David Sedaris’s beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favorites as 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 … 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).more
I am a person of traditions; I watch Planes, Trains & Automobiles, every Thanksgiving; I watch The Nightmare Before Christmas every Halloween and I read David Sedaris’, Holidays On Ice every Christmas season. It never gets old. I LOVE this book and these stories. Thank you for becoming part of my tradition David Sedaris!
I’m a huge David Sedaris fan and this one does not dissapoint! The collection of stories are hilarious, easy to digest and best read between November and December.
No one details dysfunctional traditions and kooky families like David Sedaris.
My favorite holiday read.
I just finished this little short story collection and it’s not for everyone. Politically incorrect and shockingly witty, you’ll be laughing despite your better judgement.
I’ve read it many times and it never fails to make me laugh. His time as a Santa’s elf in Macy’s is classic. And that oh-so-bitter Christmas letter – priceless!
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!
Typical Sedaris once again! I have not read or listened to a single book of his that I did not like. I think I prefer to listen to him read as he adds a bit of extra humor in his voice inflections. He has an excellent reading voice for the topics he writes about and I find myself giggling all along and just get a kick out of whatever he is talking about. Just buy it, and you will find yourself looking forward to his next book.
Laugh out loud funny
A Holiday Classic!
I really couldn’t tell you why I picked up this audiobook, but I do know that I forgot about it for weeks. Then, I needed a book to listen to while I traveled so I picked this out — it’s short and, after many hot, muggy days, I was interested in a book set in winter.
I had no idea who David Sedaris is or what this book was about so I was pretty surprised when I started listening. I’m a pretty sarcastic person, though, so I laughed pretty hard, though some of it was a little too dark for me — I can’t really find anything humorous about children dying. If it hadn’t been for the two short stories involving dead children, I would recommend this book to a lot more people.
Overall, though, this was a great break in the midst of a busy summer. If you like sarcastic, irreverent humor (it sort of reminded me of Jennifer Lancaster), then I recommend this book.
PG-13/R-rated for dark themes and some swearing.
I think I’ll just read this to my future kids every Christmas. Hilarious.
Made me laugh out loud. An antidote to some of the overly schmaltzy Christmas stories out there.
This is David Sedaris best work.! Everyone should own a copy of this book
My friends in college and I used to walk around and quote this obsessively. Dinah the Christmas Whore may be a work of genius, as may be the story about working as an elf in Macy’s.
I think one of his strongest efforts, I visit this book occasionally just for the shear entertainment of his story telling.
At times hilarious and often farcical, this short collection of Christmas-themed stories provide a welcome dose of inappropriate anti-politically correct humor. First published in 1997, this small collection of short stories certainly holds up twenty-one years later. Some will be offended. Others will laugh until they cry.
I’ve read this book every December for close to twenty years. It never fails to bring me Christmas cheer! It’s not for the easily offended but “Dinah the Christmas Whore” remains one of my all my favorite stories—in and out of the holiday season. Pour yourself a cup of spiked eggnog and settle in for a treat.
What can I say? I love funny books with stories about elves.
Hilarious!
Laugh out loud funny. One of the funniest writers ever. I love his books.