Christmas with the Kranks

After Riverside couple Luther and Nora Krank see their daughter Blair depart for a Peace Corps assignment in Peru on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, empty nest syndrome sets in. Luther calculates that they spent over $6,000 during the previous year's holiday season and suggests they invest the money on a ten-day Caribbean cruise this year instead.

The Kranks discover they are considered pariahs for choosing to skip the holidays. Most vocal in their objections are neighbors Vic Frohmeyer and Walt Scheel. Vic, the self-proclaimed leader of the street, organizes a campaign to force the Kranks to decorate their home. Walt seems to dislike Luther, so his efforts are primarily personal. However, Walt's wife Bev is suffering from cancer, perhaps dampening his holiday spirits.

Children, led by Vic's son Spike, push them to put up a Frosty the Snowman decoration, and Christmas carolers try to revive the Kranks' holiday spirit by singing on their lawn, which Luther stops by icing. The newspaper prints a front-page story complete with a photograph of the unlit Krank house, and Luther's office colleagues, scout tree salesmen, and police fund collectors are also annoyed.

The couple is packing for the cruise on Christmas Eve morning when they receive a call from Blair, who announces she is at MIA, en route home with her Peruvian fiancé, Enrique, as a surprise for her parents. When Blair asks if they are having their usual party that night, a panicked Nora says yes. Luther and Nora try to decorate the house and coordinate a party with only 12 hours before Blair and Enrique arrive.