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I really liked the Macy's Elf portion of the narrative but the remaining tracks left something to be desired.
Sedaris moves on to what is actually an uplifting, yet disturbing act of charity in his short entitled " Dinah, the Christmas Whore." After those first two, the remainder of the book takes a familiar Sedaris dark turn, especially the disturbing look at competitive "giving". Classic Sedaris. The first vignette is the best, I even burst out loud reading "Season's Greeting to our Friends and Family." It is perfect if you think your family is screwed up, they do not really measure up. You will probably still enjoy it, but the final chapters seem to sputter out compared to the first couple of chapters.
Partly because I have read some of the stories in other collections, and partly because they just didn't flow together as naturally as his other collections of essays. I really enjoy David Sedaris. However, this compilation of stories didn't sustain my interest. I liked the theme of the holidays being less than perfection. It wasn't as hillarious and wake your husband up because your laughing out loud as the others.
Picked this up for $5 at Boarders just before Thanksgiving. Quick, fun read. Prior to Holidays on Ice I'd never read Sedaris. Will definately seek out his other work.
One of the funniest and most entertaining stories Sedaris has ever written is the first story in this book, "SantaLand Diaries," his story about working as an elf in a department store Christmas display. "Based Upon a True Story" is about a man giving a Christmas speech from the pulpit, with an ulterior motive. The other four stories are all fiction, and while they are creatively written I don't find them as interesting as Sedaris' true accounts of his own life.
The second best story I would say is "Dinah, the Christmas Whore," which is borrowed from his book Naked. They're not bad, just not what I'm used to and not what I expected.Here are the stories: "SantaLand Diaries" (from Barrel Fever) "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family." "Dinah, the Christmas Whore" (from Naked) "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol" "Based Upon a True Story" "Christmas Means Giving""Season's Greetings" is a seasonal letter written to friends and family, telling of the crazy events of the last year. It turns out that it is actually borrowed from one of his other books, Barrel Fever.
The fiction stories are over-the-top ridiculous. It's a story about an unfortunate woman who is friends with David's sister Lisa. Those are the only two nonfiction stories in this collection.
"Front Row" is about attending childrens' Christmas plays, giving reviews of the actors, etc. "Christmas Means Giving" is about competitive and materialistic neighbors.If you want to read something really unusual from Sedaris, namely fiction, then check out this book, otherwise buy one of his other books for his more typical fare.
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