While the holiday season is incredibly busy for all of us in a myriad of ways, it is still nice to take a few moments here and there for ourselves. And for me, that usually takes the form of reading for a few minutes each day. There are a few books that I make a point to reread each holiday season, and this is one that I always read at the end of November/beginning of December. For our Holiday Book Bite this week, we turn to Skipping Christmas by John Grisham.
Skipping Christmas, John Grisham
Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded malls, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, 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.
A classic tale for modern times, Skipping Christmas offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that have become part of our holiday tradition.
Why You Should Read This…
I know that Christmas With the Kranks is a popular movie- I enjoy it myself- but I prefer the original novel that it is based on. This short, comedic novel is not identical to the movie, and it is the perfect light, holiday book. It is not as slapstick as the Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis film, but it does go heavy on the humour.
If you are used to an all-out, jam-packed holiday season with more food, trees, and sweaters than anyone could use, this will feel familiar to you. I think that luckily, many of us are not quite as busy as the Kranks, but Skipping Christmas is the perfect reminder to take stock of our holiday traditions and decide which work the best for us.
Is Skipping Christmas on your holiday to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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