David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice

I was at the library the other day, when I saw a man a bit older than me,about my height, sharply dressed and looking a bit out of place in my small Boston suburban town.  I introduced myself, and he said his name was David Sedaris.  He asked for a ride, and I agreed. We made small talk, I told him about my family, my teenage son, my girlfriend and my lucrative freelance work as an epinions writer. Oh a writer he replied.  I proudly told him that over half a million people had read my reviews and of my hundreds of dollars in writing income.  David told me that he also grew up in the suburbs of Raleigh Virginia, and use to live with his boyfriend in France. Now he was a New Yorker.  David then informed me that he too was a writer.  Apparently, he had written a number of books that had appeared on something called the New York Times Best Seller list and had sold over seven million copies.  David writes stories of his childhood and his family and life, and has not only written them, but also narrates them on audio books.  I asked him to tell me some stories during our car ride.

Holidays on Ice

The Santaland Diaries.  David told me the story of how one Christmas season at age 33, he landed the prestigious job as one of Santa's elves in Santaland at Macy's department store in New York City. What followed was one of the funniest tales I had heard in a long time all told in David Sedaris's inimitatable slightly effeminate soft spoken, somewhat sarcastic voice.  David Sedaris has a very sharp wit, and a way of telling a story that is immediately captivating.  He describes everything from the job interview, training, and the day to day work as one of Santa's elves.

David Sedaris may be an extremely popular writer, but I can tell you first hand, the way to experience Sedaris is to LISTEN!  Yes, when David tells his own story it comes alive and his deadpan delivery and tone dripping with sarcasm just makes his stories that much more funny.  He tells of the high demands of this low paying job, but more interestingly, his interactions with the public in all its good and bad. He describes how people force their children to smile for Santa or how some white people ask in hushed voices for a "traditional Santa", which is apparently code for "I'm a bit racist, and don't want my child seated with the black Santa". The way Sedaris describes peoples foibles however, only elicits laughter, his dry wit skewers all who deserve skewering.
The Santaland Diaries is by far the funniest skit on Holidays On Ice, and it really should be listened to.

Customer: Do you know how stupid you look?
Sedaris to self: Yes of course I do, but what I want to say is Yes, but at least I am being paid, look at you! Why you're just giving it away for free aren't you? 
I want to say that but of course I don't, I just say thank you as if I hadn't heard him properly.

Based Upon a True Story  The second disc isn't as funny, this skit has Sedaris playing a character, a film producer from Hollywood in a hypothetical meeting with "hicks from the boondocks".  I find Sedaris funniest when he describes his own life and experiences.

Seasons Greetings to Our Friends and Family is another skit of a woman's yearly newsletter read by Amy Sedaris.  I just didn't really get it, and found it to be the least funny story on the CD set.

Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol Although I find Sedaris to be at his full on wittiest when he relates personal tales, this one is an exception. In this story, David Sedaris is Thaddeus Bristol an oustanding but scathing play critic. What's the joke you might ask? He is reviewing the communities local grade school productions of various Holiday skits with all the derision normally pointed at seasoned actors.  Hearing Thaddeus skewer a 2nd grader for her poor performance as the Virgin Mary was pretty amusing.

Dinah, The Christmas W**re This story came from David's own childhood when apparently he and his sister were working with recovering addicts and invited one, Dinah, home for the holidays. From the title, I am certain you can surmise her occupation.

Finally, Christmas Means Giving is a very sarcastic and exaggerated tale of two families who must keep upping the bar on acquisitions and then giving.  Sedaris narrates the tale from the point of view of one of the men who insists on purchasing better and more of the items that his neighbor obtains, but then must outdo him in the giving department, until he is homeless and has only vital organs left due to his generosity.

Summary

After the car ride was over, and I had listened to David Sedaris's stories as told by him (except for the one told by his sister Amy of Strangers With Candy fame), he asked if I enjoyed his stories.  I loved Santaland Diaries, it must be heard.  Although I found the two middle stories to be weak, the final three were quite amusing. I give Holidays on Ice 4 stars, but suggest to anyone to take the Book on Tape (or CD) out of their local library and at least listen to Santaland Diaries. Reading it would be okay, but one only gets the full impact when listening to David himself tell the story.

David asked if I would be meeting him at the library again to take another car ride and listen to more of his stories.   I've already made arrangements for him to ride with me again while he tells me all about Me Talk Pretty One Day