Underground Christmas

by Jon Hassler, Charles J. Johnston (Illustrator)

Jon's story is about a man named Jay who has come rather late to his midlife crisis. Nearing fifty, Jay finds himself dislocated by a divorce and by his only child's attempted suicide. Seeking stability, he has taken a temporary teaching position at his alma mater, St. Andrew's College. The story opens in the school's potting shed, which in earlier days had been a root cellar.

Genres: Christmas, Fiction, Short Stories

62 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Jon Hassler was born in Minneapolis, but spent his formative years in the small Minnesota towns of Staples and Plainview, where he graduated from high school. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from St. John's University in 1955. While teaching English at three different Minnesota high schools, he received his Master of Arts degree in English from the University of North Dakota in 1960. He continued to teach at the high school level until 1965, when he began his collegiate teaching career: first at Bemidji State University, then Brainerd Community College (now called Central Lakes College), and finally at Saint John's, where he became the Writer-in-Residence in 1980.

During his high-school teaching years, Hassler married and fathered three children. His first marriage lasted 25 years. He had two more marriages; the last was to Gretchen Kresl Hassler.

In 1994, Hassler was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a disease similar to Parkinson's. It caused vision and speech problems, as well as difficulty walking, but he was able to continue writing. He was reported to have finished a novel just days before his death. Hassler died in 2008, at the age of 74, at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.[1]

The Jon Hassler Theater in Plainview, Minnesota, is named for him.

Reviews

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short book? story? I find it hard to classify. Interesting characters. Hassler shows that even though people seem to be on track and their life is set, that isn't always the case. Quick read, yet thought provoking.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read that took me just about 45 minutes. Not really a book up my alley but thought provoking nonetheless. Thought it was going to be a Christmas book, but turns out to be a story that takes place on Christmas Day with not a whole lot of Christmas elements in it. Not sure what “underground” refers to in the title.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jon Hassler is a great writer. We read this for Christmas book club. The story has strong writing but, it didn't feel finished to me. Kind of like a short story that was too short.

[CAG_1337 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not his best work; most certainly a product of his dotage. This would not have been published in a periodical, let alone as a standalone book, had his name not been attached to it.

[Jennifer Willcutt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short story with a nice ending.