Rating: 
Summary: Another Outstanding Collection!
Review: I have just finished "Miracle and Other Christmas Stories" today and I must say that "Epiphany" is one of the best short stories I have read by Ms. Willis (and that's saying a lot!). I find this story, along with my other favorite Willis story "Samaritan" found in the collection "Fire Watch", confirm that faith/spirituality and speculative fiction do mix, and quite well at that.Sure, some of the stories are predictable ("Inn" and "In Coppelius's Toyshop") but "Adaptation" was a fresh approach to an old and well-told story. Ms. Willis has the ability to create characters that live and breathe. By the end of the stories, you feel you know the characters because they are us, or our neighbors, or co-workers, or family...or someone we wish we knew. I have to dismiss someone's previous review of this collection as "shallow". On the contrary, there is a richness and depth to Ms. Willis and her work, which continues to grow with each new book and story.
Rating:
Summary: Another Outstanding Collection!
Review: I have just finished "Miracle and Other Christmas Stories" today and I must say that "Epiphany" is one of the best short stories I have read by Ms. Willis (and that's saying a lot!). I find this story, along with my other favorite Willis story "Samaritan" found in the collection "Fire Watch", confirm that faith/spirituality and speculative fiction do mix, and quite well at that. Sure, some of the stories are predictable ("Inn" and "In Coppelius's Toyshop") but "Adaptation" was a fresh approach to an old and well-told story. Ms. Willis has the ability to create characters that live and breathe. By the end of the stories, you feel you know the characters because they are us, or our neighbors, or co-workers, or family...or someone we wish we knew. I have to dismiss someone's previous review of this collection as "shallow". On the contrary, there is a richness and depth to Ms. Willis and her work, which continues to grow with each new book and story.
Rating:
Summary: Great collection of Christmas stories
Review: I have read several books and stories by Connie Willis, and she's become one of my favourite authors. This warm collection of Christmas stories was not disappointment, either, but everything you'd expect from Ms. Willis - romance, humour, mystery and also genuine Christmas spirit.
This book, like other works by her, has been labeled as "science fiction". But if you're looking for space travel and funny aliens, this probably is not the book for you :) This collection comes perhaps closer to magical realism than scifi, and I would suggest it for also larger audience, not only for scifi enthusiasts. The genre of these stories varies from comedy to romance, from English country manor mystery to story of religious epiphany. "Inn", church comedy with more serious undertone, and "Cat's Paw", English Christmas mystery, are probably my two favourites.
Warmly recommended. The Denver Post critic says in the back cover of the book, "When the holidays seem too stressful, pick up Miracle and Other Christmas Stories, slow down, read a few and remember what the holiday is all about", and I couldn't agree more.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolute Drivel
Review: I wish I could give this *NO STARS*. Connie, what happened??! I was looking for a nice gift to get my friends for Christmas--I have been a huge Connie Willis fan ever since I opened "Bellwether" and stayed up all night to finish it--and I thought this would be perfect. Her other books are nothing short of brilliant, "To Say Nothing of the Dog" is perfect, so what happened here? I tried desperately to like it, but I was so glad I checked it out of the library before spending money on it buying my very own copy. The stories are nothing short of incredibly clumsy, fanciful and amateurish writing where Connie continually slaps you about the face to remind you of her pure dislike of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life". Okay! Enough already! We get the point! I've read better. It's ultimately cheesy. Do yourself a favor and avoid this at all costs. (And to the other reviewers...did you even read this book?)
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable group of short stories!
Review: I've never read any of Connie Wllis' Christmas stories before I bought this book. In fact, the only other book of hers that I have read is "To Say Nothing of the Dog." I enjoyed that so much that I thought I might enjoy "Miracle and Other Christmas Stories." And I did. Immensely! I particularly liked "Miracle" and "Newsletter." If only I could write a newsletter as off-the-wall as the one in this book! Of course, as soon as I read the term "pod people" - and knew exactly what the author was talking about - I began to wonder if I've seen one two many science fiction movies. And she also just happened to have placed three of my favorite Christmas movies on her list. Talk about good taste.
Rating:
Summary: I've Got That "Holiday Feeling"
Review: If you love Christmas stories like I do you'll definitely want to read this book. I'm not a big science fiction fan, but I very much enjoyed most of these stories. One story revolves around the movies "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street," and another story is reminiscent of "A Christmas Carol." The introduction, in which Ms. Willis discusses some of her favorite Christmas movies and stories, is just fascinating. Then at the end of the book she recommends some more of her favorites. Some of these stories were hard to track down, but thanks to my librarian and the Short Story Index, I finally found them. Now I've got some new Christmas reading all ready for this year. Shouldn't you get this book and be ready, too?
Rating:
Summary: More excellent Willis stories
Review: If you need help getting into the Christmas mood, try this book. Connie Willis takes Christmas themes we've all read thousands of times before and turns them to unexpected ends. Not all the stories are happy -- a couple are dark. And the last one, "Epiphany", I didn't like at all till I'd gone away and thought about it for a while. I like stories that make me smile and stories that make me think. This collection has both. Thanks, Connie -- you're a genius.
Rating: 
Summary: Light-hearted, Seasonal Genre Fiction
Review: If you're sitting in front of the burning Old Yule log and looking for some light Christmas reading, you may want to consider this collection of holiday stories from science fiction maven Connie Willis. Admittedly, there are some real clunkers in here, but a fair amount of variety (from a genre standpoint) and most readers should find at least one story they'll want to read again next Christmas.
"Miracle" is a fine example of Willis' much-documented ability to merge the fantastic with the everyday. A typical harried office worker finds herself dealing with a particularly troublesome Christmas Spirit just at the time of year when she's already much too busy.
"Inn" is a less successful version of the same, placed in a mainline church. It seems like a lame brand of physical comedy is being presented as the heroine shepherds her destitute charges round and round the church building, but it goes on far too long for the amount of story in it.
"In Coppelius's Toyshop" has an irritating protagonist trapped in an even more absurd travesty, but without the sci-fi trappings or religious significance that bolstered "Inn". An almost total failure.
"Pony" is okay, but too short to merit much interest.
"Adaptation" features some of the ghosts from Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" working in a modern bookstore. This one isn't bad, and certainly isn't as predictable as some of the others, but it's still not great.
"Cat's Paw" is a parody of a Sherlock Holmes-style mystery revolving around a murder at Christmas-time (if that's not one genre too many for you).
"Newsletter" taps Heinlein's classic The Puppet Masters for an unforgettable alien invasion. This one is pretty light-hearted for a science fiction tale, but it's this reviewer's personal favorite.
"Epiphany" is a more religious entry, but drags on a bit too long. Most readers will get the point pretty early on, and once you do, there's really nothing left.
Well worth reading are Willis' "Introduction", "A Final Word", "Twelve Things to Read at Christmas" and "And Twelve to Watch". Her analyses of what makes a good Christmas tale are so insightful that one is almost tempted to wonder why the rest of the book isn't better than it is.
Not for those who take their sci-fi too seriously. And by all means read it during the Christmas season, preferably with a few drafts of Christmas cheer.
Rating:
Summary: Miracle and other Christmas Stories
Review: In reading this book I felt that I had at last found somone who felt the same way that I did about Christmas. She states in her introduction that she loves Christmas - but not its most treacly aspects such as "It's a Wonderful Life." You have to appreciate anyone who prefers "Miracle on 34th Street" as a Christmas movie. The stories are a prefect balance of what is best about Christmas; joy, hope, love, and the possiblity of redemption and miracles, without becoming maudlin or trite. Her language is wonderful and the final "gift" of a list of other books and stories to read was much appreciated.
Rating:
Summary: Miracle and other Christmas Stories
Review: In reading this book I felt that I had at last found somone who felt the same way that I did about Christmas. She states in her introduction that she loves Christmas - but not its most treacly aspects such as "It's a Wonderful Life." You have to appreciate anyone who prefers "Miracle on 34th Street" as a Christmas movie. The stories are a prefect balance of what is best about Christmas; joy, hope, love, and the possiblity of redemption and miracles, without becoming maudlin or trite. Her language is wonderful and the final "gift" of a list of other books and stories to read was much appreciated.
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