For most people, part of the holiday tradition is watching classic, feel-good holiday stories. This often includes one of the many made-for-TV interpretations of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas. For those unfamiliar with the story, it’s about a green creature called the Grinch who lives on top of a mountain with only his dog for company. Every year, the Grinch watches the townspeople celebrate Christmas, and he hates it. Because of this, he decides to go down to the town one night right before Christmas and steal all the decorations, presents, and festive food, believing this will stop the people from celebrating.
After returning to his mountain with all his stolen goods, the Grinch looks down, expecting to see Christmas canceled. Instead, he sees the people still celebrating by singing and being together. This causes the Grinch to realize that Christmas is not about what we buy, but about love and community. This anti-consumerist message, of course, leads to a perfect McDonald’s tie-in.
The Grinch Meal was introduced at McDonald’s restaurants in the United States on December 2, 2025. The meal can be ordered with either a Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets, along with a drink. The main draw of the meal is the limited-edition dill pickle Grinch salt, which comes in a separate packet from the fries so you can add as much or as little seasoning as you want, which I personally think is a really good idea. The meal also comes with a pair of socks, which can be yellow, red, blue, or green.
I got the Grinch Meal with nuggets and a Diet Coke from the McDonald’s location on Davis Street, which I must say has improved its fry quality and stinginess in recent months. The Grinch Meal comes in a special box similar to a Happy Meal, just bigger. I really liked the designs made for this holiday collaboration. At first, I thought the seasoning would either be too strong or make the already salted fries too salty, but they were actually really good—and this is coming from someone who normally does not like pickle seasoning. They also give you quite a lot of seasoning in the packet. It’s a nice twist on classic McDonald’s fries.
If I’m being honest, my favorite part of the meal was the socks. I need to preface this by saying that I have sensory issues and generally despise socks, especially ones with cute embroidered designs. The threads on the inside usually catch on my toes when I try to put them on or scratch my skin and bother me the entire time I’m wearing them. That was not the case with these socks. I love these socks. I’m wearing them as I write this. I cannot sing enough praise for what I assumed would be cheaply made, low-quality gimmick socks.
Overall, there are definitely cheaper meals where you can get more food for your money, but you aren’t buying this because it’s a good deal. You’re buying it because it’s a fun holiday gimmick, and when looked at that way, I think it’s worth the money compared to an average McDonald’s meal.
The Grinch has been used in advertisements for many companies this year, including Walmart. While this might make sense since the Grinch is one of the most popular holiday characters—up there with Rudolph and Frosty—it still feels odd. At its core, The Grinch is a story about how Christmas is not about consumerism. Using the Grinch to advertise fast food and companies known to engage in practices like fast fashion feels contradictory.
