Skipping Christmas

Each year, the Police Benevolent Association sells calendars to raise money to provide benefits to the poor. Officers Treen and Salino knock on the Kranks’ door with the year’s calendar. In Luther’s view, the calendars are an excuse to extort ridiculous sums of money. He turns the officers down, explaining that he already gives to such charitable endeavors through taxes and church. He also promises to give generously to the police’s summer youth programs. Treen and Salino leave, fantasizing about catching Luther speeding and arresting him.

A group of carolers driving through the neighborhood stops and asks Walt about the undecorated house across the street. Walt tells them the Kranks are skipping Christmas and suggests the Kranks are in dire need of some carols. Nora is delighted by the carolers. Luther considers them trespassers. All the neighbors come running to join in the singing. When the carolers come to “Frosty the Snowman,” Luther retreats to his basement office.

In the morning, Luther sees a sign on his lawn reading “FREE FROSTY.” Luther removes the sign and feels more determined than ever to do what he wants.

The narrative flashes back to an earlier year when Luther argued to the other partners at the firm that they should close the office from mid-December through January 1. It would save money at a time when billing was down and the staff was distracted anyway. All but one of the partners rejected the proposal.

Returning home that evening, Luther sees that his neighbors are decorating more extravagantly than in previous years. Nora shows him two anonymous Christmas cards they’ve received. Both feature Frosty the Snowman.

That evening, a pair of firefighters arrives selling fruitcakes—which Luther loathes—to raise money for a toy drive. Luther refuses to buy a fruitcake but promises to donate to a summer program. The firefighters depart unhappy.

One of the partners at Luther’s firm asks Luther if he is really avoiding Christmas and mumbles that it’s a good idea, really, but he has no intention of doing the same. Another of Luther’s coworkers, Stanley Wiley, claims to be envious but insists that he can’t follow suit; his wife would wouldn’t go for it.

Nora is leaving the tanning parlor when she encounters the pastor of her church. The pastor has heard that she and Luther are skipping Christmas and wonders if they are doing all right. Nora explains that they still believe in celebrating the birth of Christ, but they are foregoing all the silliness this year. He agrees that Christmas can be a bit much sometimes, but he isn’t entirely convinced that Luther and Nora are right in rejecting the holiday completely.

Another group of carolers appears on the Kranks’ front lawn. A reporter from the Gazette knocks on the door, asking to interview Luther about skipping Christmas.

Luther and Nora go out to dinner to avoid the annual Christmas parade around the neighborhood. The Hemlock Street community traditionally lines up to watch and makes a party of it. They are halfway through dinner when they remember that the judging of the street decoration competition takes place the night of the parade. The next morning, they learn that Hemlock has lost the competition for the second time in a row. A photo in the Gazette, taken from Walt’s roof, shows the Krank house without decorations. The story in the paper reports Luther’s neighbors saying things like, “I hope they’re satisfied now” and “A rotten display of selfishness” (91). Luther and Nora are outraged.

On December 23, Luther skips the office Christmas party, which is invariably a drunken debauch; he has always hated it. He leaves the office for the last time until January 6 and meets Nora for lunch. She tells him that Beverly Scheel’s cancer has returned and metastasized. Her doctors see little chance for her recovery.

That evening Hemlock Street is boisterous and rowdy with carolers taking turns on the Kranks’ lawn. A roving band of kids led by Spike stop in front of their house to wave signs reading “Free Frosty” and chant, “We want Frosty” (101).

Nora and Luther wake up on Christmas Eve morning. Looking across the street, Luther thinks that the Scheel house looks sad despite its decorations. Thinking that this could be Walt and Bev’s last Christmas together, Luther feels some regret about skipping Christmas.

On the other hand, Luther revels in the knowledge that unlike his neighbors, he won’t be exhausting himself with last-minute preparations for the Krank Christmas Eve party. He and Nora are laughing over how brilliant they are to be escaping the stress when they receive a phone call from Blair. She is in Miami with her brand-new fiancé, Enrique. They are on their way home, and Blair is excited to show Enrique all the Christmas festivities of Hemlock Street, including Frosty and the Christmas Eve party.

Nora panics and promises Blair that everything will be just as she expects. When Nora puts down the phone, Luther says she should have told Blair that they have other plans, and Blair should have been more considerate and let them know sooner that she was coming home. Nora tells him not to be ridiculous. Blair had every reason to expect her parents to be doing Christmas as usual. She announces to Luther’s dismay that they have seven hours to put on a party, and he is to get up on the roof right away and put up Frosty.