I hadn't read this Sedaris and so I fixed my oversight. These essays were literally laugh out loud funny. He's a genius

I always get David Sedaris and Dave Eggers confused for some reason. Until now, I've never read anything by either of them, but I can't remember who it is that everyone seems to hate. Sedaris? Eggers? Both? I had planned to read this a year ago, but forgot I had it. I thought I'd better read it now during the holidays so I wouldn't have to wait another year to get to it--I can never watch Christmas movies or read holiday stories when it's not Christmas; it's depressing.

Anyway, this was a perfect little book to read during all the holiday chaos while suffering from a near-mental breakdown. (Mental breakdown caused by the mom freakout that happens every once in awhile when you realize there are actual lives depending on you, and you don't even know how that happened, or have a fucking clue what you're doing, and are scared someone is going to find you out, and are a little puzzled that they haven't already, and you just go to bed to cry into your pillow. You know, that old chestnut.) It's a quick read, funny, and made me feel a little better knowing that I at least don't have to make a living handing out leaflets dressed in a taco costume. Working as a Christmas Elf would be kind of fun, though. Well, just for like a day. The first story was my favorite, and I was grateful for the laughs instead of the above-stated tears. There's a blurb for ya.

"A great alternative to sobbing yourself to sleep!"
-J. Soutas, author of this really bad, whiny review

So really, thank you Dave Eggers David Sedaris, I like you.

2.5

"SantaLand Diaries" is my favorite Sedaris story, bar none. And it's perfect for this time of year! Ah, refreshing cynicism.

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.

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.

One of my most anticipated Christmas traditions is to read David Sedaris’s Holidays on Ice to perk up my Christmas cheer and get me in the holiday mood. David Sedaris is laugh out loud hilarious, as usual, when explaining certain holiday traditions to others, cultural holiday differences, and chronicling the diary of a Macy’s elf. Although on the paperback edition of the book there is a drink on the rocks looking mighty inviting, I would not sip anything while reading this mirthful collection of seasonal tales, unless you want to end up spitting it out mid-chortle. We all need a satirical reminder to keep our sense of humor around the holidays!
-Lisanne E.

Holidays on Ice is a collection of short stories and anecdotes taking place around Christmas. Probably because I expected it to be something else entirely (festive and heartwarming), I didn't find this book as funny or witty as many reviews say... I found the author/narrator a bit mean sometimes, and rude. Out of 12 stories, I liked only 3. Not a book I would recommend.

Santaland Diaries was David Sedaris’ breakthrough piece, establishing his career. This hilarious, uber-snarky account of Sedaris’ time as an elf in Macy’s Department Store first aired on NPR in 1992. It was the perfect counterpoint to the saccharine-sweet schmaltz typical of the season. It was how I was first introduced to him. It is also the anchor of this short collection, what elevates the collection to a four star rating.

It’s not that the rest of the material here is bad (though a couple are rather shockingly dark). But most of the pieces are available in other collection — scavenged from their original homes to make up this special, all holiday offering. While several deal with Xmas, there’s one for Thanksgiving, one for Easter, and a couple for Halloween (as well as one general winter piece). It’s definitely a Holiday theme all the way through.

I much prefer Sedaris’ non fiction work to his fictional stories. He (and his family) are his best subjects, that just can’t be topped by fiction. Because of the theme, several pieces here are his fictional work. Not my favorites. But in addition to Santaland Diaries, Six to Eight Black Men and Let It Snow are first rate.

Two final things — this collection is snarky and often pitch dark — if that doesn’t fit your holiday spirit, move along. And most importantly, David Sedaris’ odd and unique voice is a vital part of his work — his pieces are written to be performed, not read. If you want to get the full Sedaris experience, make sure you get the audiobook (Sedaris narrates all his own work).

Not my favorite collection by Sedaris but SantaLand Diaries included is great and one that can be revisited every Christmas.

Новогодние истории для читателей широких взглядов: хочешь, жуткий абсурд, хочешь — семейные посиделки в обществе проститутки, хочешь — травелог и размышления, что это за little helpers у этого дрянного Санты.
Выражение Ho, ho, ho, цитируя автора, заиграло новыми красками.

From cynical mall elves to the most terrible holiday letter, this holiday-themed short story collection shows David Sedaris at his wackiest–but don’t sorry, it’s still dark and sarcastic, too. One of my favorite ways to get into the holiday spirit, sans the warm-and-fuzzies.

–Emily Wenstrom



from The Best Books We Read In December 2016: http://bookriot.com/2017/01/03/riot-r...