The Grinch Fern, Photo Courtesy of Mr. & Mrs. Warne / WWSB-ABC7 | Warner Bros

The Grinch works in mysterious ways. Sometimes, he steals all the Christmas presents in Whoville, only to inspire the most memorable and heartwarming Christmases in the town's history. Other times, like this year for instance, he performs less-impressive miracles like manifesting his face in a fern in Sarasota, Florida.

When it comes to miracles, this one barely meets the minimum requirements, but that hasn't stopped the staghorn fern from spreading some holiday cheer this season. According to WWSB ABC 7, Mr. Warne, the owner of the fern, unknowingly set a miracle in motion a few months ago when he used two washers to secure the "Grinch fern" to its base.

Since then, the fern has miraculously grown around the washers to form a shape that's at least a little bit reminiscent of Dr. Seuss' illustrations in "How the Grinch that Stole Christmas." If you're having trouble seeing it, the washers are supposed to be the Grinch's eyes. Hey, we said it was a minor miracle, didn't we?

Just like with those Magic Eye posters at mall kiosks, sometimes you have to star really hard and hold your mouth a certain way to see the incredible hidden images in an otherwise splotchy and indecipherable piece of artwork. Then, once your eyes are crossed, it becomes a lot more likely that Michael Jackson's face will appear in your bowl of oatmeal or whatever.

What kind of governing body determines whether something is a certifiable miracle or not ... the Vatican perhaps? Maybe this fern should be submitted and then Grinch fanatics and wannabees can make pilgrimages to Sarasota.

Most of us never get lucky enough to see a real live Christmas miracle, but maybe that's because we don't try hard enough.

Is it more miraculous that this staghorn fern slightly resembles the Grinch? Or that Snoop Dogg didn't inject more drug references into his reading of "How the Grinch Who Stole Christmas?" Or are we just looking for the wrong kind of miracle here?