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northerly_heart_reads's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
judyward's review against another edition
2.0
Everyone has had less than a perfect Christmas--or a lot of them--during their lives. Even I, who decorate to the point that it appears that either 1. Christmas actually threw up, or 2. a Christmas bomb went off, have had a few negative Christmas experiences. Picture it--I was in first grade and on Christmas morning I picked up the note that Santa left as a thanks for the milk and cookies and realized that it was written IN MY MOTHER'S HANDWRITING! I can tell you that kicked my little six-year old butt. Or the Christmas morning when my family decided that it would be easier to burn the wrapping paper in the fireplace rather than walk to the kitchen to get a trash bag and we had a chimney fire. Yes, it WAS exciting to hear the roar and run outside to see flames flying 20 feet out of the top of the chimney, but the fire department didn't seem to share our amazement. Or the Christmas afternoon when my cousins and I decided that it would be fun to put a whoopie cushion on my Grandmother's chair. When she sat down, we heard vocabulary that I really don't think should be used on the birthday of Jesus--which alerted our parents that all was not well and brought them into the living room at a gallop, and then the true fun started. Just a tip--savvy children do not put a whoopie cushion between their parents and the Christmas eggnog. But I digress. This book is a series of short stories--some are laugh-out loud funny and some border on rants. But if you like accounts of deer running into the sides of vehicles, mice eating the homemade ornament and decorations off the Christmas tree, gifts gone wrong, uncomfortable social experiences, and many other Christmas mishaps, this is the book for you.
shighley's review against another edition
1.0
Officially the worst Christmas book I ever read. I am not one to give up on books, but I came close; I kept thinking it might get better. I don't get the point; was it to depress people or something? To make fun of people who enjoy Christmas? To get back at the Smithfield ham people? Maybe it was supposed to be a parody of the often-uplifting Chicken Soup books. Our book club selected this as our December read, figuring we could use something light to end a disastrous 2020, but instead it went over like a lead balloon. (That cliched sentence would fit very well into the book.) While I thought some of the stories (and sentences) would never end, some stories ended so abruptly (even out of order) that all I could do was shake my head and hope the next was better.
rebeccadanielle's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. I laughed through just about every story in this book, at once stage I had to put it down and laugh. This was something nice and quick to read. A couple of the stories weren't that great but overall it was funny and I very much enjoyed it.
lauraa06's review against another edition
3.0
Funny collection of Christmas's gone bad stories from some really good writers. Some selections are better than others.
srivalli's review against another edition
2.0
Disclaimer: I wouldn’t have picked this book if not for the reading challenge prompt- a book with bad reviews.
A short story collection seemed easier to survive for such a prompt, and I’m glad I was right. The book has 18 stories about ‘hellish holidays’, and I can’t help but wonder if ‘hell’ was what the reader would have been transported to for daring to pick this one.
Okay, there are a couple of decent stories. But 3 nice ones from 18? Well, do your math. I sure don’t have to write a long review, but I need to rant. So here it goes.
Danner is Dead: A deer gets hits by a speeding car. The rest is an attempted stream of consciousness narrative that could have won a Pulitzer if the author threw in complex terminology. Nothing makes sense anyway. It looked like the author prepared for a 2-mark question but had to write the same answer for a 10-mark question. (Not sure if everyone will get this example, but Indians would know what I mean).
Blue Christmas: Sort of funny with an over-the-top dysfunctional family meeting. Bearable though. At least I didn’t have to wonder what happened.
Eight: Jews vs. Christian celebrations (a recurring theme in many stories). I don’t remember anything else, and I read it less than 72 hours ago. That says enough, I guess.
That’s Just about Enough Figgy Pudding, Actually: Logic vs. magic and stalking Santa? Well, bearable. The title is more interesting at any rate (ignoring the adverbs in there).
Birthdays: Another dysfunctional family but twisted and funny. (Don’t question my sense of humor, please. I need to retain my sanity.)
The Accidental Santa: Okayish, though I forgot the exact story. (That okayish comes from my notes, so I have no idea what I found bearable).
Christmas 2001: A collection of ‘sad’ Christmas celebrations. This one was touching. I felt sad for the narrator, so yes, this was a decent one.
The Bite Before Christmas: Loner moving around without destination on a Christmas Eve. Oh, well. Interesting theme. But the writing isn’t strong enough to make me feel anything except disinterest.
Survivor: Rambling at its best, or should I say worst? Ugh!
I’ll have Christmas with the Works on Rye, Hold the Ham, and Jesus: Jew vs. Christian celebrations. Maybe the title was better than the story.
Christmas in Paris: With an LGBT+ lead. It was sort of introspective. Not bad.
We Really Must Get Together This Year: I’ve read this author’s novels and am glad I didn’t read this first. This is probably one of her worst pieces. Uninspiring and boring.
The Gift of Magi Redux: Now, this one is rather good. I like it.
A Foreign Country: Brit vs. American and Jews vs. Christian Christmas celebrations. Okayish. Dry humor, or maybe I thought it was while the author meant something else.
The Jew Who Cooked Ham for Christmas: Moderately funny, I suppose. I like to imagine that the author tried to make it funny.
Rum Balls: Oh, well…
Buy Humbug: Twisted (the note says). I don’t remember the story. It’s less than 24 hours since I read it. Got erased faster than the lessons from school and college. That’s a record, I say!
The Gift That did not Need Wrapping: Sort of musing and minor ranting. A collection of memories. Nothing remarkable.
Not sure about Noel, but the book was hell. I rest my case.
I have no idea who and why they came up with this collection, but man, it’s something the readers could do without. The only saving grace is that I ticked off a prompt from the reading challenge. Phew!
A short story collection seemed easier to survive for such a prompt, and I’m glad I was right. The book has 18 stories about ‘hellish holidays’, and I can’t help but wonder if ‘hell’ was what the reader would have been transported to for daring to pick this one.
Okay, there are a couple of decent stories. But 3 nice ones from 18? Well, do your math. I sure don’t have to write a long review, but I need to rant. So here it goes.
Danner is Dead: A deer gets hits by a speeding car. The rest is an attempted stream of consciousness narrative that could have won a Pulitzer if the author threw in complex terminology. Nothing makes sense anyway. It looked like the author prepared for a 2-mark question but had to write the same answer for a 10-mark question. (Not sure if everyone will get this example, but Indians would know what I mean).
Blue Christmas: Sort of funny with an over-the-top dysfunctional family meeting. Bearable though. At least I didn’t have to wonder what happened.
Eight: Jews vs. Christian celebrations (a recurring theme in many stories). I don’t remember anything else, and I read it less than 72 hours ago. That says enough, I guess.
That’s Just about Enough Figgy Pudding, Actually: Logic vs. magic and stalking Santa? Well, bearable. The title is more interesting at any rate (ignoring the adverbs in there).
Birthdays: Another dysfunctional family but twisted and funny. (Don’t question my sense of humor, please. I need to retain my sanity.)
The Accidental Santa: Okayish, though I forgot the exact story. (That okayish comes from my notes, so I have no idea what I found bearable).
Christmas 2001: A collection of ‘sad’ Christmas celebrations. This one was touching. I felt sad for the narrator, so yes, this was a decent one.
The Bite Before Christmas: Loner moving around without destination on a Christmas Eve. Oh, well. Interesting theme. But the writing isn’t strong enough to make me feel anything except disinterest.
Survivor: Rambling at its best, or should I say worst? Ugh!
I’ll have Christmas with the Works on Rye, Hold the Ham, and Jesus: Jew vs. Christian celebrations. Maybe the title was better than the story.
Christmas in Paris: With an LGBT+ lead. It was sort of introspective. Not bad.
We Really Must Get Together This Year: I’ve read this author’s novels and am glad I didn’t read this first. This is probably one of her worst pieces. Uninspiring and boring.
The Gift of Magi Redux: Now, this one is rather good. I like it.
A Foreign Country: Brit vs. American and Jews vs. Christian Christmas celebrations. Okayish. Dry humor, or maybe I thought it was while the author meant something else.
The Jew Who Cooked Ham for Christmas: Moderately funny, I suppose. I like to imagine that the author tried to make it funny.
Rum Balls: Oh, well…
Buy Humbug: Twisted (the note says). I don’t remember the story. It’s less than 24 hours since I read it. Got erased faster than the lessons from school and college. That’s a record, I say!
The Gift That did not Need Wrapping: Sort of musing and minor ranting. A collection of memories. Nothing remarkable.
Not sure about Noel, but the book was hell. I rest my case.
I have no idea who and why they came up with this collection, but man, it’s something the readers could do without. The only saving grace is that I ticked off a prompt from the reading challenge. Phew!
harvio's review against another edition
3.0
- a collection of stories about terrible Christmasses by 18 different authors...almost all are fair, with Cynthia Kaplan's "Donner Is Dead" being laugh-out-loud hilarious
kristy's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
Meh, i am just not too interested in jewish people trying to celebrate christmas (in some stories) some others are not very exciting either.