Mildly entertaining at times.

I listened to this in audiobook format, narrated by Sedaris, as usual. The Santaland Diaries, the first set of vignettes, was quite long and hilarious. Unfortunately, I didn't find any of the other vignettes funny at all.

This one had me laughing A LOT! It has some offensive language because it was written back in the 90’s, but if you don’t get offended very easily, you should check it out!

I absolutely adore this book. If you want to read it I highly recommend the audio version. David is the perfect narrator for his stories. Such fun.

This is a humorous selection of short stories about various holidays. My favorite was "The Santaland Diaries" about the author's job as an elf at Macy's, helping Santa as thousands of parents bring their kids through the line for pictures. It was a mixed bag of stories, told with David Sedaris' dry sense of humor. I've read some of his other humorous books about his family, and have seen him in person, and do not feel that this collection is his best work.

This was my introduction to David Sedaris, and I have to say I found a couple of the stories very, very funny. "The SantaLand Diaries" - about Sedaris' job as an elf at Macy's during the Christmas season - was absolutely hilarious. It took me back to my collegiate summer job at Walt Disney World, where I, too, was forced to deal with pushy adults, bratty kids, and an uncomfortable and unflattering uniform. I also thought "Delilah the Christmas Whore" was entertaining - as much for its references to Raleigh, NC (where I live) as the story itself.

I give it three stars, though, for the stories I didn't enjoy as much - an address to a poor Kentucky church congregation from a pushy, selfish Hollywood television producer; and "Merry Christmas to our Friends and Family," a woman's Christmas card letter about a year gone horribly wrong. Parts of these stories were humorous, but overall I found them more morbid and depressing than anything, and I just didn't get them.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. It was a good audiobook choice for my commute to work. The humor was much more darkly funny than I expected, and I love Sedaris' concise, tell-it-like-it-is writing style. I've heard that his book "Naked" is quite funny, so I'm going to give that one a shot as well.

2.5 to 3 stars - rounded up to 3 on the official rating to give Sedaris the benefit of the doubt.

I did not enjoy this quite as much as previous Sedaris titles I have read. While it contained the cynicism I have come to expect from him, it seemed to overpower the humor a lot more than usual. So, instead of being amused, I was left feeling uncomfortable.

Also, since this is a much shorter compilation of holiday related stories, it did not have the full satisfaction of one of his full length books with all original material. (Note: I say "holiday related" in the previous sentence, but there is one story in here about cadavers that I was not quite sure how it related to holidays).

If you are a die hard Sedaris fan, check it out. If you are just starting with Sedaris, there are much better places to begin. (When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim)

This isn’t funny? I found most of it offensive... I can lighten up but judging and making fun of others/horrible stereotypes ... that’s just not my humor. Also: Yawn. I felt like I was trapped at a Christmas party talking to *that* person...

I tried, but I give up.

The first story, "Santa Land Diaries," was great. Sedaris's tale of working as a Macy's department store elf is hilarious! Those people who inevitably make the news every Black Friday by pepper spraying and punching their fellow shoppers? I think they all go to Macy's at Christmas. Sedaris writes about them with his usual biting wit. My favorite scene had to be when he gets fed up with this awful Santa who keeps making him sing Christmas carols with the kids. Sedaris sings "Away in a Manger" in Billie Holiday style. I have never heard anything like it in my life, but it is absolutely perfect. You have to listen to the audio for that alone! I was cracking up alone in my car! There are a few poignant moments as well, especially from one Santa who likes to remind people what Christmas is really all about. One of the local theaters does a stage production of this story every year, and my husband and I have always been curious about it. We will definitely be going to see it next year.

Oh, but then.

The second story, "Season's Greetings to Our Family and Friends," was horrible. Absolutely horrible. It's supposed to be a spoof on a Christmas letter gone horribly wrong. Something's gone horribly wrong alright--Sedaris's attempt at fiction. I kept listening, thinking it had to get better, but it just kept getting worse and worse. Disturbing only starts to cover it. I wish I could scrub that half-hour listen out of my brain. For real. This one was told from a woman's point of view, so it's read by David's sister, Amy Sedaris. I have to admit the tone and reading were absolutely perfect for the story, but it set my teeth on edge. I can only describe it as "rich bitch" and few accents will raise my hackles faster. That definitely did not improve my reaction to the story.

I attempted the next one, but, having a big chip on my shoulder about the word hillbilly and the attendant stereotypes that go with it, I was hugely offended by the way the fictional narrator was talking down to these people. I moved on after about five minutes.

When the next story was a drama critic's scathing review of children's Christmas productions, I just turned the whole thing off in disgust.

The elf story was definitely worth a listen, but I personally can't recommend any of the other stories.

David just sounds like such a jerk in the books. Sometimes I have a difficult time getting into these.

Review to come.

Audiobook Comments
Read by the author with his signature dry humor - which made it so much fun to listen.

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2.5

Beware. This is a slapped together collection, packaged with a thin holiday theme. The SantaLand diaries are hilarious, the others range from awful to mediocre. There is no reason to read this book as SantaLand is found elsewhere. Thank goodness I still have a few of Sedaris' "legitimate" books to read.