A collection of Christmas-themed short stories by a plethora of well-known authors. The majority of the stories were good three stars, with a few duds and a few winners. The best is the novella at the end by Sarah Pinborough. Not the best Christmas collection I've read but decent enough for a good Christmas read.

1. Absinthe & Angela by Kelly Armstrong - An engaged couple spends Christmas Eve at an isolated cabin in the woods. Suddenly mummers come to their door and the woman has been afraid of mummers since childhood. Great pacing. Things start normal enough and the pacing is perfect to the scary ending. (4/5)

2. Christmas in Barcelona by Scott Smith - A couple go to Barcelona for Christmas where everything goes wrong including a screaming baby. This was engrossing. I had to read the ending twice before the shock settled in. Great. (5/5)

3. Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow by Seanan McGuire - This is a fairy tale. Three children with very strict and unloving parents have a new babysitter tonight. She is unlike any they've had before and she tells them a story. An enjoyable story but not the type I'd expect to find in this sort of anthology. (3/5)

4. Love Me by Thomas E Sniegoski - A man just out of prison goes to rob an old lady whose husband dealt in antiques and collectables. This was creepy. The end is predictable but the pace getting there is great. (4/5)

5. Not Just for Christmas by Sarah Lotz - It's the future and genetically engineered pets are all the rage. Jake gets his kids a Gen-pet for Christmas and it's all cute and cuddles at first, then things go horribly wrong. (4/5)

6. Tenets by Josh Malerman - A man brings a former cult leader to a Christmas party unbeknownst to the hosts. This started well but had a lousy vague ending. (2/5)

7. Good Deeds by Jeff Strand - A Christmas curmudgeon does a good deed and is so proud of himself that he writes a Christmas song with surprising results. This was a comic piece but didn't do anything for me. I just thought it was silly. (3/5)

8. It's a Wonderful Knife by Christopher Golden - A rich producer takes a young actress into a locked room containing his weird collection of Hollywood memorabilia. A slow story takes all its time leading up to the climax which happens quickly and is rather boring. (2/5)

9. Mistletoe and Holly by James A Moore - it's been two years since the military arrived at her front door to say her husband was never coming home. She misses him but doesn't know whether she'd want him back. An engaging story with rising action throughout. (3/5)

10. Snake's Tail by Sarah Langan - About all the gods in the world taking their sacrifices. Children disappear on Christmas Eve. Basically, to me, it seemed to be anti-religion, all religions. Not my thing. (0/5)

11. The Second Floor of the Christmas Hotel by Joe R Lansdale - An old friend contacts the narrator about Christmas' at his parents' secluded hotel. He tells him a ghostly tale about it 2 years before it's pulled down to check if it's true. Well-told, creepy and fun. (4/5)

12. Farrow Street by Elizabeth Hand - A woman's Christmas plans in Devon are dashed so she decides to spend it in London by herself. Her hotel is a hole in the wall and it's Christmas Day when nothing, not even busses, are open. She wanders around and gets lost. This was very good. I kept thinking I knew where it was going until the shocking end. (5/5)

13. Doctor Velocity by Jonathan Mayberry - This was a slog. Two artists sit around talking about emotions. It ends in horror but wasn't worth the slog. (1/5)

14. Yankee Swap by John McIlveen - My favourite so far. A woman wakes up in the dark chained to a chair. She discovers there are 6 of them altogether, and then a madman enters and makes them play a deadly game. (5/5)

15. Honor Thy Mother by Angela Slatter - Agnes is old and she's gathered her entire family together for Christmas. They want her to go into an old folks home but she has other plans. Loved this. The author keeps you thinking you know what's going on but you don't guess until she tells you. (5/5)

16. Home by Tim Lebbon - It's the end of the world and a man lives day after day walking, setting up camp, and foraging. Pretty standard but there is a shocking revelation at the end. (3/5)

17. Hiking Through by Michael Koryta - A man is telling us something that happened to him when he was prepping to hike through the Appalachian Trail up to where he is now. Decent story. Not scary or creepy though. (3/5)

18. The Hangman's Bride by Sarah Pinborough - The longest story in the book. Close to being a novella. This is a very creepy ghost story with a Japanese twist. (5/5) ( )

Christmas horror in time for Halloween? Yes please! count me in! What a great way to kick off the holiday season. Not only do the herald angels scream, they bring you tidings of discomfort and fear. I love short horror stories in any season, but I savor them even more this time of year when busy schedules, holiday baking, and decorating the house for hordes of trick or treaters infringe on my reading time. Oh Dear, I didn't mean to sound like scrooge. There is just something so satisfying to me about being able to finish a long day of holiday chores and reward myself by sinking my teeth into a good story (instead of the Halloween candies or Christmas cookies) There are 18 tales in this goodie bag and I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite. I enjoyed most of them very much. In fact the first treat I pulled from this bag "Absinthe and Angels" by Kelly Armstrong was deliciously creepy and set the bar rather high for those that followed. There are stories of down and out husbands in search of the perfect gift to get back in their family's good graces. There's a newly single mom trying to cope with her first Christmas without her husband. There are holiday parties you are better off not invited to attend, a couple's first trip to Barcelona with their new baby in time for Christmas is one I will bet they never forget. A haunted hotel room, a tongue in cheek version of my all time least favorite song The Christmas shoes titled "Good Deeds" by Jeff Strand was a perfect fit for my twisted humor.
All in all this anthology was well worth a read.

I received an advance copy for review. ( )

Really more winter-themed horror than entirely Christmas-themed; a number of stories using the short story format effectively to end just as or before the really awful thing happens, like Scott Smith’s Christmas in Barcelona (child death). I disliked the last story by Sarah Pinborough, The Hangman’s Bride—it’s about the ghost of a murdered Japanese woman who ends up saving a white woman to be the new bride of her widower in Victorian England, so the function of the nonwhite horror trope is to give the surviving white people a happily ever after. ( )

punny title, and a fun cover do not a good anthology make. A disappointing collection of mediocre Christmas themed horror stories that are eminently forgettable. ( )

I had an absolute blast listening to the audio book version of this holiday themed horror anthology! Packed with 18 horrific holiday tales, this collection ranges from humorous to spooky and even snarky. Fun! It was great timing on my part as I was packing away all the holiday decorations, moving furniture and mopping up after the holidays while listening to these stories. Made it more fun!

As with any story collection there were tales I loved, some that were good, and two that I really didn't like. It happens. The stories are varied in tone, length and type of horror....makes the collection appealing to a wide range of readers. My favorite story from the book is Good Deeds by Jeff Strand. There is a particular Christmas song overplayed by radio stations every year that I absolutely hate. Every time I hear the depressing tune about a kid buying his dying mother a pair of shoes, I just roll my eyes and wonder if my ears are going to start bleeding. Ugh. I hate that song! How lovely of Jeff Strand to bring a smile to my face with a horror story based on the fact that EVERYONE pretty much hates that song. It brought joy to my heart and I will think fondly on that story every time I am subjected to The-Holiday-Song-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named. Following a close second for me was Absinthe & Angels by Kelly Armstrong. Totally creepy holiday tale about mummers who appear outside a couple's cabin on Christmas Eve. Loved it!

All in all, this is an enjoyable holiday anthology that doesn't have to be enjoyed during the holidays. These stories are entertaining and could be read at any time of the year.

I listened to the audio book version (Highbridge). At just over 11.5 hours, it took me a couple days to get through all of the stories. Narrated by Teri Schnaubelt and Charles Constant, the audio is high quality and very enjoyable. Both narrators read at a nice pace with great acting skills. A very enjoyable listening experience! This was definitely the perfect audio book to listen to while packing up the tinsel and reindeer! :)
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