I don’t make a habit of reading Christmas stuff around Christmas, but there was so much of it in my feed during December that I started to have second thoughts. And then I happened to see this Connie Willis collection… (Also, there was a spaceship ornament on the Christmas tree on the cover. It was the last straw ;) ).

Which one is the best Christmas story? In the introduction, Connie Willis tells you that it is the very first one ;) I liked that.

“Miracle”
All the deities help us, it’s time for the office Christmas party! Luckily, Christmas spirits intervene and everything works out in the end. I was delighted. 4.3 stars.

“All About Emily”
Broadway, All About Eve and androids. What a mess this one is – a cool, humane, and very touching one. 4.2 stars.

“Inn”
Strange things begin to happen during a Christmas pageant rehearsal. Awww. I felt that the author could have done more with the idea, maybe? Still, it’s awww. 4.0 stars.

“All Seated on the Ground”
Three stories down, and I was getting worried. Where were my sci-fi Christmas stories? Phew, there were the aliens, there was First Contact. There were Christmas songs, lots of them. And rules of civilised behaviour. And men not listening to women done very well. Meg and Colin are adorable! 4.5 stars.

“In Coppelius’ Toyshop”
Oh, a horror Christmas story about getting stuck in a toy store! Cool. The MC had it coming, too. 4.0 stars.

“Adaptation”
Inspired by A Christmas Carol. What a lovely ending! 4.5 stars.

“deck.halls@boughs/holly”
Let a professional do your Christmas! Sweet and very silly. 4.8 stars.

“Cat’s Paw”
The author has fun with classic mystery novels and country house Christmas. Nothing special, 3.6 stars.

“Now Showing”
Do you hate multiplexes? I hate multiplexes. This is a fever dream story of trying to see a movie. I liked the twist! 4.4 stars.

“Newsletter”
It’s almost Christmas! Everyone is so nice, considerate, and reasonable… suspiciously so. Something’s up! Fun, fun, fun! 4.2 stars.

“Epiphany”
“You stole a Gideon Bible?” Mel said.
“They put them there for people who need them. And I’d say we qualify.”
There is a Second Coming. Maybe. This one just warmed my heart. 4.6 stars.
“Just Like the Ones We Used to Know”
Epic snowstorm! You might want to careful when you wish for a White Christmas… Too many stories in this story, imo, it feels very long. I liked the ones about the wedding and the goose. 3.9 stars. ( )

This collection of festive short stories is, by and large, a pleasure to read. While I enjoyed some stories more than others, as one does with nearly any short story collection, all in all I was amused and occasionally touched by the tales Willis spins here. I enjoyed "Epiphany" least, but it's harder to choose a favorite -- "Just Like the Ones We Used to Know" or "All Seated on the Ground" or "deck.halls@boughs/holly" are all contenders. If you're looking for some pleasant reads, not too schmaltzy, not too grim, to boost that holiday spirit, pick up this book. ( )

A collection of SF-ish Christmas stories - from aliens arrive and react only to carols, to a sudden storm all over the world for a white Christmas, to...All of them are very weird, most of them are excellent. Good read. ( )

I really enjoyed this collection of Connie Willis' short stories. Some are more sci-fi than others, and a couple are downright fantasy, but they are all enjoyable. Though there were some I liked more than the rest, there wasn't a single one that I didn't enjoy. I also really appreciated Willis' explanation of her take on the Christmas-themed story in the Introduction.

This collection contains the Hugo-winning "All Seated on the Ground," which is one of my all-time favorite stories by Connie Willis. It combines aliens and science research and choirs. What more could you want? ( )

Connie Willis is really good at short stories, fascinated by Christmas, and clever at finding new ways of seeing that holiday and using it in fiction. I’ve read a number of these stories in other collections already, but I think I enjoyed those only slightly less for all that, and the newer pieces? Fun and thought-provoking. Some good social critique throughout too—a woman who smuggles Joseph and Mary into her church when the paster wants to call the homeless shelter, the aliens who make contact and then don’t respond to anything until they’re taken Christmas shopping, the madness of the holiday Christmas party, the girl who really wants to see the holiday heist film. I didn’t even have that Thing where every short story collection has a dud or two!

But … I’m also growing very aware that Willis has, like, one plot. The narrator always dithers or is confronted with mildly random, zany roadblocks that make them go almost in circles, there’s often a hyper-awareness of something like Christmas carols or classic Hollywood cinema, and everything turns out all right in the end almost despite itself. Don’t get me wrong, Willis is very good at that plot and equally good at making it different every time but … I wish she’d mix it up a little more, y’know?

Still, if you want funny, mildly science fictional stories appropriate to the season, you won’t go wrong with these at all.

Warnings: … nope? But it’s pretty White and straight.

7/10 ( )