Oooh. Just finished this a few days ago. Quick and easy.

I’ve never bought or borrowed audiobooks, simply because of my belief in the superiority of books in printed format. Yet, I think that the next time I want a little David Sedaris, I want to listen to him read his own stories. This makes sense because I think he had a theatrical background before he became famous as an NPR humorist. Many of the stories make good monologues.

Early in the Christmas season, I woke up to him reading “The Santaland Diaries” on the radio. But then I fell back asleep. This has nothing to do with his performance or writing, but my own biological dictates. I set my clock radio at a moderately loud volume, so if I fall back asleep that means my body really still needs rest. Every once in a while I would hear Sedaris’ voice penetrating my subconcious. Once, I nearly woke up by his singing, Billy Holliday style.

This has happened to me twice for the past two years.

I decided to read Holidays on Ice so that he could stop invading my subconcious mind every Christmas season. We all like David’s little Macy’s elf story. But I also have my favorites. I liked the one about the mall cafeteria worker with a strong imagination. I also enjoyed the savage satire of “Christmas Means Giving”. This tall tale made me think.

Underneath the author’s persona as the fluffy funny guy, he really is a moralist. He bemoans the modern American lifestyle of frantic consumerism during the holidays while calling for more of the spirit of true giving.