Burroughs, Augusten. You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas. St. Martin’s Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0312341916 224 pp. $

***

I really enjoyed with holiday collection of stories; Burroughs has a great self-deprecating style. I liked the childhood centered tales the best. In one, he thinks Jesus and Santa are the same person (horrifying his grandparents) and spends Christmas day getting his stomach pumped, and another year, he deviously asks for something ridiculously expensive and impossible, thus ensuring he gets everything else on his list.

Later stories are well told, insightful, humorous, not as cheery, and more adult in nature, dealing with such plots as the death of his lover’s boyfriend, and facing up to his alcoholism after waking up at the Waldorf in bed with Santa. There are lot of pop culture allusions, but they are thoroughly accessible.

Enjoy with Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris.