It has been over two decades since Ron Howard and Jim Carrey teamed up to bring Dr. Seuss’s most famous curmudgeon to life in live-action. For a generation of moviegoers, the 2000 version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas is the definitive holiday watch. For others, it remains a fever dream of latex and noise.

Revisiting the film today, it stands as a fascinating, chaotic, and mostly successful experiment. It isn’t perfect—far from it—but it possesses a manic energy and a genuine heart that makes it impossible to ignore during the holiday season.

Here is why I still love the Green One, despite a few coal-sized lumps in the stocking.