Skipping Christmas by Grisham, John Published by Doubleday 1st (first) edition (2002) Hardcover

Skipping Christmas is a wonderfully humorous book, looking at our often and seemingly "materialistic" Christmas traditions. This is not your typical Grisham novel, in the sense that it is missing the incredible legal twist, detail and drama. Instead, this book is light, airy, hilarious, and pokes great fun at how most of America runs around crazy during the holiday season. I really liked this book, could not put it down, and found myself laughing at the antics of Luther and Nora Krank as well as their delightfully intruding close-knit neighbors on Hemlock Drive. With their daughter graduating from college and leaving to spend a year in Peru with the Peace Corps, Luther and Nora decide not to celebrate Christmas this year. Instead, they decide to take the money that they would normally spend on all the trimmings and take a Caribbean cruise. That means no tree, no card, no present, no office parties, no decorations, no donations, and no annual home party. Word quickly spreads throughout this small town that the Krank's are not celebrating Christmas and will not be participating in the neighborhood or town festivities. Instead their time is spent in tanning booths in preparation for the hot Caribbean sun. The neighbors harass them every chance they get and picket signs even appear on their front lawn. The neighborhood blames them for not winning the annual "best decorated street contest", as theirs is the only house not decorated! On Christmas Eve, the Krank's get a surprise call from their daughter that she will indeed being coming home for Christmas and will be there in six hours. Will the Krank's go on their cruise or will they "attempt" to celebrate Christmas?