Of course you’ve eaten too much chocolate at Christmas, but have you ever eaten the face off a six-foot-stuffed Santa? You’ve seen gingerbread houses, but have you ever made your own gingerbread block of flats? You’ve woken up with a hangover, but have you ever woken up lying next to Kris Kringle himself? Augusten Burroughs has, and in this caustically funny, nostalgic, poignant, and moving collection of true stories, he recounts Christmases past and present – as only he can.

With gimlet-eyed wit, Augusten Burroughs shows how Christmas can bring out the worst in us and sometimes – just sometimes – the very, very best.