The Christmas That Almost Wasn't But Then Was TV Show Information Genre Starring Country of Origin Channel First Appearance The Christmas That Almost Wasn't But Then Was (also known as: Grinchy Little Character Who Tries To Steal Christmas) is a 1938 low-budget, holiday movie that appears in Skinner's Sense of Snow. This holiday movie was chosen by Principal Skinner to show the school children that came to school despite the blizzard.