Holidays on Ice: Stories
by David Sedaris

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Book Reviews of Holidays on Ice: Stories

Book Review: A mixed drink
Summary: 3 Stars

The above story is something that isn't a million miles away from the non-fiction Christmas stories told in HOLIDAYS ON ICE. All these stories have the ring of truth about them even (as in the anecdote I mentioned above) if one suspects that the facts may have been somewhat embellished. It's their inherent believability that makes them funny. But once David Sedaris moves towards outright fiction, his stories are less successful. It feels as though he is constantly trying to outdo himself, making the stories more and more outrageous for fear that the mundane may not be as funny as the shocking.

In any case, here are some quick comments on each of the five essays that make up this short collection:

"SantaLand Diaries" -- David Sedaris entertains us with his stories of working a terrible job as one of Santa's elves in a Macy's department store. This is the highlight of the collection - a very funny piece indeed. People are funny to Sedaris. From the utterly bizarre people who take on the role of Santa and his elves to the equally strange people who show up to wander through SantaLand, all of them provide us with many laughs.

"Season's Greetings to Our Friends And Family!!!" -- Not one of the more successful efforts in this collection. Oh, the initial idea is amusing enough, but the execution leaves much to be desired. In short, this is a parody of one of those over the top generic Christmas letters than some people will mail out to everyone they know in an attempt to compress an entire year's worth of news into a single newsletter-sized message. The essay is funnier when it's mocking the little things that go into these communications (the overuse of multiple explanation points, the disturbingly flowery language), but less funny when it tries to tell it's story.

"Dinah, The Christmas Whore" -- The story of the Sedaris family taking in a lady of the evening. This essay is rather short, and ends up feeling more sweet than funny (though it's definitely amusing).

"Front Row Center With Thaddeus Bristol" -- An even shorter essay than the previous offering, but it is hilarious. Yes, one of the more annoying things about the holidays is being dragged to the inevitable children's production of some Christmas themed story. Or, to be more specific, an adult directing a group of unenthusiastic children in a horribly boring play. Sedaris perfectly captures the deep, deep horror that each self-aware member of the audience will experience if forced to attend one of these ghastly affairs.

"Based Upon a True Story" -- Yikes. I didn't care for this one at all. An amoral television producer comes to a small town on Christmas to ask permission for the filming of a Based On A True Story TV Movie. This might have been much more amusing had Sedaris not beaten us over the head with his satire.

"Christmas Means Giving" -- Again, a fictional story, and, again, not as successful as the true-life memoirs. This details the escalation that two families undergo in their attempt to become the biggest present-giver in the neighborhood. Sedaris abandons any attempt of subtlety and instead goes for over-the-top laughs.

As you may have gathered, all of the stories in this small collection revolve around the holidays, and there's a lot of comedy fruit to be harvested from that time of year. But for as many as he successfully picks, he bludgeons others to pulp. It was a short collection so even the uninteresting pieces don't drag on for too long. HOLIDAYS ON ICE makes for a handy antidote to anyone feeling overwhelmed by the "holiday cheer" that comes around without fail every year at this time.

Summary of Holidays on Ice: Stories

Humor Books

• Subjects > Humor & Entertainment > Humor
• Literature & Fiction > Short Stories
• United States > Collections & Readers
• Comic