Friday 29 November 2013

DOUGLAS LINDSAY - SANTA'S CHRISTMAS EVE BLUES (SHORT STORY)


Synopsis/blurb......

In this wonderful bite-size slice of yuletide magic, the very future of Christmas is in doubt. It's Christmas Eve, but just at the moment when he should be putting on his red suit and checking his beard for snowy whiteness, Santa is sitting in his underwear, drinking hot chocolate and singing the blues. Fortunately, anyone who thinks that Christmas can no longer be left in the hands of little people in green outfits, is about to be proved wrong. With fabulous characters and madcap rhymes, 
SANTA'S CHRISTMAS EVE BLUES is set to become a seasonal favourite with young and old for generations to come.

SANTA'S CHRISTMAS EVE BLUES is a 5000-word short story.

"A cute little story with more than a disturbing truth about what Christmas has become." -- Not The Baseball Pitcher

Short story – so a short review!

This was another short read and something a bit topical for the time of year, even though I’m not yet in the festive spirit.  Lindsay waxes satirically on what Christmas has become – big business,  rampant commercialism and profit. Interesting enough and a decent way to spend the best part of an hour.

Douglas Lindsay
I would have to say Lindsay's writing talent is better suited to standard prose, as opposed to the song-writing skills employed here, but maybe his lyrics are intentionally bad. (You can hear him wailing away somewhere on his website, or at least you could last time I visited. Susan Boyle can sleep easy for now!)

I have read a few of his novels mainly from his humourous Barney Thomson, serial killing barber series. I will try and read something else by him in 2014 for my Scottish challenge.

3 from 5

Picked up as a freebie on Amazon a year or so ago.


8 comments:

  1. Col - I think Lindsay's right about what Christmas has become, and the story does sound like a decent read. Thanks for sharing. But maybe I won't pick up Lindsay's music if he does release some... ;-)

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  2. Thinking about Christmas already.... good luck to you....

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    1. Moira, I kind of wish I could wake up Christmas morning and it would all be taken care of, but I guess I need to do my part. My wife's a busy lady!

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  3. Short and funny, Col. I love the December 25-31 period but I also hate it because it signals the end of all the festivals and start of the next three to four months of very few festivities which means very few public holidays, at least in India.

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    1. I do enjoy the holiday period, more for being able to kick back and relax with the family, as opposed to having any great religious or spiritual beliefs. It does seem like it's a long haul from New Year until Easter our next holidays.

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  4. I hope to get some Christmas reading in this December. There is a huge book of Christmas short stories i want to buy but I want to wait until it is remaindered. Someday.

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    1. I think this will probably be my only Christmassy read - I don't think I have anything else like it. I won't be picking up Dickens and Christmas Carol and I'm stumped after that.

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