Forget the soft glow of Christmas. This collection of poetry isn't interested in goodwill or seasonal cheer; it’s an X-ray of the holiday, showing exactly how the greatest time of the year gets poisoned by greed, debt, and adult self-destruction.
We're dusting off memories here, moving from the bent tree and simple innocence of the 1980s childhood, straight into the head-banging chaos of young adulthood where chocolate turns to poison and the magic ends in a drunken haze. The poems confront the sheer commercial racket of Christmas—one big, fat, tacky pudding—while contrasting the messy, binge-drinking English tradition with the warmer, safer reality of Calabria, Italy.
This free collection is Darren Hobson's gift: a blunt, darkly comic assault on the illusion of comfort. It is written to unsettle and occasionally laugh at the wrong moment. Consider this edition an update for all of Santa's little—and perhaps slightly more damaged—helpers worldwide, proving that a true poet always pushes further into territory most writers avoid.
