Many of these tales are dark, otherworldly and (trademark Winterson) wickedly funny. Some of the best — like 'The Glow-Heart,' about a man living through a second lonely Christmas after the death of his beloved — are hard to read, but they honor the inescapable sadness that comes into sharper focus during the holidays. Christmas Days is beautifully packaged, a gift book in more ways than one. You half expect doves to fly out of the pages when you crack the spine ... So many of the stories in Winterson’s book beg to be pulled out on a December night, fireside, and read aloud.
...an odd little collection, perfect for stuffing the stockings of your eccentric relatives ... Fans of her autobiographical work will recognize the singular voice in Christmas Days ... The magical tales are all exuberant and slightly playful, shading toward goodwill, happy endings and lessons learned ... Whimsical and occasionally twee, some are not going to be everyone’s cup of eggnog ... [a] delightful little book.
Winterson’s winter tales unfailingly succeed in their endeavour to leave you aglow ... Perhaps it’s inevitable that even the best Christmas offerings should include a certain amount of stocking-filler, and Winterson liberally recycles her earlier work where necessary ... Would it be too much to read Winterson’s Christmas collection as an attempt, finally, to make peace and come to terms with her past? The evidence is there in the inclusion of the recipe for her father’s favourite trifle.
The book is full of appealing titbits ... The standout is 'A Ghost Story,' set in the Bernese Oberland where a British party is celebrating the new year ... it’s gratifying to see that even Mrs Winterson eventually gets to come in from the cold.
...it’s a bit of a hodgepodge. But there are some gems in it, along with some rueful reflection ... These stories are well-turned, and Winterson unashamedly embraces tried-and-true ghost-story formulas, as eerie occult occurrences are explained by tragic events from the past ... Winterson in essayistic mode, especially when sharing her Christmas research findings, is an undiluted treat.
Throughout it, she alerts us to the true meaning and message of Christmas — subtly, not by way of strident preaching or saccharine storytelling ... Winterson’s trove of 12 stories and 12 feasts feels like a literary advent calendar, a series of surprise treats to savor slowly. It is a joyous collection, one we should read this Christmas, and in Christmases to come.
Christmas Days embodies compelling aspects of the holiday. Without being overly sentimental, Winterson’s stories ride a line that embodies the optimism of the season contrasted with the deeper, pagan roots of the winter solstice ... For a fine bit of fireside reading with a needed dose of sour to combat the often overpowering sweetness of Christmas, this book should do the trick.
