The newest option by Augusten Burroughs brings together seven short biographical essays relating to some of his Christmas experiences.

The stories are full of the wry wit that is found in much of the rest of his work, but I thought that the tales didn't float quite as well. In his earlier books, most of the stories had a common themed and flowed more evenly.

The earliest pieces highlight his earliest confusion between Santa and Jesus since modern America seems to celebrate them equally during the holiday season. He later moves on to adulthood when he has a surprising interaction with a French Santa, a special Christmas with a boyfriend who is coming to terms with how AIDS has changed his life, and finding a great deal of holiday cheer despite things going terribly wrong with a new house.

The last story seemed a little forced when it comes to the theme. It is set during the Christmas season, but that is about the extent of things.

It was a quick and enjoyable read, but definitely not Burroughs' best.