Ah, my eighth internet Christmas on AICN... As it was with each of the previous seven, I'm Harry and I'm wishing you the very best this Christmas day.

It's been such a powerfully emotional year. Personally I've had the most wonderful year yet in my life. Professionally and personally it's just been a wonderful year. The team behind the scenes here at AICN has changed and I tell ya... in 2005 things will be much improved. Even such timeless problems like... TALKBACK ORDER will be fixed! Not only that, but we'll resume registration so those of you that have been so frustrated at not being able to join the insanity below.... well, you'll be back in business. You'll also see the return of the FORUMS. In addition, more writers will be joining Full Time Staff joining Moriarty, Father Geek, Quint, Hercules and Me as being able to post stories and spend all their days and nights in endless servitude to your movie curiousity! As for JOHN CARTER OF MARS and GHOST TOWN... Beginning in January, I begin to get busy in setting things up so that you get to discover what it is that we're cooking up on Barsoom... and you'll find a very open production that hopefully will be something we'll all enjoy. On GHOST TOWN, things are just now wrapping up to get very interesting. Soon you'll hear who's been writing it, and it should delight a great many of you. And, you'll find that project to be something entirely different from what most of you would expect from me... but... you'll see in 2005.

Personally, I've just been incredibly lucky this year. And that recent explosion in the Mess Hall outside Mosul really underlined how lucky I am. On my recent flight to Seattle, about 30 soldiers from the company that got hit by that incident were on my flight from Dallas to Seattle. I saw those men and women at the start of a 2 week return to their friends and families. I've received numerous letters over the years from soldiers overseas. Some wanting help to arrange screenings for their units, others that just enjoy a taste of home that the site provides them. There's no secret that I am not in favor of the war we find ourselves involved in. However, that does not mean that on this most joyous of evenings, as I feel on each and every night, that peace and safety find each of us no matter where we are and what we find ourselves doing.

This Christmas, I'll be sharing the Holiday with my family... That my grandmother gets to now share the holiday with us here in Austin, since she moved here earlier this year.. well, it just makes it all the better a holiday. I'm looking forward to a fantastic year of films... Hopefully I'll see THE AVIATOR later this Christmas Night. As for now... I put NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS in my machine - set it on repeat and dream such wondrous dreams. It's the night before Christmas day... time for sugar plum delusions and mute mice. Night night all you film lovers!