Skipping Christmas

Author: John Grisham
Genre: Fiction / Christmas
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing, 2010
Pages: 208
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded malls, no corny office parties, no fruitcake, no unwanted presents. That's just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they'll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on Hemlock Street without a rooftop Frosty; they won't be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren't even going to have a tree. They won't need one, because come December 25 they're setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences - and isn't half as
easy as they'd imagined.

Review: Tis the season to bust out the Christmas reading. I'm feeling the spirit. The kids have decorated their bedrooms already, and we've been listening to Christmas music. Over the years, I've learned to edit Christmas to be what we treasure the most. For my two youngest, it isn't Christmas if they don't have a gingerbread house to decorate. Done. My husband insists we wait until after Thanksgiving to put up the trees. Yes, trees. Done. I like sitting alone, drinking coffee, with only the lights on tree lighting the room. That time is coming soon. There's a lot we have eliminated that caused stress and not joy, and we're all happier for it.

Luther and Nora's approach to Christmas seemed over-the-top - to forgo it all together is extreme, but then again this is a work of fiction. Fun read.