'Holidays on Ice: Featuring Six New Stories' by author David Sedaris is a collection of humorous and satirical essays centered around the holiday season. The book includes stories such as 'Season's Greetings to our Friends and Family,' 'Dinah the Christmas Whore,' and 'SantaLand Diaries,' where Sedaris shares his experiences working as a Macy's Christmas elf. The writing style is described as funny, witty, and cool, with a mix of sentimental and twisted tales that provide a different perspective on the holiday season.

The book captures Sedaris's off-kilter storytelling style, blending autobiographical elements with fictional accounts that range from laugh-out-loud funny to cringeworthy. Readers appreciate the humor and honesty in the stories, particularly enjoying Sedaris's unique take on holiday traditions and family dynamics. Despite some unevenness in the collection, the majority of readers find the book entertaining and a good read for those looking for a different kind of holiday-themed book.

Characters:

The characters range from quirky, dysfunctional family members to exaggerated fictional personas, with humor stemming from their absurd behaviors and situations.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by a cynical and sardonic tone, merging dark humor with absurdity and personal anecdotes.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot centers on six humorous stories that explore holiday themes, blending autobiographical anecdotes with fictionalized scenarios.

Setting:

The settings are centered around various holiday experiences, prominently featuring a department store and suburban life during Christmas.

Pacing:

The pacing is fast, typical of short story collections, with varying engagement levels across the narratives.

I was in a coffee shop looking through the want ads when I read, “Macy’s Herald Square, the largest store in the world, has big opportunities for outgoing, fun-loving people of all shapes and sizes wh...

Notes:

David Sedaris's first book I read was Holidays on Ice.

The book is a collection of six holiday-themed stories.

SantaLand Diaries, about Sedaris's time as an elf at Macy's, is the standout favorite among readers.

The stories blend humor with dark insights about holiday experiences.

Other stories include absurd situations like a Christmas newsletter gone wrong and a family competition for the best gifts.

Sedaris often includes real-life observations that resonate with readers' own family experiences.

The collection is not just light-hearted; it also contains moments of uncomfortable humor.

The book includes previously published stories along with new material according to some editions.

Many readers appreciate Sedaris's unique style of finding laughter in bizarre and often uncomfortable situations.

Holidays on Ice is described as a good introduction to Sedaris's writing and sense of humor.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include dark humor, discussions of mortality, and some potentially offensive stereotypes related to cultural portrayals.

From The Publisher:

David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favoritesas the diaries of a Macy's elf and the annals of two very competitive families, are Sedaris's tales of tardy trick-or-treaters ("Us and Them"); the difficulties of explaining the Easter Bunny to the French ("Jesus Shaves"); what to do when you've been locked out in a snowstorm ("Let It Snow"); the puzzling Christmas traditions of other nations ("Six to Eight Black Men"); what Halloween at the medical examiner's looks like ("The Monster Mash"); and a barnyard secret Santa scheme gone awry ("Cow and Turkey").

No matter what your favorite holiday, you won't want to miss celebrating it with the author who has been called "one of the funniest writers alive" (Economist).

Ratings (13)

Incredible (2)
Loved It (9)
Liked It (1)
It Was OK (1)

Reader Stats (25):

Read It (15)
Want To Read (4)
Not Interested (6)

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Holidays on Ice: Featuring Six New Stories

David Sedaris