A Very Scalzi Christmas

Scalzi (The Consuming Fire) unleashes his wicked wit in this stocking stuffer miscellany of mostly goofs and jibes directed at the holiday season. “An Interview with Santa’s Lawyer” (one of four amusing interviews with characters peripheral to the holiday) reveals that Santa’s elves are unionized and that Santa consults Facebook to find out who’s been naughty and nice. In “A Bitter November,” a personified month of November grouses how quickly it’s dismissed after Thanksgiving. “The 10 Least Successful Holiday Specials of All Time” provides potted histories of improbable broadcasts, and “8 Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know About Your Favorite Holiday Music” will have readers thinking twice about humming along to popular Christmas carols. But not all is irreverence: two of the book’s 16 selections, “Christmas in July” and “Sarah’s Sister,” are sweet stories that exude Christmas cheer. Scalzi fans will find something here that appeals, no matter their feelings for the holiday. Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Literary. (Dec.)