What are your favorite holiday traditions?
Getting family together would be our tradition, since we’ve been successful at it ever since I can remember. I’m lucky because the people in my family, unlike a lot of others’, actually like spending time together. We don’t see each other enough.
What was the best holiday gift you received as a child?
Drums. They drove everybody crazy for a couple of years. Talk about thoughtful and sacrificing parents.
Did you have a favorite holiday book as a child?
When I was a kid, I was into the Babar books, and later, Treasure Island. Mike Mulligan, Ferdinand the Bull, and Curious George were great characters too. For holiday books, I’ve always loved A Christmas Carol and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
What are your favorite books to give as gifts?
The real issue is that parents and grandparents need to continue to give books as gifts. A lot of people gear up to give video games and movies, which is fine, I suppose, but we need to establish that every Christmas, they will get at least one book. And make sure it’s a book that each kid is really going to love.
What books are you planning to give as gifts this year?
I give different books every year. My son Jack is a huge fan of Percy Jackson, so that usually works well. And for adults this year, Michael Connelly’s Nine Dragons, Dexter Filkins’ The Forever War or John Grisham’s Ford County will be good to give.
What are you reading now?
The book of short stories, Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned, by Wells Tower, and Philipp Meyer’s American Rust. Also an older book about Saturday Night Live called Live From New York.
What would you like to get from Santa this year?
Books, man, books! This is a mandate for everybody I know to choose the one book they loved this year and let me get in on the fun.
