Holidays on Ice

A collection of David Sedaris' essays and stories with a Christmas theme, and be warned, this ain't exactly "It's a Wonderful Life". That said, Sedaris is up to his usual standards in his biographical essays; the short stories were a bit more uneven. "Season's Greetings..." in particular strikes a particularly macabre note toward the end. This is a fun, slim little volume of cynical and edgy humor that would make a nice Christmas gift, although you'd better be pretty sure of your recipient.

Starts with a great essay on being a Macy’s Elf, then gets unpleasant: the humor is about how clueless, racist, insensitive, and overall horrible the narrators are, with ludicrous exaggerations of current cultural phenomena, and they don’t work as satire because they’re just too broad. His nonfiction, though obviously it’s as carefully curated as the fiction, is better because it has to be constrained by plausibility and thus can actually do some incisive work. Or maybe because his major target is usually himself, which takes a bunch of the meanness out of it.

I was told this was supposed to be...checks notes...funny...I think? Needless to say, it was not. Had I not been driving while I listened to it, I would have DNFed it. It was filled with blatant racism and sexism and at times seemed to sexualize children. Not even a single line of the book was funny. The only reason I even gave it a half star was because in one of the stories, which featured a prostitute, the main character's mother actually treated this woman surprisingly well (at least in comparison to how the rest of this book went).

This is the first book by David Sedaris that I have read. It was a recent purchase, and there is only one reason it was at the top of Mount To-Be-Read – its size. It’s a hardcover book slightly larger than 5”x7” and a mere 134 pages. If I had put it at the bottom of the stack, the entire pile would have become unstable. I also wanted a quick, amusing read, as I’ve had a steady diet of large(ish) novels lately. I should also mention two things at this point. One is that I am writing the review several months after having read the book. The other thing is this: This is the short version of the book. There are six short stories within. Two weeks ago, I found another copy of the book on a shelf at a local big-box bookstore and it show more seemed suspiciously thick. That version of the book (same title, same design on the dust jacket, same price, mind you) contained twelve stories. I feel cheated. Caveat emptor.

I’ve known of the author for decades, having heard him on several occasions on NPR. He’s a very funny guy, and the first story - SantaLand Diaries lived up to my expectations.

The rest of these stories are dark. They have plenty of very funny, insightful observations of life in them, but by and large – they’re tragic. I can’t resolve what I’ve grown accustomed to - his sense of humor - with what happens in these stories. It goes beyond cynicism. I can’t believe he thought that he was being funny. Or maybe, I’m just taking it all too seriously – the CIP page clearly indicates, “2. Humorous stories, American” under the ISBN. I was not amused.

Don’t get me wrong. These are well-crafted stories, and they speak volumes about how life can whack you between the eyeballs. It wasn’t what I was expecting (or hoping for), though.

The rating is more for the writing, not the content. show less

I love David Sedaris, he has such dry, wry wit. But this has to be my least favorite book of his. It's not as funny, and he comes off as a real jerk in most of the stories. I listened to the audiobook which is the best way to get the full Sedaris experience! He and his sister, Amy, do all the narration which is fantastic. This collection isn't the most uplifting holiday read, in fact save for the first story, it's barely a holiday read at all. But I will read anything by Sedaris, so even though it's not my favorite, it's still worth a listen!

This book was originally assigned reading for a Creative Non-Fiction class I took as part of a Creative Writing minor in college. We only read a few of the stories, and I always told myself I'd go back and read the whole thing. Now, I finally have. It's been one of those things I've wanted to make a regular Christmas thing for some time, but keep getting sidetracked.

Of course, "Santaland Diaries" and "Dinah" are my favorites of the collection, as they are based on real life, however, the rest are just as witty and clever. Sedaris creates these situations where real people are baring their souls for some unknown reason, until you get to the end, and find that the situation is beautifully ludicrous and bizarre. This is especially the case show more in "Seasons Greetings," "Based Upon a True Story," and "Christmas Means Giving," where the narrators are some of the most fascinating but true-to-life people in the world. Sedaris uses what he's observed of the human condition and added an almost Douglas Adams level absurdity to what the suburban middle class will do in certain situations, especially around the Holidays.

Finally, there's "Front Row Center," in which a theater critic takes on the dubious task of reviewing primary school Christmas plays and takes to the job like a seasoned, bitter professional on Broadway. To me, this is the absolute funniest of the pieces, at least as far as traditional humor goes. Here the humor comes from writer Thaddeus Bristol's brutality towards the acting of school children and the lack of skill in their grade school teachers to put together a "professional" production. The other stories rely on the absolute insanity of the situations for the humor, as the narrators take themselves quite seriously throughout.

Definitely a fascinating read, and if David Sedaris is your cup of tea (and he won't be for everyone), this one is definitely worth your time. show less

If you are looking for the literary equivalent of "It's a Wonderful Life"-this book is definitely NOT for you. However, if you appreciate slightly cynical and sardonic commentary on the holidays, you will most likely appreciate this set of short stories by David Sedaris. From Jim Timothy, the extortionist who preys upon a Pentecostal church, to Dinah, the "Christmas [...]" Sedaris packs his vignettes with unforgettable characters who will make you laugh-even though you know Clarence the Angel would disapprove. If you've had enough of family bickering and other such holiday treats, curl up with this offering and you'll find a kindred spirit in David Sedaris.