I am not very traditional. When we were kids, we decorated, because it was fun for my parents to see us excited about the holiday - but we never really did the Perfect Christmas thing as, apparently, people do. Last year, we went to Asian Cafe and had sushi, and the year before that we did Rainbow Trout for dinner. (I imagine that my mom will start getting festive now, and decorating her house and going all out for the holiday because my nephew is getting to the age where he'll get excited about that kind of thing.) But for my boyfriend and I... it's just a day. We do gifts, we get a little Charlie Brown type tree (if any) and we have dinner at home or out somewhere that's open in true A Christmas Story style, but all of the OMGCHRISTMAS is something that we don't buy into or understand. We're heathens.

I honestly don't know why this book exists. I didn't get it at all. If you want to do your own thing for the holidays, do it. It's not a big deal. Everyone in this book acted like it was, but that's because they're all nosy shit-heads who think that conformity and homogeneity makes a good neighborhood, and good neighbors are expected to participate in the festivities. I think that's bullshit. Don't do the tree, don't do the gifts, don't do the decorating, or the dinner, or the party, or the cards, or whatever. It's nobody's business but yours, and if your neighbors have a problem with it... well, that's their problem isn't it? Last I checked, Christmas wasn't a requirement.

Anyway, I'd seen this movie (Christmas with the Kranks) and thought that it was pretty funny, so when I discovered that I actually had it on my kindle, I decided to read it as one of the short books to fill my remaining quota of challenge reads. I WILL NOT FAIL!

This book should have taken me about 2 hours, but instead it took me two days. For some reason, I just found the book annoying, in a way that the movie wasn't, despite it having Tim Allen in the lead. I found the characters to all be simply annoying. So superficial and suburban, upper middle class, keep up with the Joneses, traditional. They all decorate, and all have Frostys (placement and date of set up dictated by that one neighbor who thinks he's King Shit of Turd Hill), they do the overpriced cards, have the big holiday party, make the same dinner every year, blah blah blah. They all do this, not for the joy of the season, or because they like to, but because it's expected of them. Because it's what they've always done. Because they'll be judged by their neighbors if they fail to assimilate. Resistance is futile.

So, god forbid, someone want to do something different. The nerve. The gall. The SELFISHNESS.

Regardless, the Kranks decide to not do Christmas and instead go on a cruise. Which mortally offends everyone ever. Their neighbors go on a campaign of terror to bully the Kranks into the Christmas spirit, even going so far as to recruit college kids to carol in front of their house repeatedly or send them Frosty the Snowman cards or leave "Free Frosty" campaign signs on their lawn. Which only makes the Kranks more stubborn and resistant. Of course, everyone has a lovely change of heart on Christmas eve when, for some reason, everyone comes together to help save the day and protect the illusion of a Perfect Christmas for the 23 year old Krank daughter and her fiance (whom she's known for literally 3 weeks) when they unexpectedly call on Christmas Eve to surprise everyone by coming home for Christmas. So the whole neighborhood rallies to their rescue. Because again... I guess it's expected that Christmas be properly perfect.

Nora was such a whining ninny that she got on my nerves about 3 seconds into the book, with her constant "Is she OK??" questioning. For god's sake, the girl is 23 and in Peru TEACHING. She's not in a war zone. And how the hell is Nora's husband supposed to know if she's OK? His crystal ball works no better than anyone else's.

Luther got on my nerves, too. Just because stuff happens at the end of December doesn't mean that it's part of Christmas. He'd already agreed to charitable giving as the exception to their skipping Christmas... yet when the police department and fire departments come to collect money for their charities, he turns them away, cherry-picking "Christmas" vs "Charity" based on whether he feels like he's being shaken down for cash or not. He's essentially railing against being expected to give to these organizations, which I can understand... but again, it's hypocritical. All in the guise of saving money, but then he throws hundred of dollars away for tanning sessions while insisting on skipping the free holiday events. He would rather be miserable and hide himself away from his neighbors than compromise.

Ugh. Such a stupid premise for a book. ZOMG! Someone's not doing Christmas right! Let's harass the shit out of them until they do it the way we think is proper! That's TRUE Christmas spirit.

Love the title, love the idea of skipping all the money and hours spent on decorations, gifts, parties, etc. and taking a Caribbean cruise instead. Grisham paints a good picture of the commercialism, frenzy and overwrought activity of Christmas. Who wouldn't like to escape that once in a while!

As well as being a good commentary on the ridiculous lengths we go to celebrate Christmas, this is a light-hearted, funny book with good character sketches of the main character, Luther Krank and his neighbor and nemesis, Vic Frohmeyer.

That being said, this book has not stood the test of time. Grisham published the book in 2001, but I can't believe some of the sexist, racist passages below weren't edited out even then. My jaw dropped when I read them. Hopefully we have progressed in twenty years.

Here are two of the worst examples:

"By five, some of the most starched and staid accountants at Wiley and Beck would be groping or attempting to grope some of the homeliest secretaries."

Really?! I hope that frat boy parties like this don't still go on, but they probably do. However, the description I most object to is "attempting to grope the homeliest secretaries." Homeliest secretaries?? I'm speechless. Grisham writes this with a male arrogance that makes one wonder if he experienced activities like this himself.

As for the racist passage:

"The door opened and Blair rushed in. Nora and Luther both glanced at her first, then quickly looked beyond to see how dark Enrique was.
He wasn't dark at all! At least two shades lighter than Luther himself!
They hugged and squeezed their daughter as if she'd been gone for years, then with great relief, met their future son-in-law."

OMG, Enrique passed the color test!

As for the ending, it's a perfect Christmas ending, sweetness and light and neighborly good will  with Luther doing the right thing and giving the cruise tickets they can't use to a neighbor with cancer who has six months to live. He feels pretty good about being benevolent and kind to his neighbor, but he's such a cheapskate throughout the book, I have to believe that his real motivation is not wanting to throw $3,000 worth of cruise tickets down the drain.

Sinopsis: Saltarse la Navidad parece fácil, pero cuando se vive en una calle como Hemlock, sempiterna ganadora de los premios de decoración navideños, y en la que las fiestas son el acontecimiento más esperado del año, supone casi un suicidio social. En su intento por vivir una Navidad distinta, los Krank se convertirán en víctimas de un cúmulo de situaciones que les harán desear no haber tenido jamás tan estrambótica ocurrencia.

Pues ha sido una lectura desenfadada y muy apropiada para esta época del año, con la Navidad a la vuelta de la esquina.
Un matrimonio los Krank, se van a quedar solos en casa por primera vez y el Sr Krank le plantea a su mujer saltarse la festividad, con todo lo que ello conlleva para sus vecinos, que intentaran por todos sus medios que no lo haga, (muñecos adornando la casa, el árbol, la fiesta en casa...) todas esas cosas a las que están acostumbrados y que el Sr Krank les quiere arrebatar; toca pelear por ellas y en este conflicto surgen las situaciones cómicas.
Y es que escapar de la Navidad no es tan fácil como parece, con un inicio con una critica clara a lo que se ha convertido la Navidad, consumista y derrochadora, tenemos una historia sencilla y dinámica que nos hará soltar alguna que otra carcajada.
Además en 2004 se estrenó su adaptación cinematográfica con el título "Christmas with the Kranks" (Conocida en español como "Una Navidad de locos"), comedia Dirigida por Joe Roth y protagonizada por Tim Allen y Jamie Lee Curtis.
Valoración: 6/10

Un crucero por el Caribe, la intención de no celebrar la Navidad y la presión de todo un vecindario.

Cuando Luther Krank, contable de profesión, decide no celebrar la Navidad y ahorrarse el montón de dinero que la fiesta conlleva, cree que va a ser fácil salirse con la suya. Con la excusa de que su hija Blair está en Perú y no pasará las fiestas con ellos, Luther convence a su mujer de cambiar la Navidad por un crucero por el Caribe: nada de fiestas, regalos, invitaciones, calendarios solidarios, cena de empresas, compras a contrarreloj,... Ambos se ponen a dieta y comienzan los preparativos para su inolvidable viaje el día 25, mientras todos los vecinos de la calle Hemlock intentan sabotear los planes de la pareja para que pongan el Papá Noel en el tejado, organicen su fiesta de Nochebuena, se involucren en las celebraciones del barrio y abandonen su idea de no celebrar la Navidad. La prueba de fuego llegará el mismo día de Nochebuena con una inesperada llamada.

En "Una Navidad diferente" John Grisham construye una maravillosa crítica a la sociedad y el espíritu navideño más consumista, un tipo de historia completamente distinta de las habituales del autor. Una novela que se adentra en temas como el consumismo, la solidaridad, la comunidad, el chantaje, las tradiciones y la familia.

✔️ Puntos fuertes: lectura ágil y amena gracias a una prosa muy sencilla, ágil y directa y capítulos breves, los toques de humor, las situaciones cómicas y rocambolescas, la fuerte crítica social, la evolución de la trama y el final.

❤ Te gustará si: buscas una lectura agradable, con humor y cierta crítica, ambientada en a época Navideña.

2.5*

Im going to be in the ba humbug section for rating on this one sadly. It was a very short read but i still couldnt get into it. The story to me was just a little cheesy and bland.
I haven't seen the film 'Christmas with the Kranks' that was made from this book but im guessing it may be a whole lot better. More of a comedy factor and more going on in background. More witnessing the madness because i couldnt picture it while reading.

Shame about that for me but i will keep my eyes peeled for the film regardless.

Not one of the author's best

Who hasn't at some point thought about skipping Christmas? There's so much time and effort that goes into a festive and merry holiday season. The planning, cooking, baking, buying, hiding, wrapping, decorating, ... well the list is seemingly endless each December!

This fun read makes one think about who we celebrate Christmas for - ourselves or others? The various festivities really illustrate both sides of the coin but in the end it seems that it's all about making a nice day/season for everyone.

(To the tune of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas.')

You're a weird one, Mr. Grisham. You've penned a comic tale.
It's a holiday disaster. It's a hopeless humor fail.
That apes The Grinch!
This silly story of an accountant rejecting Christmas... is amusement's coffin's nail.

You tried to branch out, Mr. Grisham. You're the king, of legal thrills.
But it turns out schmaltz and parody were not among your skills.
Says this Grinch!
And I wouldn't read it again... if you paid all my bills.

Note: It's not THAT bad. But I was in a grinchy mood when I wrote this.

Edited 10/27/2018

I was not much impressed by this book. I should have read the reviews more closely because lots of people seem to feel the same and worse! The story was weak, the characters unlikeable and there was really very little humour. For me it fell apart right from the basic premise that the Kranks were doing something unusual in going on holiday over Xmas. Really? Millions of people do it every year including me some years. And the neighbours were just awful. I suppose it was intended to be funny but I barely raised a smile. Apologies to readers who liked it but it obviously was not my cup of tea!

One of the few instances where the movie is better than the book... the book was missing the humor I had come to love.

2018: read this with my husband. It’s an enjoyable and entertaining read all the way through.

2016: Loved this book so much. Now I have a book hangover. I need another just as heartwarming and page turning. This will be an annual read. I loved the movie, the book is better, of course. Simply delightful!

“For her, the holidays began in late October and steadily gathered momentum until the big bang, a ten-hour marathon on Christmas Day with four meals and a packed house.”

This was an adorable tale - a story of a husband and wife and recent empty nest-ers - hoping to "skip" Christmas and save money going on a cruise together.

But the whole town is used to everyone being on board for all the Christmas activities. There are charities that require fruitcake purchase, neighborhoods that require each house be decorated, Fire Departments that require holiday calendars to be sold and Boy Scouts that need their trees sold. As each person comes to this couple, they are resolute and hold strong and won't partake.

This couple is adorable and I loved reading all about their adventures.