Oh, you're right. That's exactly what normal people would do...and actually do! I mean a family with grown kids going on a cruise for Christmas, with or without the kids going along, really isn't that unusual.
A friend of mine's family did it last year.
The entire thing was just ridiculous.
Luther had his head up his ass from the beginning. Not with the cruise idea, but with how he went about it. The letter sent out to his co-workers announcing that he would not be celebrating Christmas was presumptuous, so I can see why it annoyed people. Their passive-agressive reaction, though, was worse.
Same with the insistence on not decorating or doing any Christmas activities at all. More for the sake of Nora than the neighbors, though. As you said, she clearly was missing doing Christmasy things, and they could have decorated some and taken part in a few activities like giving gifts, and come in well under budget (assuming their budget was the same as they spent on Christmas the previous year).
Their neighbors, as far as I'm concerned, should go jump off a bridge, though. Harassing someone for not putting up Christmas lights because of a stupid competition? I can only imagine the discrimination if a Jewish or Muslim family moved into the neighborhood. And being pissy because the Kranks aren't throwing the lavish party that everyone usually goes to? Talk about entitled!
For that matter there was absolutely no reason not to tell their daughter about their plans. Her original plan was to be out of the country anyway, so why shouldn't she know that they've decided to travel for the holidays also? Heck, even when she called from the airport it made absolutely no sense that it was so urgent she never find out that her parents had planned to skip Christmas. If she's old enough to get engaged, she's old enough to learn that her parents have a life even when she isn't around.
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jeff-1076
9 years ago
They could have at least put the lights up so that the neighborhood would still have a chance in the annual contest, Dan Ackroyd's character even offered to put the snowman up for them but they wouldn't even allow that.
His letter was also very asinine and uncalled for, nobody at the office had to know what his holiday plans were.
If she's old enough to get engaged, she's old enough to learn that her parents have a life even when she isn't around.
Well she was dumb enough to get engaged to a guy whom she's only known for less than a month.
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Sitcom_Sally
9 years ago
She'd known him from some other time before. They mention it at some point.
"There is nothing in the dark that isn't there when the lights are on." - Rod Serling
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thephoenixxx
9 years ago
Yeah, on the phone she says something about how they went to prom together & her parents had met him at her dorm a couple times. I got the impression that they'd known each other for a while, but only started seriously dating recently.
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Doc80
8 years ago
I actually don't have an issue with his letter to his coworkers. The reason for this is that he is upfront. He isn't buying them gifts this year and therefore he expects no gifts in return. However, I will say the part about not accepting gifts is pretty cold hearted. Some people don't give gifts expecting one in return.
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