As you may have read in my previous blog post, I am pretty far ahead of schedule with my writing plans this year. That’s a good thing, but it does mean that here in the month of March, I find myself writing Christmas fiction. Now, I consider myself something of a Christmas fanatic, but I’m generally not feeling very Christmasy in the month of March. But, a book of Christmas themed short stories is up next on my production schedule, and so I’m doing what I have to to bring the holiday season to life nine months early. For a while I tried to listen to Christmas music while I worked on these Christmas stories, but I found that oddly upsetting, so I abandoned that approach. What’s probably helped the most is the story I chose to work on first. It’s called Christmas Meatballs and probably contains the least amount of Christmas spirit of all the stories that are scheduled to be in the collection. It’s allowed me to shift into a Christmas mindset slowly, which has been helpful. 

Believe it or not, this book (tentatively titled Endless Christmas: And Other Short Tales) is already 25% completed. I’ve been incredibly pleased at the writing pace I’ve been able to keep this year and how quickly it allows me to make progress. It takes a ton of focus and a major chunk of my free time, but I love every second of it so you’ll hear no complaints outta me!

So, since I’m stuck in the Christmas spirit for another 4 to 6 weeks while I complete this book, I figured it would be a great time to share my top 5 favorite Christmas movies! This list is pretty malleable, but as of March 2025, here’s where it sits. 

#5 8 Bit Christmas - It’s the newest movie on the list, but it perfectly captures the spirit of silliness and craziness that I love to see in my Christmas movies. Plus, the stuff at the end makes me cry every time. 

#4 Home Alone - The more I watch this as an adult, the more I think Kevin is the worst kid ever born, but still, it’s a holiday classic. The Wet Bandits are the stars of the show for me.

#3 A Christmas Story - Yeah, it’s old and we’ve all seen it a thousand times, but there’s just something about this one that fills my heart with warmth. It reminds me of being a kid and being surrounded by family at Christmas time, and really, what’s better than that?

#2 Die Hard - Yes, it’s a Christmas movie, and yes, I love it. I wish the dialog wasn’t 92% profanity, but it is what it is. My big brother and I watched this movie constantly as children. No, I don’t know where my parents were during that time, lol.

#1 Jingle All the Way - This movie is completely unhinged, which is why I love it so much. Full of zany, ridiculous moments, I try to watch this one every Christmas.