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The Family Christmas Survival Guide
A laugh-out-loud festive novella from Jon Rance, bestselling author of the smash hit comedies The Summer Holidays Survival Guide & This Thirtysomething Life
A comedy for every parent who has survived a family Christmas
Two parents. Three children. Terrifying in-laws. And a donkey. How bad could it possibly be?
It’s Christmastime, there’s no need to be afraid. Or is there? Ben and Sally’s youngest, Jake, wants to become the next Gordon Ramsay and is cooking his ‘famous’ fish curry. Eldest, Alfie, is turning sixteen and wants to have sex with his girlfriend, and middle child, Liv, is attracting the attention of a boy. But worst of all, Sally’s parents are coming to stay.
Sally’s dad, Clive, is a bit racist and being an ex-boxer, likes to surprise Ben with the occasional punch, and her mum, Fiona, is super Catholic and likes to complain about everything. All Ben wants is to have a nice Christmas with his family, just like the good old days, but it soon becomes clear that just isn’t going to happen.
Featuring a hilarious cast of extras including two gay neighbours, a pissed off donkey, a randy Greek waiter, and a barman with a complicated food ordering system. This is one Christmas you’ll never forget!
From Jon Rance, comes the festive follow-up to 'The Summer Holidays Survival Guide'. A comedy novella about one man, one family, trying to survive Christmas the only way they know how - together.
This is a 30,000 word novella - about 145 pages in paperback.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
‘Jon Rance makes me laugh.’ Matt Dunn
‘A satisfyingly British sense of humour. Recommended.’ Nick Spalding
‘Funny and poignant - the perfect combination.’ Michele Gorman
‘Funny, romantic and real.’ Star Magazine, This Thirtysomething Life
'I cried, I cringed, I laughed and finished the book with a huge smile on my face! Jon Rance = brilliant!' Amazon reviewer, Dan And Nat Got Married
'Jon Rance has a delicious lightness of touch as he writes and delivers each comedic episode with great aplomb.' Amazon reviewer, Dan And Nat Got Married
'Dan and Nat Got Married was everything I wanted in a book, seriously. It made me laugh, it made me cringe, I loved Dan, I loved Nat, I loved Adam and Ellie, the dialogue and London setting was amazing.' Amazon reviewer, Dan And Nat Got Married
'Gripped from the start, full of emotion, laughter, sadness and love! If you want a book that makes you feel happy and smiling then this is the book for you.' Amazon reviewer, Sunday Dinners
‘An endearing, heartwarming and realistic novel and would definitely come under the category of ‘will make you laugh and cry at the same time'.' Bookaholic Confessions, This Thirtysomething Life
‘A very candid, honest, hilarious read.’ Chicklit Central, This Thirtysomething Life
‘Fabulously funny diary-esque rom-com about a bloke who’s scared of growing up. It’s a debut novel with balls, literally.’ The Bookboy, This Thirtysomething Life
'This is a touching, humorous, adorable read. I defy you not to read it all in one go, it's fantastic.' Bookaholic Holly, This Thirtysomething Life
'This novel will resonate with anyone who's experienced life. That is because it's a book about ordinary people. It could be about you, it could be about me... It's About Us.' Amazon reviewer, About Us
'The book was well written, entertaining, enlightening and delivered nuggets of life wisdom without being preachy. ' Amazon reviewer, About Us
'I laughed and I cried and most importantly I couldn't put it down. It's an absolute must read.' Amazon reviewer, About Us
'Well this book dragged me through the emotional mill and back again! I laughed, cried, was surprised, and I loved every minute of it.' Amazon reviewer, About Us
A comedy for every parent who has survived a family Christmas
Two parents. Three children. Terrifying in-laws. And a donkey. How bad could it possibly be?
It’s Christmastime, there’s no need to be afraid. Or is there? Ben and Sally’s youngest, Jake, wants to become the next Gordon Ramsay and is cooking his ‘famous’ fish curry. Eldest, Alfie, is turning sixteen and wants to have sex with his girlfriend, and middle child, Liv, is attracting the attention of a boy. But worst of all, Sally’s parents are coming to stay.
Sally’s dad, Clive, is a bit racist and being an ex-boxer, likes to surprise Ben with the occasional punch, and her mum, Fiona, is super Catholic and likes to complain about everything. All Ben wants is to have a nice Christmas with his family, just like the good old days, but it soon becomes clear that just isn’t going to happen.
Featuring a hilarious cast of extras including two gay neighbours, a pissed off donkey, a randy Greek waiter, and a barman with a complicated food ordering system. This is one Christmas you’ll never forget!
From Jon Rance, comes the festive follow-up to 'The Summer Holidays Survival Guide'. A comedy novella about one man, one family, trying to survive Christmas the only way they know how - together.
This is a 30,000 word novella - about 145 pages in paperback.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
‘Jon Rance makes me laugh.’ Matt Dunn
‘A satisfyingly British sense of humour. Recommended.’ Nick Spalding
‘Funny and poignant - the perfect combination.’ Michele Gorman
‘Funny, romantic and real.’ Star Magazine, This Thirtysomething Life
'I cried, I cringed, I laughed and finished the book with a huge smile on my face! Jon Rance = brilliant!' Amazon reviewer, Dan And Nat Got Married
'Jon Rance has a delicious lightness of touch as he writes and delivers each comedic episode with great aplomb.' Amazon reviewer, Dan And Nat Got Married
'Dan and Nat Got Married was everything I wanted in a book, seriously. It made me laugh, it made me cringe, I loved Dan, I loved Nat, I loved Adam and Ellie, the dialogue and London setting was amazing.' Amazon reviewer, Dan And Nat Got Married
'Gripped from the start, full of emotion, laughter, sadness and love! If you want a book that makes you feel happy and smiling then this is the book for you.' Amazon reviewer, Sunday Dinners
‘An endearing, heartwarming and realistic novel and would definitely come under the category of ‘will make you laugh and cry at the same time'.' Bookaholic Confessions, This Thirtysomething Life
‘A very candid, honest, hilarious read.’ Chicklit Central, This Thirtysomething Life
‘Fabulously funny diary-esque rom-com about a bloke who’s scared of growing up. It’s a debut novel with balls, literally.’ The Bookboy, This Thirtysomething Life
'This is a touching, humorous, adorable read. I defy you not to read it all in one go, it's fantastic.' Bookaholic Holly, This Thirtysomething Life
'This novel will resonate with anyone who's experienced life. That is because it's a book about ordinary people. It could be about you, it could be about me... It's About Us.' Amazon reviewer, About Us
'The book was well written, entertaining, enlightening and delivered nuggets of life wisdom without being preachy. ' Amazon reviewer, About Us
'I laughed and I cried and most importantly I couldn't put it down. It's an absolute must read.' Amazon reviewer, About Us
'Well this book dragged me through the emotional mill and back again! I laughed, cried, was surprised, and I loved every minute of it.' Amazon reviewer, About Us
98 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 11, 2018
20 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Jon Rance
26 books95 followersJon Rance is the author of seven novels: the Kindle top ten bestseller, This Thirtysomething Life, Happy Endings (both published by Hodder and Stoughton), This Family Life, Sunday Dinners, Dan And Nat Got Married, About Us, and The Summer Holidays Survival Guide. He's also the author of the Christmas novella, A Notting Hill Christmas.
Jon studied English Literature at Middlesex University, London, before going travelling and meeting his American wife in Australia. Jon loves comedy (especially sitcoms), the films of Richard Curtis, travelling and tea. He just turned forty, which is a terrifying time, so his books might get a bit edgier and possibly angrier as a result.
Jon writes dramatic, romantic, comedy fiction similar to the work of Mike Gayle, Matt Dunn, Nick Spalding and David Nicholls.
You can email him at: jonrance@yahoo.com
Please visit his website: www.jonrance.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @JRance75
Jon studied English Literature at Middlesex University, London, before going travelling and meeting his American wife in Australia. Jon loves comedy (especially sitcoms), the films of Richard Curtis, travelling and tea. He just turned forty, which is a terrifying time, so his books might get a bit edgier and possibly angrier as a result.
Jon writes dramatic, romantic, comedy fiction similar to the work of Mike Gayle, Matt Dunn, Nick Spalding and David Nicholls.
You can email him at: jonrance@yahoo.com
Please visit his website: www.jonrance.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @JRance75
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 16, 2018
Another fun filled comedy from Jon Rance. You always know you're going to have a good time with his books and this was no exception. Bring on the next!
December 17, 2025
I absolutely loved this.
Very relatable and shows most Christmases are not very different.
A real festive treat!
Very relatable and shows most Christmases are not very different.
A real festive treat!
November 12, 2023
Fun holiday read
I was looking for a fun, holiday comedy without it being a romance. Do you know how hard that is to find?? This was a funny adult family holiday novella! Could definitely picture this as a movie for sure! There were some spelling and editing errors, but the story was fun and relatable and helped me get in the holiday spirit!
I was looking for a fun, holiday comedy without it being a romance. Do you know how hard that is to find?? This was a funny adult family holiday novella! Could definitely picture this as a movie for sure! There were some spelling and editing errors, but the story was fun and relatable and helped me get in the holiday spirit!
January 18, 2019
Great read
A great follow on from the summer holiday survival guide makes you realise your life isn’t as messed up as you first thought!
A great follow on from the summer holiday survival guide makes you realise your life isn’t as messed up as you first thought!
December 13, 2022
LOVE
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved the first one too. Genuinely laughed out loud at the funny parts! Would love a third book
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved the first one too. Genuinely laughed out loud at the funny parts! Would love a third book
December 16, 2022
3.5 stars.
November 11, 2024
Light and funny
I loved how easy and relatable the characters were. Funny and poignant. I read over tw
o days. A nice and light read.
I loved how easy and relatable the characters were. Funny and poignant. I read over tw
o days. A nice and light read.
December 1, 2025
I laughed a lot! Too smutty to recommend but I loved the characters.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews