I am pretty sure that David Sedaris can do no wrong for me, and I loved Holidays on Ice! This is an odd mix of fiction and nonfiction, and while one of the stories wasn't really for me, I loved the rest of them. The book is a compilation of short stories and a few of them are new, but there are also older ones mixed in here as well. Sedaris as a Macy's elf will forever be one of my favorites and I'm glad that's the story he decided to start with. I listened to the audio since he narrates, but Ann Magnuson and Amy Sedaris are also narrators as well, and as always this is the way to go. It's much funnier when you can actually hear Sedaris (or others) read the stories, and I am itching to go to one of his events.

Not everyone will love Holidays on Ice like I did, but it is pretty classic Sedaris, and he is definitely in a category all his own. There is snark, sarcasm, and lots of ridiculousness but it was a good time, and I can't wait to catch up on all his other books!

jesus christ

After hearing David Sedaris' books are laugh out loud funny, I couldn't wait to read one. I chose "Holidays on Ice" as my first. To my dismay, I hardly enjoyed this book at all. For one, I couldn't tell whose perspective some of the chapters were written from; many of them definitely weren't from David's, which I found odd. Secondly, most of the stories felt like pure rambling. And it wasn't funny rambling, it was what is the point of this? rambling. I literally only laughed twice throughout the entire book. This book is not funny. Or maybe it's just not my kind of comedy? I may give another one of his books a try, but it won't be any time soon.

There were only three stories in this collection that I didn't absolutely despise; Santaland Diaries, Dinah the Christmas Whore, and 6 to 8 Black Men were the only ones that were even remotely funny. The rest I honestly wish I had never read. I'd suggest reading these in the store or borrowing the book from the library if you really want to read it. Don't waste your money on this collection, especially the hardcover version, unless you really want to spend money on stories about a baby killed in a washing machine, a husband and wife giving away their two 10 year-old sons to a homeless man to one-up their neighbor by being the most charitable, and eyeballs kept in baby food jars.

I think Sedaris thought he was being clever with these stories but really they were just sad and unfunny.

This was an entertaining collection of humorous holiday stories. These are mostly Christmas tales but there are a few Hallowe’en and Easter stories too.

SantaLand Diaries - 3 stars
Season’s Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!! - 3 stars
Based Upon a True Story - 5 stars
Front Row Centre with Thaddeus Bristol - 3 stars
Christian Means Giving - 4 stars
Dinah, the Christmas Whore - 5 stars
Jesus Shaves - 5 stars
Us and Them - 4 stars
Let it Snow - 2 stars
Six to Eight Black Men - 4 stars
The Monster Mash - 3 stars
The Cow and the Turkey - 4 stars

Overall - 4.1 stars

I finally met a David Sedaris work I hated. I admit, I was warned - but only that it "wasn't funny". I don't consider myself easily offended and, we are talking about David Sedaris here, so I wondered, "How "not funny" could it be?" I feel that a sense of humor is a personal kind of thing and I, myself, am often amused by cynicism, sarcasm, and irreverence so I went into it, if not with the usual gusto I feel when starting one of this author's books, at least with some expectations, however low. There isn't a low low enough. I couldn't even finish more than half the disks before I decided driving in silence was far more desirable. If you find dead babies, and earning popularity by giving away body parts amusing, and you relish a slightly horrified sense of nausea, then this book may be right up your alley. If, on the other hand, you want a holiday book which makes you feel good, or even one that makes you laugh by poking fun at family or religious observances: Run- don't walk - away from this disgusting mess.

This rating is sort of an average, since they ranged from extremely funny to very annoying to me, but then humour is subjective. I barely made it through the first two, but the third one had me laughing out loud because I could completely relate. The rest of the book varied, but by far I laughed the loudest at "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol" I kid you not.

Let me just give one example to show just why this essay was by far the funniest--when my kids did their few years of dance lessons I was happier dashing in to see their acts at dress rehearsals but volunteering in the back watching dance students. Let's be honest; many of these shows are best enjoyed by doting parents and grandparents and they are a fun experience for the kids who want to be in them.

There are some other essays/stories I enjoyed and I can see why others would laugh at tales I didn't.

Holidays on Ice puts David Sedaris on ice by breaking up this book into fiction and non-fiction. Sedaris riffing on real life is where it's at. His fictional short stories often include his sarcastic wit, but lack the personal connection of his diary-style work. Herein you get a mishmash of holiday-based anecdotes and stories. His "Santa Land Diaries" made him a household name. Then there are also a few selections that rope in his oddball family. Those are my favorites, and I would guess the favorite of many another, since Sedaris would put out book after book based on this kind of material for the next two decades.

The elven-voiced man is best listened to rather than read, in my opinion. I always go with audiobooks narrated by himself, because he adds the oh-so-necessary inflection, as well as some humorous renditions of his family members and, one of my favorites, Billie Holiday doing Christmas and commercial jingles. But here too is an issue. Some of these shorts are not read by him, but rather by guest narrators. That's like casting Rip Torn as the evil-yet-somehow-handsome villain in your movie...



...and then replacing him with Rip Taylor, because you thought it would liven things up.



Go take a listen to Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family Up in Corduroy and Denim or When You Are Engulfed In Flames. They're non-fiction (well...with a bit of hyperbole thrown in for fun) pieces about his life and they are comedy gold.

People invariably pick up a Christmas-themed book with a certain expectation of what they will find. They will talk about people whose lives change when they finally learn lessons of the spirit of giving and the magic of the season. There will be winter wonderlands, mangers, sleigh-bells, tinsel, trees and holiday music. And Santa, mustn't forget him. If you are looking for one of those saccharine sweet stories, keep right on moving. There's nothing to see here.
If you are familiar with David Sedaris and have read or, better yet, listened to one of his many books of stories and autobiographical essays, you will know that his sense of humor is laced with a heavy dose of cynicism that doesn't mix well with the aforementioned seasonal sleigh-load of sweetness. While a few of the essays are entertaining, others may make even the most Seasoned Sedaris supporter squirm. These tend to be stories in which he aims his wry sarcasm at hypocrites who abuse the season of good will for self-serving purposes. I get it, but these stories still make me cringe.
Readers will find some essays entertaining, such as SantaLand Diaries. in which Sedaris describes his time working as a Christmas Elf at Macy's. Another one that fits the season is Six to Eight Men, in which he muses on the different ways that Santa is perceived around the world. When a Dutch taxi driver tells him that the Dutch Saint Nicholas is very thin and wears ecclesiastical robes, a carryover from his former career, when he served as the bishop of Turkey, his response is:

“I’m sorry,” I said, “but could you repeat that?”
One doesn’t want to be too much of a cultural chauvinist, but this seemed completely wrong to me. For starters, Santa didn’t used to do anything. He’s not retired and, more important, he has nothing to do with Turkey. It’s too dangerous there, and the people wouldn’t appreciate him.

He also struggled with the idea that, rather than having Elves, Santa was accompanied by 'six-to eight black men'. Among his many musings on this topic was his speculation of how this would go over in America.

if you told the average white American that six to eight nameless black men would be sneaking into his house in the middle of the night, he would barricade the doors and arm himself with whatever he could get his hands on.
“Six to eight, did you say?”

Bottom line: If you have read and enjoyed David Sedaris before, you may enjoy several of these stories but you will probably agree that this isn't his best work. If you have not read David Sedaris before and are considering this one, I encourage you to pick one of his other books. Many are quite good, especially when you listen to the audio versions. You may also assume that at least one of the stars I assigned is more the result familiarity with his sense of humor, an advantage newbies won't enjoy.

My thanks to Lawyer and all the folks at the  On the Southern Literary Trail group for giving me the opportunity to read and discuss this and many other fine books.

The first story in this book was HILARIOUS. A great story about the author's experience working as Santa's elf at Macy's in NYC. I was dyinggg laughing. The rest of the stories, however, were disjointed and didn't even make much sense. They weren't funny and I didn't even understand the point of some of them. Like was the author being ironic? They just didn't resound with me past that great first story.

I'm afraid my book-selection privileges will be revoked by my book club for choosing this one.

I enjoy David Sedaris, in part because of his constant vigilance for finding the worst in people. Exploring the darker side of man makes for funny personal essays.

But when he turns to fiction, he has absolute creative control over his subjects. Instead of reporting on someone's shortcomings, he's inventing them. Perhaps this power is too much - he can't seem to help but create the worst imaginable scenario. He has some funny premises, like a fake holiday letter and a game of benevolent brinksmanship between wealthy neighbors. But each of his "fiction" stories devolves from amusing and odd to troubling and grotesque.

My advice is to pick this book up at a book store or library and read this first piece, Santaland Diaries, about his time as an elf at Macy's. That's classic Sedaris and worth reading. Then put it back on the shelf and walk away - the rest is not worth it.

There's just something about the holidays and audiobooks that makes me one happy girl.

Holidays on Ice is a book filled with about 6 super short stories. They all have to deal with the best holiday ever, Christmas. Or at least it's the best in my eyes. The music? Lovable. The decorations? Love them all and secretly wish my house would wind up magically decorated while I sleep peacefully. The movies? I seriously watch the same ones every December. Maybe even other times throughout the year.

Okay, okay - I'm obsessed with the holiday people. It's a problem and I'm okay with it.

Back to the book though. Some of the stories had their funny moments. The one thing I didn't like about the audiobook was the fake laugh track being added at times. I just wanted to sit back and listen and every time the track came I just rolled my eyes.

In the end, I didn't have a particular favorite story but I did like some more than others.