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A Fable
by John GrishamGrisham offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that have become part of our holiday tradition.
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.
Chapter One
The gate was packed with weary travelers, most of them standing and huddled along the walls because the meager allotment of plastic chairs had long since been taken. Every plane that came and went held at least eighty passengers, yet the gate had seats for only a few dozen.
There seemed to be a thousand waiting for the 7 p.m. flight to Miami. They were bundled up and heavily laden, and after fighting the traffic and the check-in and the mobs along the concourse they were subdued, as a whole. It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, one of the busiest days of the year for air travel, and as they jostled and got pushed farther into the gate many asked themselves, not for the first time, why, exactly, they had chosen this day to fly.
The reasons were varied and irrelevant at the moment. Some tried to smile. Some tried to read, but the crush and the noise made it difficult. Others just stared at the floor and waited. Nearby a skinny black Santa Claus clanged an irksome ...
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (1/29/2026)
I finished "Skipping Christmas" by John Grisham this weekend and enjoyed it. Reading "One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This" now and…it is superbly written but it will make you angry about our world. "Everything is Tuberculosis…" is next and I hear great things.
-Anthony_Conty
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (1/22/2026)
I finished "New and Selected Poems by Marie Howe"and really enjoyed some of the selections. I should have time to finish "Skipping Christmas" by John Grisham tomorrow and start the apparently heavy "One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This."
-Anthony_Conty
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (1/15/2026)
I am reading "New and Selected Poems" by Marie Howe. It won the Pulitzer, and I read the winner every year, even though I struggle with poetry. It is a little uneven, but some of them are very deep. I was very pleased with "The Correspondent" last week and cannot wait to see what else Virginia Ev...
-Anthony_Conty
If you liked Skipping Christmas, try these:
by David Baldacci
Published 2004
A delightful journey filled with memorable characters who have packed their bags with as much wisdom as mischief...and a story that shows how we do get second chances to fulfill our deepest hopes and dreams, especially during this season of miracles.
by Mary Higgins Clark
Published 1999
Another Christmas season mystery that will keep readers turning the pages -- all through the night.
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