In all fairness, the single sentences were plucked from various paragraphs. But you can get the idea. I was feeling overwhelmed by reading essay after essay. The thoughts were funny, somewhat true, and were beginning to weigh me down.

I found myself seated at a pity party for one and wondering if Christmas was really a fun time of year or just a figment of my wishful thinking and my imagination.

Time For The Good News

After closing the book and allowing myself to process my thoughts for a day, I realized I needed to read these essays like I would her newspaper column. One per day. Though some days I read one in the morning, mid-day, and evening. When I started doing that, the short essays then brighten my day. As I’m sure they were meant to.

Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite essays in the book:

I’m trying a new approach to New Year’s resolutions this year. Instead of worrying about everything I’d like to change about myself, I’m going to focus on everything I’d like to change about everyone else. In other words, this year I’m making New Year’s resolutions for everyone else.

You have to admit that Rosby has a fun, sometimes unexpected, sense of humor.

Excellent Advice

Regarding family reunions, she shares silly, fun thoughts as well as some things that we all should take to heart.

Be willing to forgive and hope that everyone else in the family is too. A family is like a pile of cockleburs. They stick together but they can poke each other a little bit too. Don’t let that spoil your gathering.

Final Thoughts

For me, it’s important to enjoy these short essays a little at a time. When I tried to read the book straight through, I didn’t enjoy the humor nearly as much. However, that may not apply to you.

If you need some quick pick-me-up short reads throughout the day, don’t overlook this book. It contains humor wrapped neatly around facts you’re sure to recognize.

Do you know somebody who’d enjoy a fun little break during the day? Why not surprise them with Dorothy Rosby’s book?

  My thanks to iRead Book Tours and the author for a copy of the book and the ability to post my opinion.

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About the Author

Dorothy Rosby is a syndicated humor columnist and the author of four books of humorous essays. She’s the 2022 global winner of the Erma Bombeck Writers Competition, sponsored in part by the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop. She lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota, 20 miles from Mount Rushmore, something she’s very proud of though she’s not on it—yet.

Author Interview

What is ’Tis the Season to Feel Inadequate About?

It’s a collection of humorous essays about how we let our expectations take the joy out of Christmas and other holidays and special occasions. Christmas gets the most coverage, but I work my way through the year, from New Year’s to Valentine’s Day and so on all the way to Thanksgiving, with some off-the-wall occasions and holidays in between.

How did you get into writing humor?

It was my experience as a humorous (allegedly) speaker that led to writing humor. For many years, I’ve been a member of Toastmasters, an organization where members practice their public speaking skills. I loved doing humorous speeches and I won some humorous speech contests. So I decided to type up some of my speeches and submit them to my local newspaper. The editor agreed to take me on as a humor columnist and I’ve written a column ever since. Eventually I began marketing to other newspapers and now my column runs in small community newspapers throughout the West and Midwest. 

Are there tricks for writing funny?

There are some techniques humor writers and once I get my first draft down, I go through it looking for opportunities where I can use some of them. For example, are there places where I can exaggerate or fib? No one who reads humor and is expecting you to be completely honest. I could say I hit a pothole. Or I could say I hit a pothole the size of St. Louis.

Have I used any cliches in my rough draft? Responsible writers would get rid of those. But a humor writer can expand on them. For example, too many chefs spoil the broth. If you have too many, would you send one to my house. Or, laughter is the best medicine, but don’t give up your antibiotics.

Are there words that can be replaced? Just using some words adds a humorous tone to whatever you’re writing. For example, Thing-a-ma-jig, doo-hickie and rig-a-ma-role all sound funnier than other words that represent the same thing. Lollygagging is funnier than wasting time and cattywampus is more fun than awry. Goofy words don’t in themselves get a laugh, but they do tell the reader that it’s a lighthearted piece and they can relax and enjoy it.

Is it harder to write humor during difficult times like those we’ve been experiencing these last few years.

I know some people who struggled with writing especially during the early months of the pandemic, but I didn’t find that to be the case. As a humor columnist and blogger with frequent deadlines, the most important thing I can do is be an observer of everything that’s happening. And I seemed to be on high alert just because the circumstances were so different than what I was used to. I was paying more attention than usual, and not just to the news, but to my reactions and the reactions of other people. I wrote at least four columns with the pandemic being the theme—social distancing, zoom meetings, pandemic insomnia and my attempt to form what I called the “pandemic hygiene patrol.”

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