Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Published by Little Brown and Company
Publication Date December 28, 1998
Source: Gift
Genres: Humor
Goodreads
A new holiday classic--six of the most profound Christmas stories by the author of the bestselling "Naked" and "Barrel Fever"--is now in a paperback edition perfect for stocking stuffing.
David Sedaris’ Christmas stories have me torn. My favorite of the six short stories is his retelling of his holiday job as Santa’s Elf. He turns a humiliating job into well, not so humiliating. Sedaris recounts the beauty of people watching. The various Santas and their different approaches with the anticipated children and the parents instructing their child on what to ask, and pose for that year’s Christmas card. I am sure there are better and more in-depth ways of recounting said story but this short synopsis will suffice for now.
Unfortunately, half of the six stories were a little to obscure and “out there” for me, the author has been known to enter essays of this nature in his books but I felt this was the majority of the novel. This is not to say Holidays on Ice isn’t funny or enjoyable, which makes what I said before look like a contradiction. I think the best way to describe Holidays On Ice is to compare it to A Christmas Story with such pop culture references as “You’ll shoot your eye out” with the Red Ryder BB Gun, or the infamous “leg lamp”. Despite being “out there” Holidays On Ice is a staple in my holiday reading, akin to my yearly watching of Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life.
I have been curious about Sedaris for years, but have never read anything by him before.
I love David Sedaris and am planning on reading this one soon. I try to read it every year, his job as a Santa's helper is my favorite one too.