As I sit here watching The Santa Clause for the 47th time, I decided it was time to finally write this year's Christmas letter.
You may ask why I'm watching this movie yet again and the answer is simple: I have a soft spot in my heart for Christmas movies. That's why I've watched portions of many films of the "follow-the-same-formula" Christmas movies that the Hallmark Channel produces. That's why I even watched the Doogie Howser, M.D. Christmas episode on Hulu. Or why I even wrote a list of my favorite Christmas episodes from 90's television. And it's even why I watched this classic recently:
Image courtesy of flickr.com
Watching Christmas films is all part of my Christmas tradition, as I'm sure it is for many of you. No matter how many times I've seen a film, I always attempt to watch it again every Christmas. Sometimes I fail, yes, but I always make sure to watch Love Actually (for the hopeless romantic in me), Bad Santa (for the sarcastic, crass, comedic side of me), and A Christmas Story (for the child in me). These movies are saved for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. All part of tradition.
Tradition also finds me making chili on Christmas Eve. A tradition started by my mother and one that I began to carry on a few years ago. Tradition will have me eating chili, watching a San Diego Chargers game, and having a drink or two with my good friend Aaron. Christmas Eve's have been spent this way the past ten years or so, on the occasions I'm unable to make it home to see my family. It started many years ago, when were unable to leave Los Angeles for the holidays, and was turned into a story with Of Dollar Stores and Ham.
Though I am unable to make it home this year for Christmas, I did get a chance to see my immediate family (and much of my extended family, on my mom's side) this summer. It was the first time in years I was able to see my sister, brother in-law, and their four kids. In fact, it was the first time meeting two of my nieces. The time spent with them went by far too quickly, but I was glad I got to spend the time with them. They live 88 states away (don't fact check that), making it hard for us to meet up. It is my goal to get out there and see them this year because I miss them immensely.
Aside from the family trip to California, I did not do as much traveling as I'd hoped to this year. The ebbs and flows of a career as a writer kept me from financially being able to do so. There were certainly more downs than ups on that front, but such is a life of one who sends out multiple letters/submissions/queries on a weekly basis. The rejections will outweigh the approvals, but when the approvals do hit, the feeling is indescribably sweeter.
I did have a play published, a one-act play called One Night Stand. I was also a co-writer on a couple of short films, one of which that was selected as a "Best of" nominee and won for best actress. You can read about this and more over on the Jason Haskins website.
I am still in search for an agent/publisher for The Dragon Princess. (Currently on sale at the Amazon Kindle Store through the end of 2015. More shameless self-promotion, I know). Work continues on its follow up, The Blue Gem. Progress stalled towards the end of this year, but it will hopefully be ready in 2016.
This year saw two readings for my latest full-length play, The Latitude of Life. I am very thankful and grateful for the people involved in these readings and the theaters that made the readings happen. Edits continue on the play and it has been submitted to a few theaters across this fine land of ours.
I am continuing to grow as a writer (I hope). Freelance opportunities have started to pop up as well, with articles and posts of mine getting published all across this thing called the World Wide Web. To keep up-to-date with those posts, you can follow me on Twitter (@jasonrh_78). Or become a follower of this very blog, where I try to post weekly.
I hope this holiday season finds all of you healthy, happy, and safe. To friends and family, near and far, from California to Montana, from Nevada to New York, from Portland to Chicago to Los Angeles to here in Boise, I am truly blessed and thankful to have you in my life. I wish you all a Merry Christmas (or Happy Festivus) and a Happy New Year. May all of your endeavors bring you success and joy, but not necessarily in that order.
I will leave you with an excerpt from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Last year, I made it point to start reading this tale every year at Christmas. A new tradition started...
"...for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as they have malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him."
Merry Christmas to one and all!
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