Defending Luther Krank's Skipping of Christmas

The 2004 Tim Allen holiday film Christmas With The Kranks is not a beloved movie for most people. No, it is no Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34th Street, or It's a Wonderful Life. We can go through a slew of reasons why the film is inferior to other Christmas classics and does not work independently. One reason may be the mere idea of Tim Allen's character, Luther Frank, for he plans to skip Christmas and go on a cruise with his wife. At face value, this sounds ridiculous, sheer blasphemy! Who would do this? Why would you do this? From religious to secular celebrators of Christmas, one has trouble wrapping their head around this idea. But that is the problem - they fail to understand, make assumptions, and take it at face value.

The Money

Luther's critics look at just the economics involving his decision. He accounts for all of the holiday expenses from the previous year for a total of $6,132! This total includes gifts, their annual Christmas party, donations, decorations, and everything and anything Christmas-related. One item included was $63 in ornament repair. Again, $63 for ornament repair? We sometimes forget the amount we spend during the holidays outside of just the gifts. Do you buy more decorations every year? I do, for I cannot help it! Do you buy a new live Christmas tree every year? Does your family do any traveling for the season that includes airfare? All of this adds up quickly! How much are we going to spend this season? Do we have enough? Can we afford to take off for Christmas? All of this financial calculation creates tons of stress during the season. If anything, Luther is clever to put aside $3,000 on a cruise for himself and his wife. While not engaging in frantic holiday spending. Assuming everything went to plan, with no crazy judgmental neighbors, they would have been better off mentally.

Luther gets the idea of taking his wife on a cruise. On average, these things are never cheap. However, they can leave at noon on Christmas Day, which is inexpensive to fly, for not many people travel that day. In total, the trip will only cost them $3,000! They are saving money by taking this cruise instead of celebrating Christmas! When adjusted for inflation in 2022, the original bill for Christmas would now cost him over $9,600. Times are tough enough right now as it is with inflation. Are you opposed to saving a possible $3,000?

One neighbor assumes this whole scheme is about saving money, to which Luther replies, "it's not about the money." Luther is not lying here as we see him spend money on tanning and Botox, which will cost you a couple of hundred bucks in the end. His wife, Nora, is not on-board with his plan at first. He will not donate to the church or the children's hospital as they do every Christmas, causing her to turn it down. Yet, the selfish, greedy Luther Krank agrees to match the $600 they donated last year. Furthermore, that neighbor, Walt Scheel, who accused Luther of just wanting to save money, is proven wrong directly. When the Kranks' daughter, Blair, comes home for Christmas, Luther gifts the $3,000 trip to Walter and his wife. Not to call anyone out there selfish, but it is doubtful you are willing to give someone a $3,000 Christmas gift.

Plans

At the beginning of act three, the Kranks get a surprise call from their daughter, Blair. Guess what - she's coming home for Christmas! A gigantic monkey wrench gets tossed into Luther's plan. Nora is jumping for joy over this news, whereas Luther is annoyed. Nora even accuses him of pouting over losing his trip and being selfish. By no means is Blair the villain here. However, people hate it when their well-worked plan(s) go awry. Luther invested six weeks into this trip, and not just financially. He was mentally and emotionally prepared for this trip as well. With all of the snickers from his neighbors, the drama would end with a fun trip with his wife. This is why people do not like surprises, no matter how thoughtful.

Believe it or not, some people like to make plans to do absolutely nothing. By this, I do not mean vegging out, but they make no official plans and share them with no one. For example, once they leave work, the agenda is to go home, have a drink, order a pizza, and binge-watch their favorite T.V. show. Such an act requires no organization or real thinking, but they are looking forward to this lazy evening at home. All of a sudden, before the pizza arrives, they get a last-minute call from a friend or relative about needing to come out tonight for dinner or the club. Are you really doing anything? No! Do you have anything scheduled, like an appointment? No! You are off work with nothing important to do, so technically you can make it! However, you are already down for the night. You do not have the energy to get up, get ready, and go out on such short notice. Now you have to change your entire mental state for them. In a way, they are saying their plans are more important than yours by springing this surprise on you. Hence, who's selfish now? Of course, the surprise of an emergency is a completely different matter.

The Real Reason

I think a lot of people glance over the beginning of the film. They accept Luther's scheme of birthing from a vacuum and almost pre-existing before the movie starts. Subtle details in the first act show Luther's mood. The film opens with him and Nora lying awake in bed, sitting up in silence before the 8 AM alarm goes off. He turns to Nora telling her they need to get ready for the "big day." This big day he refers to is Blair leaving the nest. She has joined the Peace Corps and is departing Sunday after Thanksgiving to Peru. Blair and Nora are emotional as they say goodbye at the airport. Blair even notes how she'll come home next Christmas. Luther is not as emotive as his wife and daughter, but that does not mean he's not feeling anything.

Luther makes cynical remarks, including Blair's choice to leave on one of the busiest days of the year for flying. Later, he notes how expensive it is to make a phone call from an airplane to his wife. It may not be obvious, but Luther is calling attention to other upsetting details. These issues pale in comparison to Blair's departure and hide how he really feels. In a way, he is deflecting. He'd rather nitpick little things than be open and honest over his sadness of his daughter leaving home. Throughout the car ride home we see a bitter and almost annoyed look on his face. Grief does not always lead or have to lead to crying. Nora even tells him after they drop off Blair, "it's just won't be the same - Christmas."

What is Christmas without children? Many parents look forward to watching their kids open up their gifts on Christmas morning in excitement. There is a certain charm and warmth it brings to the household. We have it branded into the American Christmas iconography of the parents in their robes, coffee, and watching the kids unwrap all these great new toys. Of course, Blair is too old for that but ask the Kranks - she will always be their baby. Yes, they will always be her parents, but no longer are they parents 24/7. Now their child is an adult, capable and competent to leave and take care of herself. Every parent goes through or will go through this eventually.

I am reminded of Tim Allen's show Home Improvement in the Christmas episode in Season 3. The oldest son, Brad, gets an invite from a friend to go skiing with them over Christmas weekend. Tim and his wife Jill, of course say no. They try to explain how Christmas is a time you spend with your family. Jill's words fall def on Brad's ears as he plans to leave, disobeying his parents.

Eventually Tim reaches him in how Brad will be 18 in a couple years, going off to college and getting married later. Brad notes that he'll come home for Christmas, which Tim knows will not happen, at least not every year. Tim adds how his family lives in Colorado while Jill's family lives in Texas and how they do not see each other every Christmas. We the audience do not either. Jill's family shows up only twice during the show's eight seasons, as does Tim's family. Plus, their entire family is not always present. Tim's mother does not show up for the holidays until the last season. Marty, Tim's youngest brother, visits for only two Christmases, but we never see his other brothers during the holidays. We can say the same for Jill, as her sisters never visit for Christmas. During Season 7, we see Jill's mother for the holidays after the death of her husband. This brings me to Tim's last comment to Brad. Tim knows he's not going to be around forever, therefore, he and Brad need to spend every possible Christmas together.

When I was married, my wife loved the idea from this film of skipping Christmas, and we would take a trip instead one year. I had no problem with it either, but when? It kept coming up almost every year. We never had kids, but there is my brother's kids, who I love dearly. Part of the fun for my Christmas is going to my brother's house and giving the kids their gifts. There was no drive in me to want to skip that. Eventually, I told her the day the kids, again not ours, left home and went to college; we could take a trip and skip Christmas.

Before this plan of Luther's, what was the plan for Christmas without Blair? "It's not going to be the same without Blair here," Luther comments to his neighbor, Vic Frohmeyer, who shares this sentiment. Frohmeyer tells the neighborhood it is Blair who makes us all feel like family during Christmas. Perhaps Luther is taking things too far in this 'boycott' against Christmas as he throws out the wreath and refuses to decorate and engage in the workplace festivities. Christmas reminds him of his daughter and how his daughter will not be here this Christmas. What spirit is there to get into if a loved one is not there? One can compare it to not wanting to be reminded of a dead loved one.

Luther needs a pick-me-up during the first act of the film. We see as he just witnessed his daughter leave home, now he stands there in the downpour, completely soaked. Suddenly, he sees that ad for the cruise, reading 'Rainy Days Got You Down." Both literally and figuratively, rainy days do have Luther down. On top of that, his wife needs a pick-me-up as well. As a husband, it is Luther's responsibility to be there and take care of his wife. Hence, this is no act of selfishness or Scrooge-like stinginess. No doubt, the idea of skipping Christmas sounds almost alien, still! Nonetheless, it is his choice in how he wants to celebrate and if he wants to celebrate. It is no one's business! In the end, during this moment, Luther is coming to terms of not having his daughter around all the time now.