Customer Reviews
Gripping - By: Edwin, 04 Apr 2005 
This is a hilarious book. It made me laugh & laugh. That is the uniqueness of the "Holidays on Ice" book by David Sedaris. You may want to pity the characters, yet they are amusing in the way they deal with situations in the stories. It is easy for us to relate to the characters, because we have types like them everywhere around. I can understand why many people love this book too.
Also recommended: THE USURPER AND OTHER STORIES,EVERYTHING'S EVENTUAL, THE UNION MOUJIK, DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE
Six Sick Seasonal Stories! - By: Martin A Hogan, 07 Mar 2003 Sedaris once again knocks out six stories that will knock your socks off. One story deals with a woman's notes to her freinds after her family is forced to take in a young, female Vietnamese adult (a vestige of the husband's war mistakes) who speaks a language learned from Sesame Street watchings ("shiny, big bird, five dollar"). There is nothing but hilarious bedlam for the family, accented, of course, by the Christmas Holidays. Another deals with a true story of Sedaris' sister taking a crack whore home for the Holidays. The family considers this very cool & with his family, you'l easily see why.
However, the ultimate laugh is Sedaris' short-lived stint as a Santa Claus elf in New York's Macys. Born of adult men & one midget, alll because they are short, Sedaris describes the outrageous tedium & shocking marching orders they have to endure. The Santa crowds with or without children are mercilessly dissected, as well they should be, as Sedaris wonderfully describes this terrible thing that is 'visiting Santa'. This book is far too short, but well worth the endorphic giggles it induces.
A Good Read - By: , 03 Sep 1999 
I reallly enjoyed reading this book, I'll admit it wasn't as big as I had expected it to be, but it was worth it!! I, unlike most reviewers, enjoyed "Santaland Diaries" the least, I reallly liked "Greetings to our family & friends", "Based on a true story", & "Christmas Means Giving"! You definatly have to have a sense of humor when reading this book & don't take the stories too seriously (especiallly "Christmas Means Giving"!) But alll in alll the book reallly humored me & I enjoyed reading it!
I Brake for "Santaland Diaries" - By: , 05 Aug 1999 Okay, it's true: as other Amazonian reviewers point out, "Santaland Diaries" is the crown jewel of this collection of essays & stories. But it's SOOOOO funny, it alone made me rank this book with five stars. When my wife is depressed, I read her random sections of "Santaland Diaries": it reduces both of us to tears of hysterical laughter. Okay, so the lampoon of those obnoxious "What Our Family Did for the Last Year" Christmas letters is over the top: so is much classic Monty Python, Woody Allen, etc. If you loved the film THE REF, you'll adore HOLIDAYS ON ICE. (By the way, the marketeers who took the Santa-at-the-urinal photo off the front cover of the paperback edition are disgusting wimpoids.)
Hilarious at best, mediocre at worst - By: , 11 May 1999 
The first story, "SantaLand Diaries", is hilarious, as funny a piece of writing as I have ever read.The other stories are quite amusing, but don't rise to the level of the first. Sedaris clearly has exceptional talent, & I will definitely try out his other works. Comedy(whether performing or writing) clearly being the most difficult art, makes this collection worth the modest retail price.
