JUPITER, Fla. — If you live in Jupiter or just pass through the small town occasionally, it's likely you've heard of or spotted the Jupiter Grinch. He's known for riding around town on a motorcycle around the holidays in full Grinch costume.
The young man behind theJupiter Grinch costume, 25-year-old Christian Renteria, said the idea was born during the pandemic.
"I thought, because it was so bad of a year, like a lot of sadness and quarantine and all that, I thought it would be funny to drive around as a Grinch," Renteria said. "It's a grumpy year, grumpy Grinch. A lot of families loved it. A lot of kids loved it."
For the last four years, Renteria has frequently stopped by schools and charitable events dressed as the Grinch.
"Everybody was like, 'We want the Grinch.' The kids were like, 'Hi Santa,'" Renteria said, "but the Grinch, they were like 'Oh, it's the Grinch, it's the Grinch!"
Renteria recently posted to Facebook he was taking a break from Grinch duties this year.
"Truthfully, this year has been a hectic year for me," he said. "I got overwhelmed, and I thought I need space to focus on myself."
Comments of love and supported flooded in from the community.
"I realized how everyone was so supportive," Renteria said.
The positivity filled Renteria's cup to the point he now plans to get back on the bike this weekend as the Grinch.
"I do look forward to coming home to see everyone, and I will have fun and I hope everyone will have a good laugh with me," he said.
Renteria added he hopes his presence around Jupiter this weekend serves as a reminder to make inner peace a priority this holiday season.
"It helps. Take a moment. Look at the small, good things. We all do something good. We all take things day by day," he said. "You wake up in the morning and you did a good job already."