On 'Skipping Christmas'

The real reason why I bought John Grisham's Skipping Christmas the moment I saw it on the shelves of Book Sale was because of its title. I was really intrigued if it implied a literal or figurative meaning of skipping Christmas.

Photo from Google As I read along, I found out that it literally meant not doing Christmas. No trees. No Santas or reindeers or Frosty. No lights and gifts and parties and whatever Christmas-related.

Sounds boring right? But there's always another side of the story, and here's how it went. It was the first time the Kranks will be separated as a family for Christmas. When their daughter Blair went to Peru for an assignment with the Peace Corps for a year, Luther and Nora thought the upcoming Christmas would not be the same. Realizing how much money they have spent last year, Luther decided to not celebrate Christmas and surprised his wife by booking a ten-day cruise at the Caribbean aboard the Island Princess. Nora was at first skeptical of her husband's idea. But she then agreed with him as long as they will still give donations to the Church and the children's hospital.

Ignoring Christmas traditions around the neighborhood, opting not to decorate the house with anything Christmas-y and not attending parties, the couple focused on losing down weight as preparation for their cruise. Some agreed it was a good idea, but most of their neighbors and friends thought it was weird and grumpy to boycott the holiday. Everything was all set, both their bags were packed and their tans ready for the beach. But come Christmas eve, Blair surprised her parents with a call telling them she will be home for Christmas with her Peruvian fiance Enrique. Expecting the usual holiday party, Christmas traditions and the like, a mayhem of last minute decorating and cooking and inviting guests followed as Luther and Nora tried to arrange a celebration for Blair and Enrique. Luther almost went to jail after a neighbor thought he was stealing another neighbor's Christmas tree, which he actually borrowed from the owner. He got hurt while putting up a Frosty on the roof. Nora got stuck in traffic and hadn't found a turkey or any decent food for a party. After noticing the commotion around the house, their neighbors came to the rescue when the couple admitted they had to do Christmas for Blair and her fiance. They've put up a beautiful tree and a Frosty and shared food from their tables. The party went well. Enrique seemed to be a good man and Blair loved the party. Luther hadn't thought everything will be okay, thanks to their neighbors, who after all their alienation and unusual behavior, still helped them with their dilemma. In the end, Luther decided to give their cruise tickets to the Scheels, whom he thought needed a vacation because the wife was terminally ill. I really love the story, though I never plan on doing what the Kranks did. Christmas is one of the best days of the year (aside from my birthday of course). It was short but different, and I admire how Grisham conveyed the meaning of Christmas in an ironic way. I might read more of his works in the future because of this. :)

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