God Rest Ye Grumpy Scroogeymen: New Traditions for Comfort & Joy at Christmas

by Laura Jensen Walker

Christmas is so much more than a tree, some decorations, the church pageant, and the unpopular fruitcake. This delightful book will inspire and equip readers to celebrate the season in fun, creative ways. Filled with humorous and poignant stories-from Laura's memorable Christmas dinner of potato chips and candy bars to Michael's contagious delight in filling Christmas stockings, God Rest Ye Grumpy Scroogeymen winningly combines creativity and laugh-out-loud humor. With fun chapter titles like ''Away in a Ski Lodge,'' ''His 'n Her Christmas Trees,'' and ''Here Comes Doggy Paws, Here Comes Kitty Claws,'' this book offers tons of fun and practical how-to tips. Whether they are single or married, young or old, readers will discover creative ways to make Christmas bright.

Genres: Christmas

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Award-winning author Laura Jensen Walker has written several books, including the Lefty nominated historical fiction, DEATH OF A FLYING NIGHTINGALE. Dubbed "riveting and affecting" by NYT bestselling author Susan Elia MacNeal, this book spotlights a group of real-life overlooked women heroes--the Flying Nightingales--from WWII. An Air Force veteran formerly stationed in the UK, Laura had the great honor of interviewing the last living Flying Nightingale, before she passed.

Bibliophile Laura fell in love with mysteries after reading Trixie Belden in the fourth grade, Her cozy mystery debut, MURDER MOST SWEET (2020) was nominated for an Agatha Award, and her next cozy, THE ALPHABET SLEUTHS, releases in Feb. 2026. Publishers Weekly says about the book: "Walker's feisty, funny, and fully realized seniors easily sit beside the casts of THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB and THE MARLOW MURDER CLUB in the coy pantheon. Readers will be charmed."

THE POSTMISTRESS OF PUDDLINGTON, Laura's second historical novel, features women on the home front in WWII England and releases in August 2026. She is currently at work on a women's fiction novel (aka book club fiction.)

Laura flew a typewriter across Europe in Uncle Sam's Air Force in her twenties, and lived in England for three years where she became a lifelong, tea-loving Anglophile. Shenow lives in Northern California with her Renaissance-man husband and their two rescue pups.

Reviews

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

My husband and I are a very happy couple. We rarely argue or fight and we don't sweat the small stuff. We are constantly on the run from all the fun activities we have planned. Even though my kids are teenagers (or the youngest one is close enough), we STILL go cut down our own tree, still drag them to corn mazes, and STILL do puzzle together every Christmas time when the ugly weather hits. We make our gingerbread houses from scratch every year (I just ate one of the walls after dinner! Yummy!).

So this book just isn't really for us. When we married, we were so young neither of us had ornaments and our first shopping adventure was to buy those things together. Now, many years later, the star on the top of our tree is the SAME star we bought our first year living together. We're happy, we have the spirit.

But I will tuck this book back away. Because one day the kids won't still be here, and I may need a reminder...... but I don't think so - I love Halloween too much to give up dressing up and handing out candy and husband loves Christmas too much not to still cut down his own tree and decorate.
But you never know :)

[Kjen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yes. I actually read this. I know, right?! In my defense, it was a library book sale sort of thing;) Anyway, it didn't tell me anything new or different. It wasn't horrible, but there was a lot of blathering on about things that the couple liked to do at Christmastime.

[Lain · Rating 1 out of 5]

After finishing a few chapters, my only question was, Who did the authors pay off to have this book published?

Let me explain. The writing is fine. The topic is okay. But I don't really get how the specifics (basically, how this couple celebrates Christmas) is of wide enough appeal to make it past the acquisitions committee at a major book publisher.

While the stories about how their collections of Santas and teacup ornaments started are cute (in a puppy-dog sort of way), they are certainly of marginal interest. I barely have time to write my Christmas cards, let alone read about how the author made ornaments by hand and passed them around to all their relatives, and where his sister places which particular ornament on her tree. Just not a pressing detail for me to know.

I quit about halfway through. The "my sweetie" and "my love" references were making my teeth hurt.

[Holly Keimig · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to enjoy this book and I grabbed it at the library for the fun title alone. I feel like the authors have led an interesting life and glimpses of that came through in this book. Most of it felt more like a blog post than an edited book. I didn't really get any new ideas from the book, but if you were just starting out on your own, there might be a few new ones that could be useful. Not a bad read, but just not as funny and creative as I'd hoped.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting guide to fun activities for the Christmas holiday. Some chapters are by the wife, others by the husband, and some by both. They clearly have a passion for the holiday from their faith to time with family and friends. Even advice on how to celebrate after the loss of a loved one.

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many great ideas to make the holiday even more special.

[Cindy Pao · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a neat book with its exploration of the different facets of Christmas!

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Grumpy Scroogeymen" is a quick and enjoyable read and actually helped me find some of my absentee holiday spirit. Laura Jensen Walker co-authored the book with her husband. Together they share their family traditions from collections to pets. But I'm not thinking that I will have my pet cockatiels exchange gifts with their cousins who reside at my cousin's house. But for people whose pets are their children this is a great chapter. I enjoyed reading it as much as I did the rest of the book.

And I thoroughly enjoyed learning the history of some Christmas traditions and songs. My favorite bit of trivia has to do with "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." The original actually translates to "God make you mighty, Gentlemen." Notice the comma. It changes everything. I'll think of it every time I hear this song this Christmas season.

The entire book is conversational and homey. I would recommend it to anyone struggling to find the holiday spirit. These two really get to the heart of the matter and remind us of the importance of traditions in celebrating the real reason for Christmas.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful! It is inspiring, uplifting anecdotes from the lives of the authors, with tons of great ideas for making your own Christmas celebration more meaningful. Good recipes, good ideas, and lots of fun and laughter as you read about the Walker's Christmas traditions.

I enjoyed it once again, but MUST remember to get it out and re-read it in November next year so I can use more of these fun ideas! Once again, I forgot this ... maybe I should re-read in January and make specific notes!

One of the best books I've read of ideas for making the holiday season wonderful!

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay book, but not something I really cared for. I know that my family and I do not decorate for holidays because we have lost too many ornaments to the cats tipping the tree. It is disturbing to hear the tree crash in the middle of the night. Also, after the tree has been up for a week, I am too ill to enjoy the holiday. We do our own celebration and celebrate throughout the year instead of just one time a year.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best Christmas how-to books I've ever read. Written in alternating chapters by wife and husband, Laura Jensen Walker and Michael K. Walker, the Christmas-loving couple tell have suggestions for everything on how newlyweds can combines their family traditions to what movies might put you in the mood.

I highly recommend this for an Grumpy Scroogeyman.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read.

[Debbi (My Reading Spot) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing crazy new, but a good quick read that had some good ideas. It was a good pick up book from the library.