Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat

Product Description

For fans of Laurie Notaro and Jenny Lawson comes an uproarious and oddly endearing essay collection for anyone trying to survive the holidays in one piece.

When it comes to time-honored holiday traditions, Jen Mann pulls no punches

In this hilariously irreverent collection of essays, Jen Mann, nationally bestselling author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat, turns her mordant wit on the holidays. On Mann’s naughty list: mothers who go way overboard with their Elf on the Shelf, overzealous carolers who can’t take a hint, and people who write their Christmas cards in the third person (“Joyce is enjoying Bunko. Yeah, Joyce, we know you wrote this letter.”). And on her nice list . . . well, she’s working on that one. Here, no celebration is off-limits. The essays include:

• You Can Keep Your Cookies, I’m Just Here for the Booze
• Nice Halloween Costume. Was Skank Sold Out?
• Why You Won’t Be Invited to Our Chinese New Year Party

From hosting an ill-fated Chinese New Year party, to receiving horrible gifts from her husband on Mother’s Day, to reluctantly telling her son the truth about the Easter Bunny, Mann knows the challenge of navigating the holidays while keeping her sanity intact. And even if she can’t get out of attending another Christmas cookie exchange, at least she can try again next year.

Praise for Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat

“Mann’s writing has transcended from witty anecdotes and complaints to notable satire. Hidden among the many laugh-out-loud zingers are lessons on how we relate to each other, and how ridiculous parenting culture has become.”—Associated Press

“Following the success of her first book, she is now punching throats at holidays, starting from her being age two and continuing to the present, where she is a harried mother bemoaning not just Christmas but all holidays. . . . Harried holiday haters will chuckle and perhaps see themselves somewhere in Mann’s lifetime dislike of and misbehavior during America’s increasingly commercialized celebrations.”—Booklist

“The cure for my cold holiday spirit this year is the sidesplitting new book by Jen Mann. . . . Mann delivers her signature punch lines and sharp critique on the oftentimes ridiculous shenanigans of the modern family. Her ability to make an otherwise boring subject come alive with colorful personalities, biting sarcasm, and impressively astute observations on suburban culture is what makes Mann so much fun to read and so easy to relate to.”—The Huffington Post

“A lighthearted, laugh-out-loud book . . . with a feel of peeking into a diary.”—Mommy’s Memorandum

“It really does make you laugh out loud.”—Shooting Stars Mag

“A quick and delightful read that you can sneak in right before bed or when the kids are finally napping.”—FangirlNation

“Grab a cup of hot cocoa, sit back and enjoy Jen’s latest collection of humorous rants dissecting the ‘most wonderful time’ of the year. She unleashes her biting wit and hilarious opinions on everything from cookie exchanges to annual humblebrag Christmas letters from overachieving moms to horrifying Christmases of her childhood.”—Creating Serenity

“[Mann] has really mastered the short story format. . . . She packs the maximum amount of funny into the fewest words, and many of these essays are downright hilarious. . . . If you’ve read and liked her other books, you will definitely want to read this one, too.”—Bug Bug Book Reviews

Top Reviews

Hinky Holidays
by Franklin the Mouse (3 out of 5 stars)
December 24, 2016

Ms. Mann goes full-on acerbic throughout 'Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat.' I'm assuming it's because I'm a guy that the book seemed just okay. It revolves around women's thoughts and actions which is fine but I found it difficult to relate. Her husband and son are the only males who are lampooned. Much of the stuff in Ms. Mann's work was over the top. I've been happily married for close to 35 years and after discussing the author's work with her, my wife isn't represented in these pages. Ms. Mann frequently ridicules the overly-pretentious, suburban, stay-at-home moms that apparently have money to burn.

The 200-page book is broken up into three sections and the chapters are short. Some of the topics the author addresses include middle and high school fashions, cliques, family Christmas photos, her parents getting it on, Christmas decoration hoarding, Elf on a Shelf, their house being the only one not decorated in her neighborhood for the holidays, Christmas shopping with her grandmother and two young-adult cousins, carolers, cookie exchanges, and the annual family Christmas letter. The last section addresses events which occurred during Halloween, Thanksgiving, Mother's Day, and Easter.

I smiled a handful of times while reading the thing, but I don't seem to have been the target market for the book. I did learn some cultural stuff that I discussed with my wife. She said much of what Ms. Mann portrays seems accurate. Wow, the anxiety many women put themselves through over the pagan holiday called Christmas is mystifying to me. Ms. Mann ridicules the holiday traditions as well as herself and her family in a heavy-handed manner. Subtlety apparently is not part of her DNA. If a book oozing sarcasm is your kind of thing, you'll probably love it.
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I get it
by Kindle Customer (4 out of 5 stars)
May 10, 2018

I loved when my kids were little. I loved creating the magic and my house was the most tastefully decorated home in my neighborhood. It was a Christmas wonderland. My daughter's Jewish friend would always want to come over and just stare at the tree and decorations. She loved it. So I get it. My kids are older now mid to late twenties and I'm not so inclined anymore that is unless one of them would provide a grandchild. Jen Mann is my kind of people.
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Cute but not as funny as the last book
by Pushing 70 (4 out of 5 stars)
October 13, 2015

Loved Jen Mann's first book and pre-ordered this one, hoping for the same laugh-out-loud humor. It does have the occasional chuckle but is more of a re-telling of Christmases past than the true-to-life pain in the neck behavior exhibited by many at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Her family seems delightfully normal and her Christmas letter writing friends absolutely the same as hundreds of thousands of others who use that medium as a chance for the once a year brag fest. Read it, it's cute and you'll no doubt see yourself or someone you know described in it.
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YOU GOTTA READ THIS!!
by Sweet P (5 out of 5 stars)
January 15, 2016

Another great read from Jen Mann. I tore through it and laughed all the way. She captures life and the ( annoying) people in your life in a great collection of stories. If you are a mom, school volunteer etc, you will identify with the funny scenarios she assesses - nails it every time!! Hoity toits galore. You will "recognize" a lot of the people who have passed through your lives. I don't think she can write enough stories...I'll read anything she writes. Great follow up to "People I Want To Punch In The Throat"- buy that one too.
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Laugh Out Loud Funny!!
by Edith A. Walworth (5 out of 5 stars)
October 21, 2015

Thank you Author Jen Mann for making my holiday shopping list easier. I am purchasing your book for everyone on my list and then I won't even have to color code my wrapping! This book was exactly what I needed! Jen Mann's observations are laugh out loud funny. I particularly enjoyed the chapters about Elf on the Shelf, the Christmas Carolers and also decorating her mother's house. I wish I could share more with you about how funny this book is, but I really want you to read it for yourself. You can thank me later. :-)
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Throat Punching, Holiday Style
by Crista D. (5 out of 5 stars)
October 28, 2015

Jen Mann's ready to get us in the throat-punching spirit for the holidays! Unlike Jen, I am a PSL fan, so I sipped on one while reading this at the auto shop, waiting for my car to be fixed. There are lots of laugh out loud moments that earned me some strange looks from the old dudes sitting with me in the waiting area. I loved the zany, crazy, real life moments Jen pours into her books...What the h-e-double hockey sticks are you supposed to do when you have unexpected (and sometimes unwanted) Christmas Carolers at your door? Do I really have to bake eleventy dozen cookies for upteen cookie exchanges? Is it a must to decorate the outside of the house if it's so cold outside that a polar bear would rather be inside your living room, downing hot cocoa and Schnapps? She addresses all of these situations, and more with her quick-witted, darn the masses, brand of humor that I love so much. A must read if you're a fan of her first PIWTPITT book, or blog!
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I'm not the target audience.
by Jessi Clark (3 out of 5 stars)
December 12, 2016

As much as I love a good glass of wine and sarcastic commentary about suburban Family politics, I'm not yet the target audience for this particular type of book.

However, I do deeply identify with the concept of spending holidays with people I want to punch in the throat (NOT YOU, MOM), and it's a clever little picture of what a fairly standard American Christmas feels like: chaotic for nearly unfathomable reasons (which still don't prevent you from carrying out all of these bizarre traditions), dramatic, and every so often heartwarming.
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Laughed so hard! Tears rolled down my cheeks!
by Maureen Diaz (5 out of 5 stars)
March 27, 2018

Very funny, easy read. Author tells it like it is! She says out loud what everyone one else is thinking!!! We all know the overachievers.......please....get over yourselves!
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Mann's Holiday Memoir Perfect Gift
by Coley7788 (5 out of 5 stars)
December 27, 2017

One of my favorite authors, Mann did not disappoint with Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat. She says what all of us are thinking and more. I highly enjoyed her stories about her mother's home--we all know someone who loves Christmas just a LITTLE too much! Quick and fun read!
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Good book, great humor
by C. (5 out of 5 stars)
March 6, 2017

Hilarious! I bought copies for both my daughters & sister. We all loved it. I like to get a humorous Christmas book every year - nothing sappy. I have gone through so many, so it was a treat to come upon this one. If you are a fan of Laurie Notaro you will also like Jen Mann.

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