Holidays on Ice is a collection of three previously published stories
matched with three newer ones, all, of course, on a Christmas theme.
David Sedaris's darkly playful humor is another common thread through
the book, worming its way through "Seasons Greetings to Our Friends
and Family!!!" a chipper suburban Christmas letter that spirals dizzily
out of control, and "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol," a vicious
theatrical review of children's Christmas pageants. As always, Sedaris's
best work is his sharply observed nonfiction, notably in "Dinah,
the Christmas Whore," the tale of a memorable Christmas during which
the young Sedaris learns to see his family in a new light.
Worth the price of the book alone is the hilarious "SantaLand Diaries,"
Sedaris's chronicle of his time working as an elf at Macy's, covering
everything from the preliminary group lectures ("You are not a dancer.
If you were a real dancer you wouldn't be here. You're an elf and you're
going to wear panties like an elf.") to the perils of inter-elf flirtation.
Along the way, he paints a funny and sad portrait of the way the countless
parents who pass through SantaLand are too busy creating an Experience
to really pay attention to their children. In a sly way, it carries
a holiday message all its own. Read it aloud to the adults after
the kids have gone to bed.

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