Frosty or the Caribbean?

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Last week, I was searching for a Young Adult novel that had a Christmas feel to it, and I couldn’t find one. Apparently, there isn’t a whole lot of Young Adult Christmas literature. So, instead of reading a YA novel, I chose an adult book that I’ve wanted to read since I was shelving it as a page. The book is titled Skipping Christmas, was written by John Grisham, and was made into a movie called Christmas with the Kranks a few years ago. I watched the movie the year it came out, and even though it starred Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen, I didn’t find it incredibly funny like I was expecting. But, I was curious what flavor the book took, and if it matched the movie. So, without having a YA book to read, I decided I’d see what the book was like.

The book opens with a loving mother and father kissing their twenty-three year old daughter goodbye, just before the holidays. Blair, the daughter, is going on a Peace Corps expedition for two years, and her parents, Luther and Nora Krank, know that Christmas won’t be the same without her. Not really in the mood for the Christmas festivities, and realizing how expensive it was last year, Luther comes up with a brilliant idea; my wife and I will skip Christmas altogether, use the money to go on a cruise, and still be in the black at the end of everything! A few brochures, the fact that she misses Blair, and the thought of 10 days in the Caribbean quickly bring Nora around. The only problems are all of the neighbors, the charities begging for donations, and all the people who had to be snubbed because you aren't coming to their Christmas party. With each dollar saved, and with each annoying Christmas tradition avoided, Luther’s resolve to skip Christmas gets stronger and stronger. But, the Kranks anti-Christmas plans are ruined when Blair calls on Christmas Eve expecting a Christmas celebration for her and her fiancé!

I was amazed at how well the movie stayed with the book. All of the same situations and scenarios happened in both. I also thought the movie captured the overall mood of the book very well. Although many slapstick things happen to the Kranks, getting a tan in December, hanging upside down from a roof, the last white chocolate package being taken, neither the movie nor the book are funny. Things seem to be told in a very matter-of-fact way, even when the funny things are happening. But, I think this might be the point of the book. Why do we do all of our holiday traditions? Why do we spend more than we have to make a holiday special? Why don’t we all just skip Christmas? The answer the book seems to offer is that we could all use a little bit less of the materialism, and the hard feelings we have for our neighbors. But, we could all use a lot more of the giving and focusing on our friends and family that we all seem to miss in the hustle and bustle.

I don’t know what your holidays look like, but I hope they are filled with friends, family, great food, giving, and a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!