Skipping Christmas

Like Scrooge, Luther, an accountant, is preoccupied by the relationship between money and value. He believes that what he pays for something should correspond to the value he derives from it, and he weighs most things on that scale. Indeed, much of Luther’s distaste for Christmas has to do with expense that provides no value to him; the Kranks spend thousands of dollars each Christmas and have nothing meaningful to show for it. Apart from the expense of the holiday, Luther also calculates the cost of a movie ticket against the pleasure he receives (or doesn’t receive) from the movie. He resents the exorbitant cost of groceries at Chip’s, a store that is inconvenient, disorganized, and unpleasant to shop at.

Unlike Scrooge, Luther’s habit of tracking value doesn’t reflect a lack of generosity. He regularly gives to his church and other charitable organizations. He willingly offers to donate to the Police Benevolent Association, the firefighters’ charity, and the Boy Scouts in the summer; he just wants to do what he wants for the holiday season. Luther has no hesitation about spending money on the cruise, which he sees as providing commensurate emotional value in a way the Christmas festivities do not. Nor does he hesitate about giving the expensive cruise tickets to those who need it more at the end of the book. Luther’s preoccupation with money can be shortsighted and misguided, but it ultimately reflects his desire for meaningful connections, not miserliness.