A Novella of Christmas (with Frosty the Snowman) – USA style

6th December 2017

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham, a novella of Christmas USA style.

This book is Silver Travel Advisor’s December read. So we thought we would read along. Do join in!

Skipping Christmas is whimsical author John Grisham in fine form – and very different from his usual style – writing about the vagaries of Christmas on Hemlock Street, somewhere in suburban America.

Nora and Luther Krank bid good bye to their daughter Blair, who is off for a year to join the Peace Corps in South America. Her departure means there is just the two of them to face the build-up to Christmas. And Christmas on Hemlock is a big deal, the houses surpass anything you might imagine, all twinkling decorations are carefully placed and are crowned by a Frosty the Snowman atop each dwelling. A street in unison when it comes to festive flair.

Well, the Kranks are doing it differently this year. They rashly decide to embark on a Caribbean cruise. And rather than focus on the festive preparations, they imagine lazy days aboard the Island Princess, along with 2998 other passengers, enjoying any one of the four pools, gargantuan food intake and sunny climes. Luther even buys a yellow-shorts-and-shirt-suit, with an aqua and teal print of marine life (the image, described in detail, is now unfortunately burned into my visual memory). Not for them the manic dashing around in the run up to the festive season, the frenzied foray across town to buy yet something more to make it the perfect Christmas. The author certainly highlights the bizarre, compulsive behaviour that descends on normally level-headed folk. His ribald observations are spot on.

Their neighbours, however respond archly. This is simply not done. Christmas has its routines! Money must be spent, effort invested, conviviality arranged and endured. And as the pathos builds, the more the Kranks resort to hiding behind their curtains, the more the carol singers attempt to serenade, the firefighters arrive with charity buckets in hand and the tree seller on persuasive festive form (he has trees to sell, after all!).

Having fought off the serried ranks of neighbours, who are aghast at their behaviour, the Kranks receive a phone call from daughter Blair, who announces her return for Christmas, with fiancé in tow (yes, it’s only be a month but it is true lurv). She is returning to introduce him to the family’s routine of festivities, parties, presents and community. Only nothing is planned, it’s Christmas Eve… Nora capitulates, everything has to happen as usual. Panic. But, without giving much away it all comes good, in a truly wry and traditional tale of Christmas. Enjoy!

Tina for the TripFiction Team

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