Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

In this book the Hogfather (the Discworld equivalent to Father Christmas) has gone missing, and Death has taken it upon himself to do the job. Naturally, a brilliant satire of Christmas follows (replete with little match girls who are supposed to die to make everyone else feel better about themselves). As usual, Death puts in a more sympathetic performance than most of the humans around him. What really pushed this book above the standard Discworld novel, for me, though, was its meditations not just on Christmas but belief (or faith). Also, all the plotlines came together in rewarding ways. One of my favorite Discworld novels.