Winter Holidays 2016

Inside This Edition

Love it or hate it, the holiday season is once again upon us—which means it’s time to get cozy with a mug of hot chocolate and some good holiday stories. In this spirit, we have assembled half a dozen tales for your reading enjoyment. But don’t think for a minute that Christmas has made us gone soft—these stories are as defiant and original as ever. While it’s hard to be truly unique when working with a topic as overused as the Christmas season, we can assure you that these stories manage that considerable, impressive feat (and make it look easy).

To begin our edition, we have All I Want for Christmas by Brenda Moguez, a story written as a young girl’s letter to Santa. Moguez’s subtle, nuanced writing expertly crafts the main character’s perspective, and makes the letter—at once heartbreaking and hilarious—feel genuine. Sean Sanford’s Equal Parts Hatred and Christmas is a nonfiction piece that sings thanks to excellent writing and sly social commentary, as well as imagery so perfectly wrought, it seems to live and breathe. And, if you’re stressed by the season or tired of the sentimental warm-and-fuzzies, look no further than the other half of our December 2016 edition—which is 100% holiday-free.

We truly have something for everyone this month, so even if your holiday celebration doesn’t go as planned or you get a collection of unrequested, unwanted gifts, take comfort in the fact that these stories will make all the unpleasantness of the season just a little bit more bearable.

Happy holidays!