Skipping Christmas characters

Appears from the start

An accountant living on Hemlock Street who calculates that his family's annual Christmas spending exceeds the price of a Caribbean cruise. With his daughter away for the first time, he decides to avoid the holiday entirely. Methodical, stubborn, and pleased by what he sees as a rational plan, he underestimates how deeply his neighbors and wife value their shared traditions.

Appears from the start

Luther's wife and Blair's mother. She misses her daughter and agrees to replace Christmas with a cruise, though she is less comfortable than Luther with refusing friends, charities, and neighborhood customs. Her wish to support the plan competes with her attachment to the celebration their family has always hosted.

Appears from the start

The Kranks' adult daughter, who has recently left home to serve with the Peace Corps in Peru. Her absence prompts Luther's plan to skip Christmas, while Nora measures the approaching holiday against the family occasions Blair has always shared with them.

First appears in chapter 5

The energetic neighbor who organizes Hemlock Street's Christmas display and expects every household to participate. He treats the Kranks' refusal to put a large Frosty decoration on their roof as a threat to a collective tradition, making him the most visible leader of the neighborhood campaign against Luther's plan.

First appears in chapter 8

Vic's resourceful young son, who keeps a close eye on Hemlock Street and carries information quickly between adults and children. He shares the neighborhood's determination to preserve its Christmas customs.

First appears in chapter 18

The Kranks' neighbor and Bev's husband. He joins in the seasonal conflict on Hemlock Street, but concern for his seriously ill wife places the holiday and the Kranks' choices in a different perspective.

First appears in chapter 18

Walt's wife and one of the Kranks' neighbors. She is undergoing treatment for cancer, leaving Walt anxious about her health and making the prospect of time away together especially valuable.

First appears in chapter 17

Blair's new fiancé, a doctor from Peru whom she plans to bring home for Christmas. He has heard about the Kranks' elaborate traditions and looks forward to experiencing an American family celebration with them.