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Alex Bernstein is a comedian and the award-winning author of the “Miserable” series of books--"Miserable Adventure Stories," "Miserable Holiday Stories," "Miserable Love Stories," and "Plrknib." His work has appeared in McSweeney’s, NewPopLit, The Big Jewel, The American Bystander, Yankee Pot Roast, Swink, and many others.

AlexBernstein
Photo courtesy Alex Bernstein. 

Bernstein grew up with a mostly Jewish family, but experienced Christmas through his maternal grandmother.

In this episode of Watching America, we hear an excerpt of his popular story, “Blue Christmas,” wherein a Jewish man struggles to shield his son from Santa Claus while hiring an Elvis impersonator for his Jewish community center. We also hear two of his shorter stories in full, and details about his life as a stand-up comedian.

Watch Alex Bernstein’s full reading of “Blue Christmas,” and see more of his holiday musings here.