Politically Correct Holiday Stories: For an Enlightened Yuletide Season (original 1995; edition 1995)

by James Finn Garner

Series: Politically Correct Stories (Bedtime 3)

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The #1 bestselling author of Once Upon a More Enlightened Time reads his Politically Correct holiday gift. Holiday tales have long delighted and entertained us, but until now they've always been burdened with society's skewed values and mores. Stories that reinforce the stifling class system (Dickens' A Christmas Carol), legitimize the stereotype of a merry, overweight patriarchal oppressor (Santa Claus in The Night Before Christmas) and justify the domestication and subjugation of wild animals (Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer) abound in the literature and lore of this season. Now James Finn Garner has stepped in to revise and improve these familiar tales to free our social consciousness from the ghost of prejudice past. From the newly revised "Twas the Night Before Solstice" to "Rudolph the NASAlly Empowered Reindeer," these stories rekindle the true holiday spirit and redefine the idea of "good will to all men" to include womyn, pre-adults and companion animals as well. Yes, the international bestselling author of Politically Correct Bedtime Stories and Once Upon a More Enlightened Time is back again, to offer a holiday gift that will fit all sizes, welcome all persuasions and nonpersuasions, and be treasured for politically correct generations to come.… (more)

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Member:	geronimo819
Title:	Politically Correct Holiday Stories: For an Enlightened Yuletide Season
Authors:	James Finn Garner
Info:	John Wiley & Sons Inc (1995), Hardcover, 99 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
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Politically Correct Holiday Stories by James Finn Garner (1995)

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This is a book with a collection of Winter GHoliday stories rewritten to be "politically correct." Some of the references are dated at this point.

People who are politically correct may enjoy this for the extremes it shows, those who think being politically correct is humbug may enjoy it even more as I'm sure they will find things to validate their feelings.

It was a fun read and quick, but something I plan on keeping to reread every holiday season. I think the idea is funnier than the actual book, "Frosty the Persun of Snow" and " Rudolph the Nasally Empowered ed Reindeer" were my favorites and I think the funniest. (

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jezebellydancer | Dec 8, 2021 |

This is obviously the wrong season to be reading holiday books, but I'm very much anti-Christmas so anytime of year is the perfect time to read about a more enlightened holiday season! Garner's prose is simple, engaging, and quietly witty, which really sets him apart from some of the other writers of satirical holiday stories. I thought his interpretation of Dickens' Christmas Carol was particularly well done, since it gave readers the expected cycnical take on the story, but twisted the finale to be far less predictable. People may change, even the old Scrooge, but even with carefully planned crash-immersion therapy people act in unpredictable ways and are able to continue taking advantage of the system! (

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JaimieRiella | Feb 25, 2021 |

This collection is okay, mildly interesting, but not all that great. I'd say the first part is a solid 2 stars, while The Christmas Carol parody is a probably a 3. That part was easily the best, even if the collection as a whole is a bit of a disappointment. It just seems like most of the stories here are one-trick ponies, without much substance, although their extreme brevity may account for that as well. The idea of being satirical isn't the foundation; it's the whole product. Scrooge's transformation in the last story was much more interesting than the characters in the other stories, perhaps because it was a longer tale with a more complete plot. I'm not sorry I read it, but I could probably take it or leave it. (

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MuuMuuMousie | May 23, 2018 |

This reminded me of the style of Roald Dahl but didn't quite make it. It's a good twist on the Christmas theme but in my opinion the author is trying just a little too hard to be clever. (

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Fliss88 | Jan 9, 2018 |

Delightful collection of rewritten Christmas stories--the author explaining, in character, that he has modestly undertaken the "task of liberating the holidays from the oppressiveness of tradition". He dedicates the work to a campus "where mistletoe has been officially banned as a holiday decoration, because...it tends to sanctify uninvited endearment".

Begins with comic versery - "Twas the Night Before Solstice...and all through the co-op, Not a creature was messing the calm status quo up." Etc.

Next, a re-write of "Frosty the Persun of Snow", so as not to offend those who are snow-challenged. Then the "Nutcracker" story is revised so as not to offend serfs or pre-adults. Or the tribal mice.

"Rudolph the Nasally Empowered Reindeer" is the elevated biography of that unique individual of the luminescent olfactory organ. And no, we are not spared the suffering he endured as the victim of bullying from peers, and of cruel or ignorant care-givers. Sadly, the tale ends badly.

This small well-crafted book concludes with five staves of "A Christmas Carol", rewritten so as not to offend the "spiritual facilitators", or other celebrants. No Christians were harmed in the retelling of sweet Dickens' Scrooge bio. (

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keylawk | Jan 7, 2014 |

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Belongs to Series

Politically Correct Stories (Bedtime 3)

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Is contained in

Politically Correct, the Ultimate Storybook: Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, Once upon a More Enlightened Time, and Politically Correct Holiday Stories by James Finn Garner

▾Awards and Honors

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New York Times bestseller (Fiction – 1995)

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Canonical title

Politically Correct Holiday Stories

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Original publication date

1995

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Christmas

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Epigraph

Dedication

Dedicated to the good persuns of Moorhead State University, where mistletoe has been officially banned as a holiday decoration, because, according to school president Roland Dille, it "tends to sanctify uninvited endearment."

Also, to Lies and Liam,
my shining Christmas stars.

First words

Fluffy white snow.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

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Wikipedia in English (1)

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

▾Book descriptions

The #1 bestselling author of Once Upon a More Enlightened Time reads his Politically Correct holiday gift. Holiday tales have long delighted and entertained us, but until now they've always been burdened with society's skewed values and mores. Stories that reinforce the stifling class system (Dickens' A Christmas Carol), legitimize the stereotype of a merry, overweight patriarchal oppressor (Santa Claus in The Night Before Christmas) and justify the domestication and subjugation of wild animals (Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer) abound in the literature and lore of this season. Now James Finn Garner has stepped in to revise and improve these familiar tales to free our social consciousness from the ghost of prejudice past. From the newly revised "Twas the Night Before Solstice" to "Rudolph the NASAlly Empowered Reindeer," these stories rekindle the true holiday spirit and redefine the idea of "good will to all men" to include womyn, pre-adults and companion animals as well. Yes, the international bestselling author of Politically Correct Bedtime Stories and Once Upon a More Enlightened Time is back again, to offer a holiday gift that will fit all sizes, welcome all persuasions and nonpersuasions, and be treasured for politically correct generations to come.

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