←Recommendations of Happy Holidays (or Bust) (10 minute play)

From then offset the author of this fun piece made me feel part of this wonderful and quirky family. The dialogue skips along at pace and feels palpable and you can't help feel sorry for the self conscious Claire as she tries to come to terms with the picture on the family Christmas card. Great!

As someone who writes a lot of holiday plays, I always appreciate someone who has a new take on the holiday play. And boy, is this a new take! Takes a very funny idea and weaves through a much more complicated family drama, all while keeping it current and fast-paced and hilarious. A really great holiday short.

Dysfunctional families are always more fun during the holiday season. Speckman gives us a family portrait of distinct relationships, each contributing to the frenzy of the situation while inserting some touching and dramatic moments into this comedic sleigh ride. They really ground the piece, and for me are the heart of this play. Thumbs up.

"Happy Holidays (or Bust) is both funny and heartbreaking. It has so many dynamics in ten minutes. It will make you sad, angry, embarrassed, and laugh all at the same time. There is a lot here. Fine writing of complex characters which is a rarity in such a short time span. Plenty of belly laughs and gut punches.

I snorted several times reading Happy Holidays (or Bust), enjoying every minute of this short piece. The perfect holiday play in my opinion - we know this family - we are this family - perfectly imperfect in all their glory.

ELISABETH GIFFIN SPECKMAN takes the hectic pace of the holiday season and ratchets up tenfold. It begins with a Christmas card with a picture of mom, daughter and...whoops. An unplanned pregnancy, a misguided engagement, a somewhat unusual name, a revealing card to the baby’s mother’s ex-almost in-laws, and... So, what could go wrong? Buckle your seatbelt, be ready to laugh out loud, and then read this delightful play.

Funny & Believable - Would make an excellent Xmas episode premise for many a sit-com.

The best laid plans... rarely turn this funny. This is a wonderful holiday play about good intentions taking a wrong turn into hilarity. I know families EXACTLY like this. They love each other, but sometimes the best thing that could happen would be for them to stay the hell away from each other for their own good. A charming little holiday present.

This is one of the funniest 10-minute plays I have ever read. I wish I had written it. Full of surprises and twists and I laughed out loud several times. How does Ms. Speckman know my family??? A treat for actors, directors, and especially the audience.

A hilarious twist on the classic holiday card drama. It's quick and witty and then surprises you with a bit of heart and if that is not perfect for the holiday's, I don't know what is! Our theatre company was actually going to produce it in an upcoming festival, but it was unfortunately canceled due to COVID-19. I hope that we are able to produce it another time, as it was a joy to read!