If you're looking for a funny read to get you in the holiday spirit, this is it! Danny Pellegrino explores just about every emotion you could experience at this time of year with Clark Griswold style humor and A Christmas Story level nostalgia. As a mom of boys fast approaching adulthood, the stories of his sweet family traditions and his relationship with his mom warmed my heart. I wasn't familiar with his podcast before reading this, but I will definitely be seeking it out because anyone who recognizes the cultural significance of Kudos granola bars and A Muppet Family Christmas is someone I want to hear more from! I can see myself revisiting these stories for many Christmases to come.

Absolutely hilarious. Danny Pellegrino is all of us in The Jolliest Bunch as he recounts tales of holidays past.
I frequently had to pause or rewind the audio because I was laughing so hard. Linda Pellegrino needs her own show!

Each story is fantastic, but what really sells this The Jolliest Bunch is the author's audio and voiceovers for each of the various characters in his life. Just when you say "no way, that can't have happened to him?!" Danny comes in with another, more outrageous chapter.

I will certainly be recommending this to (and likely purchasing it for) friends and family this holiday season.

Thank you to NetGalley, Danny Pellegrino and Recorded Books for an advance copy. These are my honest thoughts.

I didn’t know who Danny Pelligrino was before listening to this. It was full of funny and heartwarming stories!

Thank you to NetGalley and the audio publisher for the advanced copy of The Jolliest Bunch. I’m sharing my review honestly and by choice.

Danny P is a diamond, I love his storytelling . This collection of holiday essays was so fun to listen to. The stories are in equal measure and heartfelt. It’s always fun to get glimmers of his life and how he ticks.

In my opinion Danny’s cadence and pacing when he tells story’s is half the joy and I always want to listen to him.

This is the perfect road trip or house chore book because the stories are short and you don’t have to follow too closely to enjoy and get so much out of it.

A heartfelt and poignant romp through the holiday seasons with Danny Pelligrino! Stories that are hilarious and heartwarming remind us of the reason for the season- family and Hallmark movies! Pellegrino pokes fun at the inane without ever being cruel. His true affection for the holidays and the people he loves shines through all his stories. You’re guaranteed to laugh, cry, and deeply connect with these jolliest of holiday essays.

Danny Pellegrino is an absolute delight!! I had such a fun time listening to this. This book has all holidays not just Christmas. You will have a lot of Laugh out Loud moments. I understood some of his family craziness too. This is a really good listen and I definitely recommend this book!


Thank you NetGalley & RB Media for allowing me to listen to this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

Funny, sweet and the audio book was delivered with Danny's patented quippy pace. I loved the chapters centering around his functionally dysfunctional family and the quest for a xmas ham gone awry. His mom sounds HILARIOUS and his impression of her is a delight. He took me back in time with his tale of working at the local Borders (and how often kids POOP on the floor wtf! It's true!) and I need him to make me a Cher remix xmas album immediately. I wish the audiobook came with a playlist, it'd be on in this house! All around seasonal fun for the millennial midwesterner!

What a fun yet tragic book of Holiday rituals, traditions and overall theatrics of life. Loved this audiobook! Great narration that you can laugh right along with.

Host of the hit podcast Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino comes a collection of tragically hilarious holiday mishaps. For many families, the holiday season is—quite frankly—unhinged. Whether that involves inappropriately improvised monologues at the children's Christmas pageant, gifts that land someone in the emergency room, or just sitting through the emotional rollercoaster of a Hallmark movie marathon, the holidays are a chaotic and magical time. And nobody knows this better than Danny Pellegrino. For Danny, the holidays are always accompanied by both merriment and mayhem. And like the gay Ghost of Christmas Past, he's here to take you on a nostalgic trip through his most festive memories in a collection of stories that are heartfelt, hilarious, and (unfortunately) true. So grab your favorite winter beverage, snuggle up by the crackling fireplace, and turn up the holiday tunes from the pop diva of your choosing. The Jolliest Bunch is a healthy dose of holiday cheer to prepare you for the unhinged season ahead and remind you of the moments that make all the chaos worth it.

Fun, festive, and exactly what I wanted out of a book of personal holiday essays.

This is my first exposure to Danny Pellegrino and he is an absolute delight. Here he shares holiday stories in the tradition of David Sedaris’ Holidays on Ice. You can tell Pellegrino is paying homage to the Sedaris collection, but he still manages to put his own fresh spin on the concept.

This is laugh-out-loud funny at times and also real sweet in other instances, never veering too far off in either direction. Pellegrino has a knack for capturing the feel good stuff that goes with the holiday season without ever getting schlocky or overwrought. And mostly, he’s just lovable and hilarious, the kind of person who would be a welcome addition to anyone’s holiday gathering.

I was especially fond of his anecdotes about Fred the ghost and his disastrous encounter with Jessica Simpson lickable bath and body products, but every essay in the book is a joy to read.

Fun stories from Christmas’ past in Danny Pellegrino’s life. I was laughing out loud at so many of the stories, especially the gay ghost! A funny, heartwarming, and relatable book for the holiday season.

A funny collection of holiday stories loaded with relatable pop culture references and read by the author himself. Perfect for fans of books like David Sedaris's Holidays on ice or anyone who wants a good nostalgic laugh session. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review! Great cover too!!

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, full disclosure I LOVE Danny Pellegrino and his podcast Everything Iconic so I was bound to love his 2nd book. I loved this audiobook that was read by Danny because he puts so much character into his words but also because I love his Linda Pellegrino voice (mom). I loved his holiday stories that covered Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year and everything in between. And I very much related to his story about his very stressed out mom as we're all "throwing parties we don't want to have" and "all just doing the best we can"

As a Jewish kid who grew up obsessed with Christmas movies, hallmark included, I thought this would have been a book created for weirdos like me. And it was! But it was also full of stories of loss and heartache, of the real issues the holiday brings up for many and that is the magic of Danny Pellegrino and this book. Instead of getting swept up in the nostalgia of what we wanted for the holidays, we get the even better memory of how it was and continues to be a holiday of many emotions. Danny reminds us that you don’t get the jolly of Christmas Eve without the mental breakdown at 5:15pm (Oy, Linda). I loved listening to this book and I can’t wait to grab a copy to give to friends. Thank you NetGalley for this early holiday present!