Skipping Christmas - John Grisham

This little holiday stocking-stuffer has been sitting on my shelves for years. I decided it an appropriate choice to round out my 2010 reading. This is the story of the Kranks. Every year they are caught up in the Christmas hype. They go to office parties and buy gifts no one really wants. Like everyone else on their street, they string lights on their house and mount a 7-ft. Frosty on their roof. And every Christmas Eve, they throw a huge party with wonderful food. But, this year, their daughter is off in the Peace Corps, and they decide to take their money and spend it on a cruise instead. As they turn down invitations and decide not to send out holiday cards, the news of their blasphemous Scrooge-like behavior spreads through the neighborhood. Faced with animosity from all those around them, the Kranks become more and more motivated to stick to their guns. The book got a bit repetitive with each interaction the Kranks had - from the Boy Scouts selling Christmas trees to the police officers selling fruit cake. I got tired of hearing their anti-Christmas speech, and just didn't believe that so many people would actually care. I knew there had to be some kind of feel good ending, and Grisham did a decent job tying up the loose ends - but not before thoroughly irritating me and making me wish I were on a Caribbean cruise myself instead of reading this book.