good thing, and seeing The Grinch selling fast food is directly contrary to how Dr. Seuss’ wife saw her late-husband’s legacy. In a 1996 interview with Business Week, Audrey Geisel said, “I don’t want to go into the food business. I don’t want one of our little people poking out from a box of Wheat Chex.”

We would like to reiterate that you do not need to buy Grinch Salt off of eBay or any other online marketplace. There is still plenty available at McDonald’s if you’ve got the craving. It is worth remembering that Christmas and every other holiday from this time of year don’t come from a restaurant or a store. Christmas, we promise, means a little bit more.

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