A Bristol resident recently sent the Phoenix an email with a photograph (seen above), showing a devious Grinch behind the wheel of a vintage truck, loaded up with a bed full of gifts; seemingly getting a tow from the character’s trusty canine sidekick, Max.

The delightful display was set up by Foxhill Avenue resident Bob Desmarais, a Westport, Mass. native who moved to Bristol over 30 years ago to be with his wife, Peggy, a native Bristolian.

“I asked her for her phone number and she sounded real interested,” he recalled with humor, thinking back to her amazement that he would travel so far just to be with her. “She said, ‘You’re going to come all the way over the Mt. Hope Bridge to Bristol?!’”

The truck is an original, 1939 Dodge that was owned by the Walsh family, who Desmarais became close friends with, attending high school with Bill Walsh III and spending lots of time with his father and grandfather learning about fixing cars.

That trade has served Desmarais well. When he saw the truck for sale from another family friend of the Walsh’s, he knew he had to have it and give it a new lease on life. That was a little over three years ago.

“When I bought it it was a basket case,” he said. “I had to completely restore it.”

Thankfully, Desmarais was exactly the right kind of person to take on that type of job. The 81-year-old owns and still runs an auto wrecking business in Westport, where he was able to find all the proper parts (along with plucking some out of a 1940 Dodge fire truck he acquired) to fix the truck up right.

He upgraded the engine to a 1955 Dodge 241 Hemi, installed power steering and modern brakes, as well as a hydraulic clutch, using parts exclusively made in the USA. He said that when road crews were paving Foxhill, they delighted in having him pop the hood and start up the truck to show off his handy work.

Wanting to top his decorative idea from last year, where he stuck a Christmas tree in the pickup bed, Desmarais got to thinking about ways to really bring some more attention to the project.

“I thought of the Grinch and it was one of those things where everybody this year seems to be celebrating the Grinch,” he said. “He may be mean, but he has the biggest heart you can imagine. Even though he takes everybody’s presents, he gives them all back.”

It was clear in talking to Desmarais that the project has brought him a lot of satisfaction and pride, and he cherishes when people show an interest in it.

“I love it when people stop by and look at it and ask questions if I happen to be there,” he said.