Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Luther and Nora Krank decide that, just this once, they'll skip Christmas altogether. Theirs will be the only house on the street without a rooftop Frosty the snowman; 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.

I was a little sceptical about this book, didn't think I would like it. I mean, it's a John Grisham book and the main character is not a lawyer? None of the side characters either? I wasn't convinced I should read it, but I thought it might be an interesting change. And, oh, it was!

Skipping Christmas sounds like a great thing to do, I was cheering for Luther and Nora, what a terrific idea! Spending the holidays away from the madness, relaxing, enjoying yourself, it sounded so good. What followed was a really funny story, I enjoyed it and I had a blast reading it. Like usual when it comes to John Grisham (leaving aside that this is not a legal thriller) I liked how real Luther and Nora's relationship felt. How natural the conversations flew, how they felt like actual people. John Grisham manages to have actual people in his books and I don't know how he does it. Now, after reading some of the other reviews, I agree the main characters and the side characters weren't the best kind of people, that's not my point, good or bad, they felt real.

About the plot, yeah, improvements could be made here and there, but I think the book reached its goal, meaning to point out the wasteful spending during the holidays. I really liked that. I see why other readers might not like this story and I actually tend to agree with the negative comments, but ultimately I enjoyed it. I mean, I don't go into reading a Christmas story without expecting a bunch of clichés, but they can be written well or not, and this one's really good. And funny.

If you've watched the movie, you don't need to read the book. But I liked it still

Sweet little “It's a Wonderful Life” sort of tale.

I've had this book on my shelf for years and I've started to read it twice but never made it past the first chapter. I always end up switching to a more touching type story because that is what I look for during the holidays. The first chapter of this book is about a grumpy man who just wants to save money and skip Christmas like a real like Scrooge McDuck. I was determined to get through it this time and pass this book on to someone else.

Well, it wasn't bad and was a pretty quick read. I laughed at several parts and I'm not surprised at all that Tim Allen played Mr. Krank because he is good at falling off of roofs. I'm glad I read it. It wasn't great but it wasn't terrible or even bad. It was okay.

I actually wish more people would realize that all the craziness that goes on during the holidays is not necessary. There is a middle ground though that this book misses. You can celebrate Christmas without going nuts and spending tons of money. You can give more than you take, especially give to those in need. You can give without taking the calendars and the fruit cake. The most important thing is spending time with friends and family.... and sometimes even strangers.