Jason Boyett is one seriously funny guy. Follow him on Twitter and his Tweets will sure to give you a chuckle or two or three or four. Author of several books, including his most recent O Me of Little Faith, Jason is also a Beliefnet.com blogger and a contributor to notable publications, such as Salon, Daily Beast, Paste, and Relevant magazines. Plus, he manages to make me smile every day through his excellent wit. Thank you, Jason, for UnWrapping Christmas with Backseat Writer.
Did you score any good deals on Black Friday? Is it a day of great deals or terrifying chaos?
No deals. There are no sales good enough for me to brave the terrifying chaos. Spend time amid hordes of crazy people so I can save $50 on a television I don’t need? Not for me. We generally get our Christmas shopping done early, so the day after Thanksgiving is for playing ping-pong. That’s the only scoring we do on Black Friday.
Where are you spending Christmas this year…and what are you looking most forward to?
In Amarillo with my family. I’m most looking forward to the two weeks I’m taking off from work at the end of the year…and completing the current manuscript I’ve been working on every day since August.
What was the best Christmas gift you ever received? (Don’t say “Jesus” because that’s a given!)
I got my first computer, an IBM PC jr., from my parents when I was in 4th or 5th grade. It was the first computer our family ever owned. And it was awesome. Back in the 90s, not long after getting married, my wife and her parents gave me a first-generation iMac. One of those bubble-shaped teal ones. It, too, was awesome.
Describe one of the most hilarious Christmases.
Every year, on Christmas Eve before opening gifts, someone from our family reads the Christmas story out of Luke. One year, there was a Playmobil Nativity Scene nearby, and my brother and I acted out the story using the little figures. (It should be mentioned that we were adults at the time.) The reading transformed from a serious moment to one of hilarity, complete with rolling-on-the-floor laughter, somewhere around the time the host of angels appeared to the shepherds.
What’s your fave Christmas song/Christmas movie or cartoon/Christmas cookie?
I will always watch the Charlie Brown Christmas special, for three reasons: 1) I love how a scrawny stick with three pine needles gets transformed into a lush tree just because a crowd of children surrounded it and began waving their hands at it, as if performing holiday sorcery. 2) It never fails to crack me up the way you can see up those kids’ noses when they tilt their heads back to sing. I love that, too. 3) The monologue at the end in which Linus recites the Christmas story is one of the most powerful scenes in television history. Ever.
New Year’s resolution—yes or no? If yes, what is your resolution?
I always have not just one goal, but several, covering a bunch of different disciplines and ideas (exercise, work, etc.). A new one for 2011 will be to write the first novel (and outline the rest of the novels) in a fiction series for kids. And then to sell it.
She is Beloved 
Awesome interview! Jason Boyett is one of my favorite writers and humorists. He always rocks and his Christmas nativity scene story is a keeper! His book O Me of Little Faith also rocks and is a MUST READ for everyone! 🙂 Thanks for having him on your site!
Tess