John Grisham abandons the legal genre and turns his attention to that most sacred of American cows, Christmas. When their daughter Blair leaves for a Peace Corps stint in Peru, Luther and Nora Krank realize they will be alone for Christmas. Suddenly, the holiday has become not the usual $6,100 nightmare, but the delightful dream of a 10-day Caribbean cruise. But not if their neighbors have anything to say about the Kranks' subversive scheme. When the tight-knit community besieges the Kranks, who cause them to lose the "best-decorated street" award, the couple feels increasing pressure to conform. While Grisham pillories the commercialism, the sentimentality, and the hysteria, readers wonder whether they will board their plane on Christmas Day. Grisham shows us a humorous side that is as entertaining as it is effective.