This book had me chuckling throughout the whole story! Observations on Christmas' past, helpful suggestions for future holidays with friends and family, are all done with tongue- in- cheek humor. That dry wit of the British is the grabber here...even the glossary at the end of the book will have you smirking!

Lighthearted read....great for these sultry heat wave days of covid confinement. ( )

A lot like David Sedaris - it's a very funny memoir containing anecdotes of her family's British Christmases. Many of the references went over my head as I am an American (specifically a Californian) but I still found myself laughing out loud at several of the stories. I requested this from the library in early December but since it was new I didn't get it until late in January, but Christmas was so recent it didn't seem unusual to be reading about trees, puddings, turkey and re-gifting. In addition to the anecdotes, there is a glossary at the back with humorous definitions, referring back to the earlier chapters. It's the kind of book you want to read snippets to friends and relatives when you come across a particularly funny part. ( )

4 stars because one of the stories made me laugh until I had tears rolling down my face.
This is one of the funniest Christmas books that I’ve read, up there with David Sedaris’ Holidays on Ice.

This is a collection of short stories set at Christmastime. I think they were mostly true or based on truth.

I found one of the stories to be a bit sad but overall this was just really funny.

If you’re looking for a different Christmas story this season, pick this up. If you want a short, funny book, this is a great choice. ( )

A collection of short stories and humorous essays about Christmas. Very British, moderately funny (I smiled several times, but never laughed outright). If you’re already feeling a little jaded with all the holiday cheer, this might suit your mood. ( )

I like to try and read a Christmas themed book at Christmas time, and having previously enjoyed ‘Love, Nina’ by Nina Stibbe, I was really happy to get my hands on this. Essentially it is a collection of observations, memories and a few short stories all – obviously – based around a Christmas theme.

Stibbe discusses such things as how to cook a turkey without it being dry (she has chops instead!), the art of Christmas gift giving, spending Christmas with your parents despite being well into adulthood and more. Just as in Love, Nina, she is an engaging and amusing narrator and provided lots of smiles and giggles while I was reading this.

It’s lighthearted and undemanding – I read it over two days but only because I was stretching it out – and because those two days were Christmas Day and Boxing Day and we had places to be – I would think that it would be an easy book to polish off in one sitting.

I will be keeping this book and revisiting it at future Christmas times. I definitely recommend it. ( )