The following students and their winning entries to the annual Creative Writing Christmas Contest are published below.
All submissions to the annual contest, sponsored by The Enterprise, are published inside.
To those students who entered, we enjoyed reading your
Pre-K through Third Grade
First Place:
Telf the Elf
By Tanner Whitt
Once upon a time, there was a little elf named Telf. He worked in the North Pole with Santa. Telf worked with Santa on the sleigh giving out toys. Telf was in one of the houses and he decided to leap on the shelf in the living room. One of the children started to wake up and saw Telf the elf way up on the shelf. Then the boy raced up to his mom and dad’s room. He told his dad that there was an elf on his shelf. The dad and boy ran down the steps past the kitchen and they were at the shelf. “Oh, my goodness!! The elf is gone!” said the boy. “Where did the elf go?” the dad wondered. “I don’t know,” said the boy. Then Telf was at Santa’s sleigh. Santa said, “There you are Telf!” Telf started working with Santa again.
The end.
Second Place:
How Did Mrs. Claus Become Mrs. Claus?
By Emmalyn Hubbard
This story will tell you how Mrs. Claus met Santa. One day Mrs. Claus was at school.
She saw Santa. She knew it was love at first sight. Santa saw Mrs. Claus. He knew it was love
at first sight too. A Christmas party was coming up. Santa asked Mrs. Claus to the dance. Mrs.
Claus said yes. They went to the party and had a great time. Santa said to Mrs. Claus, “Let me
walk you home.” Mrs. Claus said yes. So as Mrs. Claus and Santa grew up, they got married
and lived happily ever after!
Third place:
O, O Christmas Tree
By Elly Griffin
Christmas trees
Have ornaments that are beautiful,
lights that shine, and a star that sparkles.
They make you feel happy.
4-7
First Place:
Samuel Clause, Santa’s genius brother
By Savannah Fain
“Hi! My name is Samuel Clause. Last name sound familiar? Well, you’ve probably heard of my brother, Santa Clause. I’m sure he probably knows exactly who you are, where you live, and what you want for Christmas.”
“Almost every household in the world probably knows who Santa is. But one thing nobody knows is the real story of how Santa came to be. Nobody but me.”
“My brother, Santa, and I were eating at our favorite restaurant; Subway when I came up with an idea “Hey Santa, we should deliver presents to all the kids in our neighborhood for Christmas! We could send letters to all the kids asking them what they want for Christmas. Then, once we find out what they want, we can hand make all the toys in Dad’s workshop. Then, once we’ve made all the toys, we can sneak down the chimney on Christmas eve when the children are sleeping to deliver the presents!”
“That’s a great idea!” said Santa
“But if we’re really going to do this, we’re going to need to start RIGHT NOW!” said Santa.
“Though it was only August, Santa and I had NO time to waste! Getting right to work, I started sending out letters to all the kids. I still remember exactly what they said:
Dear children of Candy Cane Road,
Hello there! This is Santa and Samuel Claus from “The big gray house.”
This year Santa and I have decided to make toys from all you little ones in the neighborhood. Then on Christmas morning when you wake up, you will find you’re handcrafted toy under the tree! So, please write us a letter back with your request ASAP!
Merry Early Christmas,
Santa and Samuel Clause
“As soon as the request started rolling in, Santa got straight to work building the toys. After he would build them, I would go in and paint a design on them.”
“Fast Forward a few months and before you know it, it’s December 23rd. We started deciding who was going to deliver all the presents and who was going to pack the bag. Since it was my idea, I was going to deliver the presents and Santa was going to pack the bag. Later that night, I started feeling really sick. My throat started to hurt, my body started to ache, and my nose was uncontrollable. And on that same night, I had to tell Santa the bad news. Well, unfortunate for me, fortunate for Santa.”
“Sa- ACHOO!”
“Samuel, are you okay?” Santa said as I sneezed and carried on
“Well, *cough* That’s actually what I came in here to talk about. I won’t be able to deliver the presents tomorrow night. I need you to do it.”
“Wait, me? Deliver presents?”
“Yes, you’re going to have to deliver the presents. I- I -I AACCHHOO!”
“Yeah, you may want me to handle that.” Santa replied back
“Are you sure?”
“Yes Sam, I got you covered.”
“Now I may not have shown it when I was talking to him, but I was really mad that I couldn’t deliver the present. Santa is the younger sibling, so when we were little, he got away with everything. And he always got everything he wanted. So, while I’m lying in bed on Christmas Eve, sick as a dog, Santa’s doing what should have been MY JOB in the first place! Sitting on Santa’s lap? Well, they should be sitting on Samuel’s lap. Oh, writing a letter to Santa? Well, they should be writing a letter to Samuel. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!!!
“When Santa came back, he was telling me about how cool it was. And the more and more he talked about it, the more jealous, and bitter I got. I mean, Santa did nothing wrong, but I hate to say it but I’m jealous.
“Christmas morning rolls around and I feel SO much better. But Santa ended up catching my cold. I thought since I was still mad at Santa celebrating Christmas without him it wouldn’t be so bad. But I realized, Christmas isn’t just about the presents, the ugly sweaters, or even the tree. Christmas is about spending time with your loved ones. And celebrating Christ’s birth.”
And now you know how Santa came to be. And what Christmas is all about.
Second Place:
The Very Lucky Elves
By Hailey Weiss
It was not a normal day in the North Pole, the elves were getting ready to go to their people’s homes. But two elves that go by the names Sam and Sandy got left behind. This was the first time they have gotten left behind. Sam and Sandy decided to return to the workshop with the elves that didn’t go to homes.
Sam asked a couple of elves what they should do, but they didn’t know. They felt their luck was running out, but little did they know they were in for a big surprise. Sam and Sandy went to the one and only Santa Claus to ask what they should do. Santa said they should go home and start decorating their houses. The two elves went home and started decorating. They started to put up their Christmas tree, their lights and candy cane statues.
After all the decorating they gathered all the wrapping paper, bows, and ribbons to begin wrapping all the gifts for their friends and family. As they listened to Christmas music and wrapped their gifts they began to play, putting the bows and ribbon on each other’s clothes and getting carried away playing until they heard a HO! HO! HO! coming from outside. It was Santa Claus coming to check on them.
Uh oh, stretched the elves, we better try and tidy up before he comes in, they said to each other. Sam and Sandy hurry to get the mess up. Santa Claus knocks, opens the door, and tells them how much he loves their decorations, even though there were bows all over the floor. They dropped their heads, but in a cheerful voice he tells them it’s ok because Christmas is a joyful merry time of year. “Thank You,” they say smiling and Santa leaves telling them to have a good night.
As their night comes to an end, they’ve finished wrapping and cleaning their mess and got ready for bed, for Christmas is in the morning. They slept through the night. Waking up first Sandy yells to Sam “wake up, wake up, it’s Christmas morning. Sam wakes up and runs to look under the tree. They see gifts for each other that weren’t there when they went to sleep. Excitedly, they look to see how they could have got there. Looking and reading, the presents say, From: Santa Claus. As they opened their gifts from Santa, they noticed they were gifts they asked for in a note they left for Santa. I’d say they were “The Very Lucky Elves.”
Third Place:
My Christmas
By Kaylee Belcher
My brother is five and his name is Ashton. He is like every other boy his age. He likes playing with cars and watching kids’ shows. Normal, right? Well, things took a turn for the worst this year. It was the end of November. At my house we start to decorate on the first day of December. Well, we started putting up the Christmas tree and Ashton walked up to me and said, “Callie, Santa’s gonna’ bring me a toy train.” Before I could stop myself, I’m not kidding, I looked him in the eyes and said,” I don’t think Santa is real.” Ashton looked at me with tears in his eyes and sat on the floor and burst into tears. I told him to stop crying and I would give him some of my candy. He stopped crying so I gave him candy like I promised.
Later, I was cleaning up the dishes after dinner and he went upstairs and got out some paper and crayons and started making a list. I was downstairs. The only reason I knew he was doing this was because I heard him open the drawer for the crayons. I didn’t pay any attention to him. I finished cleaning up and went upstairs to get ready for bed. It was silent! I stopped for a moment and listened. I didn’t hear anything. I walked to his bedroom door and gently opened it. The lights were out, and he was already in bed. I looked at the clock and it was only 6:30. I thought this was a little strange, but I didn’t think about it anymore. It’s Christmas Eve and he has been going to bed at 6:30 every night since that first night. I finally asked him why he was going to bed so early. I am not kidding you, he said “No reason!” That really upset me, but I still went on with my day. Later that night at 12:00, my parents had already gone to bed and my brother, and I were fast asleep, or at least I was.
At 12:30, my brother came into my room quietly and tapped me on my shoulder. He finally awakened me and told me to put on a coat and shoes. He already had his coat and shoes on. I got up and dressed. We both went outside and down the road to the bus stop. We got on the bus and traveled for 2 hours. We finally got off at this large building and went inside.
There was one of Santa’s workers sitting inside with little children lined up to speak to him. At least, that’s what it looked like! The little kids were elves! So, we walked through the building to the back. Outside there was a big red sleigh with eight reindeer! My brother and I ran up to the sleigh and climbed in. He grabbed the reins, and the reindeer took off into the sky. We went so high that I thought we would never come down. The sleigh flew through the beautiful starry night.
Eventually, we got to a piece of land that looked like clouds but was covered with snow. There was a sign that read North Pole! There was an arrow pointing north. Trust me, I never dreamed of the North Pole looking like this!
We walked through the deep snow and icy cold winds until we came to a house. The house looked very cozy and warm.
My brother knocked on the door. He backed up a step or two and looked at me and said, “I bet this is Santa’s house.” I told him once again that I didn’t think that Santa was real, but he paid no mind to me. Before I got the last word out, the door suddenly opened. There stood a big man with a white beard looking at us. We stood there frozen in shock! Then he invited us in for some hot chocolate and to warm up. The man then put on a bright red suit!
I looked at Aston and whispered, “Santa Claus is real!” Santa walked us back to the huge building. He flung open the door and there sat the big, bright red sleigh with thousands of presents and the reindeer ready to go. My brother gave me the look that said, “Ha-Ha! I was right and you were wrong!” Santa told us to hop in and we flew off into the starry night!
Grades 8-12
First Place
Saved in the Mountains
By Kaden Joseph Shepherd
The Appalachian mountains are a beautiful place and a home to many who love and appreciate them. Living there, unfortunately, comes with the downside of being miles away from your nearest neighbor. You would think such a lifestyle would make the mountain’s inhabitants unsociable, yet there was one mountaineer who acted quite the opposite. In fact, this man’s hospitality and generosity helped save someone else in more ways than one. It started in those mountains over half a century ago with a sleek, black convertible. It was driving on a dark, stormy winter’s night the week before Christmas. Dave, the driver, hadn’t wanted to depart that day. He and his passenger, Christopher Stanley, were on a business trip. Christopher’s father owned and managed a lot of farmland in the northern part of the American South. Christopher was to succeed his father in running the business; however, he had to first prove himself responsible by completing business tasks his father would assign him. This was one such task. Christopher was to meet with one of his father’s most successful farmers and discuss plans for the following year with him. The route to meet him required either going through or around the Appalachians. As it happened, a nasty storm lay en route through the mountains, but Christopher insisted on pushing through anyway as it was the fastest route. Unfortunately, the storm slowed his progress and he and his driver were forced to make an uncalled-for stop at a local inn. The morning after, there was a break in the storm, and, despite Dave’s protests, Christopher requested to continue through the mountains.
It was now after dusk on that day, and Dave was trying his best to not crash. The break in the storm earlier had allowed the sun to melt most of the snow off the road; however, with the storm now back, the melted snow froze again, forming thin sheets of ice. Dave wanted to stop, but he knew that if he did the downpour of snow would trap him and his car in the middle of the road, far from the nearest town or city. He just prayed that he would be able to make it through the night and find civilization. There, he could rest, and wait for the storm to pass.
Christopher, too, was worried. But I can’t stop now, He thought. If I do, my father will scorn me for my recklessness. Surely, we’ll find a town soon. After that, we’ll wait for the storm to pass, and then we’ll be there in no time. We’re already halfway there. It would’ve taken us longer to travel around the mountains anyway.
Christopher, however, would not make his trip on time; for at that moment Dave lost control of the car. The vehicle slipped on the ice, ran straight through a fence, drove off of a small ledge, and landed in a local’s yard on the passenger side of the vehicle. The car was smashed, but, thankfully, Christopher was seated right behind the driver, so neither he nor Dave were hurt.
Dave, however, was too shocked to be grateful for his survival, and Christopher was too frustrated. Just wonderful! Now how am I supposed to make it to my appointment, or better yet, a hotel bed? As if answering his question, he heard someone rushing towards his car. “Hold on!” cried a deep voice. “I’ll get ya out! Is anyone hurt?”
This cry of salvation revived Dave. “No, we’re fine,” he answered. “Thank God, we’re fine.”
“I’ll pull you out,” said the voice, and the mysterious figure rushed off, coming back three minutes later with a long plank. “Hey! I’m gonna flip y’all over, alright. Y’all brace yourselves!”
Dave and his passenger grabbed hold of their seat and car door. “We’re braced!” Dave shouted back.
The mysterious stranger placed a large stone near the car and laid the board on top, putting one end under the passenger side of the car. He then pushed with all his might on the opposite end, as if playing seesaw with the car, and flipped it upright again.
With no hesitation, Dave rushed out of the vehicle and met his mysterious savior, shaking his hand with such ferocity that the stranger half expected his arm to come off. Christopher, too, was glad, and gave the man a small “thanks,” but his pride prohibited him from expressing any more thankfulness. “My pleasure,” said the man. He was a rather large gentleman with a white beard and broad shoulders. It was impossible for Dave and Christopher to tell more, for the man’s large, hooded coat coupled with the limited visibility in the storm hid the rest of his features. “C’mon,” said the stranger, “the storm’s gettin’ worse. I’ll take y’all to my place.”
The three men marched uphill through the snow towards the stranger’s house. Thank God! Thank God!, thought the grateful Dave to himself. Christopher’s thoughts were less pleasant. Curses! Now I’m stuck with a stranger and a broken car. Dad’s going to definitely punish me for this. At least I’m out of the car. After a couple of minutes, the three men reached the stranger’s house. It looked very well kept, but its style suggested that it had been there a while. When they came to the door, a young, thin, blonde woman opened it. “Pa!” she exclaimed. “Hurry in, you’ll catch a cold out there!” She beckoned the three men in, and they entered.
The house was slightly small but well furnished, and had a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments, though without lights. It could not have had any; the house had no sign of electricity. The only light source came from lanterns and a fireplace in the living room. The fireplace also acted as the only detectable source of heat in the house. In it, there was a Dutch oven with what smelled like meat roasting. Christopher glanced at one of the windows and saw that it was opened slightly. Must be their only source of airflow in this shack. The young lady led the men into the dining room where an older woman in an apron was setting the table.
“Why, who’s this?” asked the older woman.
“Dave Baxter,” immediately answered Dave, “and I’m so glad to be somewhere warm.”
“And I’m Christopher Stanley,” chimed Christopher with a half-smile.
“Well, I’m Becky,” replied the woman. “What brings you here?”
“We were on a business trip,” answered Dave, “however, the weather caused us to crash. We would’ve been stuck if not for this kind fellow.” He pointed to the stranger that helped them out of their vehicle. “Oh!” Dave continued after a split-second pause, “I forgot to ask your name, Sir.”
“Nicholas Thrasher,” replied the man, “but you can call me Nick.” Now that his coat was off, Christopher and Dave could get a good look at the man’s features. They already knew he was large, but neither had suspected the amount of muscle he had. He wasn’t that much taller than the other gentlemen, but with his physique, it looked as though he could easily carry them both at the same time, one in each hand. His beard was snow white, nearly touching his collarbone, and he had a balding head and huge hands. “And it wasn’t no trouble, neither,” continued Nick. “T’was a good thing I was still out there when y’all crashed, or I’d’ve never heard it.”
“Thank you,” said Christopher anxiously. “We’ll cause you no more trouble. If you would be kind enough to direct us to a place to lodge and call a garage, we’ll get out of your way.”
“Why, there’s no sense in that!” exclaimed Becky. “It’s much too stormy to go off galivanting around. Come on and stay here for a couple of nights. You can even have supper with us tonight.”
“Oh, there’s no need in fixing us dinner,” replied Christopher. “We’d hate to burden you.”
“It’s no burden!” Becky replied. “Now wash up; supper’s almost done.”
Christopher opened his mouth to say something, but before he could answer, the young lady that met him at the door walked next to him and told him quietly, “I wouldn’t argue with her. When she tells you to do somethin’, you’d better do it. I’d just accept her hospitality if I were you. I’m Sally, by the way. Glad to meet you.” She then walked away to wash up. The two men were about to follow suit when the sound of two gunshots went off. They froze, scared stiff. Becky, however, was livid. “Kole!” she shouted. “Oliver! You two come here right now!” Christopher turned to find two boys, one blond and one redhead, both of whom were holding cap pistols. “You two had better be glad I didn’t drop your dinner out of shock!” Becky continued. “Now, apologize to those two men for scaring them and go wash up. Now!”
”We’re sorry, ” said the blond one. “But we did get ya good,” finished the red head. The two boys giggled and pushed ahead of the two men to wash their hands.
When everyone had washed, they all sat together at the dinner table. Nick then said grace. “Father, thank You for all You have given us. Let us always be grateful for what we have. I pray for those who don’t know You and those who aren’t as fortunate as us. Thank You for this food and for being able to help these strangers. Amen.” Odd, thought Christopher. I wouldn’t describe this family as fortunate. Also, why would he give thanks for having to help us? The meal then commenced. It consisted of roasted carrots and venison pie– the item in the aforementioned Dutch oven– which had a mashed potato layer that acted as a crust. After they had eaten, Becky served sweetened peaches and homemade ice cream as dessert. At the end of the meal, everyone was well fed, especially Dave who had eaten more than was expected of a man with such a thin frame. The anxiety from the crash must have drained him, thought Christopher.
When everyone had finished eating, Sally and Becky cleaned up the table and began to wash dishes. Dave insisted on helping out, but Becky shooed him away. The men, therefore, seated themselves in the living room. Nick started to talk with the visitors. First, he told them about his home and how it was an inheritance of his father’s. He then spoke of how he and Becky got married and started homesteading for a living, selling their excess crop for cash. He followed that by explaining that Sally was his last child, as the rest of his children had long moved away. “And these two rascals,” finished Nick, pointing to the two boys, “are Sally’s cousins. Their mother passed away when giving birth to ‘em, and then their father passed two years later, so we take care of ‘em now.”
“I’m sorry for you,” replied Christopher. And I mean it, too, he continued to himself. I wouldn’t want to live with those troublemakers if you paid me.
The women finished, and the group talked into the night. When everyone was good and tired, the family went to bed. Sally brought the two gentlemen blankets, and they slept on the living room furniture. Dave, full and happy, slept like a rock, but Christopher had trouble falling asleep. He felt an odd uneasiness. Why can’t I sleep? he asked himself. Maybe I ate too much. He didn’t believe that, but he could not think of anything else to blame for his unsettledness.
Christopher awoke the next morning to the sound of movement. Without getting off of the couch, he checked his watch in the light of the fire (he had to sleep in his business outfit; his other clothes were still in his car). It was a quarter past five. Christopher could hear whispering in the kitchen. “Mornin’ Dear,” he heard Becky quietly call out. “Why ‘re ya up so early? The storm hasn’t slowed all night. There is no point in going out to work.”
“It ain’t that, ” he heard her husband answer. “I just wish we had made a little bit more this year. It’s disappointing we couldn’t get the kids more gifts. I wanted to give ‘em a good Christmas.”
“Honey,” answered Becky, “we have all that we need. A lot of farmers didn’t do too well this year. It’s a blessing we had enough for us and leftover to sell.”
“You’re right, Dear,” concurred Nick, “We are blessed; the children will see that. I was also thinking of Sally. It’s a shame she still has to stay here. She’ll be twenty next year. I know she says she don’t want to leave us, but I can tell she wants her own home and her own life.”
“God will take care of that, too,” replied Becky.
“You’re right,” her husband answered. “I need a woman like you to keep me straight.”
“You got that right,” mocked Becky. The couple then started their day, unaware Christopher had heard them.
Christopher lay there in the living room in disbelief. I can’t believe it! he thought to himself. They don’t even have enough to buy decent presents for their children, yet they talk as if it’s no big deal. They must be really desperate financially to think like that. Christopher tried to fall back to sleep, but something kept him up. So, he lay there, pretending to sleep, waiting for the rest of the family to awaken. An hour later, the rest of the family was up. The storm was still active, though it was not as fierce as it had been that previous evening. Nick and Sally went to milk the cows and gather the eggs for breakfast. Christopher, for a reason foreign to him, requested to assist. So, Nick and Dave went to milk the cows, while Sally and Christopher gathered the eggs.
Sally and Christopher trod through the snow towards the coop. It was not a long walk, but the snow made travel harder. Sally went right to work, being able to gather the eggs with surprising speed. Christopher tried to help the best he could, being careful not to damage the eggs or step on a guinea (the Thrashers raised guinea fowl rather than chickens). After they had finished, they hurried off back to the house. Becky then prepared the following breakfast: grits, sunny side up eggs, country ham, and red-eyed gravy topped with wild green onion from her garden that she had stored in the icebox –an icebox, not a refrigerator, because they had no electricity. For a woman with limited resources, she sure can cook, Christopher thought to himself. He and Dave then enjoyed breakfast with the Thrashers.
Although the storm was dying down, neither Dave nor Christopher could leave. Their vehicle lay in the snow half smashed and the roads were so snowed over that the Thrashers could not drive them anywhere. Dave and Christopher agreed to stay until the roads were clear, then Nick would take them to a nearby friend of his who owned a phone so they could call a garage. Great, thought Christopher to himself, looks like I’ll be late for that meeting after all. Dad’s going to be very unhappy.
The snowy weather made it so there was not much farming to do, but the Thrashers still had other projects to accomplish around the house. Dave and Christopher, feeling like they owed the family something, wanted to help out. Christopher helped Nick gather wood, while Dave helped Becky with the cooking. Sally spent a lot of her time watching her cousins, reading them Christmas stories, playing with them, and, to Christopher’s surprise, teaching them. “You’re a good teacher,” he told her after she had finished one of her lessons. “You would do very well in a classroom.” “Thank you,” she answered, blushing. “I’ve always thought of’ teaching’, but they wouldn’t let someone like me do it. You typically need to go to college for a thing like that.” Realization then struck Christopher. Of course, she’s still with her parents, he thought, she probably never got a chance to finish her education or start her own life. He then left her with her cousins, ashamed that he brought up the subject.
After a couple of days, most of the snow had melted. It was late in the evening, and Dave and Christopher decided that they would depart early that next morning to call a garage. Soon, everyone was well fed and ready for bed, that is, everyone but Christopher. Something had been bothering him since he came to the house. Nick had been out getting the logs for the fire. When he returned, Dave was asleep, but Christopher was wide awake and troubled. “Somethin’ botherin’ you, feller?” asked the older man.
Christopher hesitated a bit. Finally, he looked Nick right in the eyes and said, “I don’t know how you do it.” He paused, then continued, “How do you stay so happy despite having nothing?”
“Nothin’?” Nick answered, puzzled. “What do you mean? I ain’t starving or homeless. In fact, I’m downright blessed!”
“That’s my point!” exclaimed Christopher being careful to keep his voice low enough to not wake Dave. “You might not be suffering, but – and no offense to you– you have almost nothing save enough food to last you ‘till next spring. How– how do you–” He paused trying to get his words out. “How do you stay so optimistic?”
Nick gazed at him for a couple of seconds with a look of bewilderment. Then, he cracked a smile and said, “Because God’s looked after me.” He sat down in his armchair which faced Christopher. He thought for a moment, then said in a calming voice, “I’ve had my struggles, as does everyone else; but, through it all, I’ve never been in a place I couldn’t get out of. Next week’s Christmas. Now, I like having a good time on that day as much as the next feller– I used to play Christmas tunes on the fiddle for Becky ‘till one of the boy’s broke it–” he pointed to an old fiddle next to the fire wood that had been snapped in half, “but the real reason for this holiday is remembering God’s Son. I’ve made mistakes like everyone else, and I should have to pay for ‘em myself, but I don’t have to. He paid for it, on the cross.” Nick then leaned towards Christopher in his chair. “He’s paid for yours too,” said Nick. “He’s never left me to suffer. That’s why I think I like Christmas more than any other time of the year, because I’m reminded that He was the greatest gift humanity could ever have. So, to answer your question, He’s the reason I’m so optimistic.” With that, Nick left for bed, and Christopher spent the night pondering in silence.
Morning came, and the Thrasher family said goodbye to their new friends. Nick drove them to a nearby friend of his on his old pick-up truck. There, they used a telephone to call a garage. When the tow truck arrived, Christopher and Dave convinced the driver to take them into town. Once there, they rented a new car and were on their way. “Well,” said Dave after a while, “that was an eventful… well, event. Good thing we made it out alive. God really showed us mercy on that one, being able to lodge with that family and all.”
“Yeah,” replied Christopher quietly, “I guess so.”
“Yeah,” continued Dave, “they were a good little bunch, maybe except those annoying boys. I hope they have a good holiday.”
“Yeah,” said Christopher faintly, “I hope they do too.”
That next week, the Thrashers woke up to a beautiful Christmas morning. Even Kole and Oliver were cheerfully singing Christmas tunes. No one mentioned the lack of presents under the tree; in fact, no one seemed to notice. As the merry family were conversing and preparing breakfast, they heard a knock on their door. Perplexed, Sally went to answer it, and, to her shock, she found Christopher and Dave in her doorway carrying wrapped gifts. Sally eagerly beckoned them in. Dave and Christopher gave out their gifts to each of the members. Becky got furs and a new set of chinaware, Kole and Oliver got jack knives and BB guns, Sally got jewelry and a novel she had mentioned wanting, and Nick got a new ax and a fiddle. Everyone was elated and had a good time that day celebrating and admiring their gifts. Nick even played a couple of Christmas tunes on his new fiddle.
When the day was over, and everyone was ready for bed, Nick took Christopher to one side and said, “Thank you.”
Christopher smiled and said back, “Thank you. God has always blessed me and took care of me. I now know that, thanks to you.” They both smiled at each other and went to bed with a happy heart.
Over the next couple of years, Christopher would continue to visit the Thrasher family. He gained control of his father’s business like he had always wished and did well with it. He expanded his father’s business, hiring poorer farmers like the Thrashers, and helping them expand and prosper. He would continue to grow friendly with the family and even married Sally. Sally too would have a good life, as she was able to go to college and, with the wealth of her husband, founded a nearby school. The new couple took in Kole and Oliver, treating them like their own children and providing them with a sound education. For the rest of his life, Christopher loved Christmas more than any other time of the year, spreading Christmas cheer to all he saw. May people follow his example and cherish this season, always.
Second Place
Christmas Gone Wrong
By Maria Turner
It was the day of Marla’s big Christmas party. She had been preparing the whole week. She knew from her unexpected awakening that it wouldn’t go as planned. She abruptly jolted awake from a loud crash in another room. She looked down at the halfway-wrapped box in front of her. She suddenly remembered the sound that woke her and rushed into the living room. Her cat, Giovanni, had tried playing with the once perfectly decorated tree and knocked it over. Ornaments were rolling across the hardwood floor and the tree was flipped on its side. Gio was sitting innocently across the room hitting an ornament around. Marla heaved the tree back upright and returned the ornaments to their places, not quite as perfect as before.
She went on with her preparations, readying the turkey and double-checking the ingredients in the refrigerator. Once the turkey was in the oven, she began carrying the presents to put under the tree. While carrying the last load of boxes, she ran into something. Her heart dropped, thinking of all the valuable, delicate Christmas decorations she had around the house, relieved when she heard a splat instead of a shatter. She was not so relieved when she saw the mess of gingerbread walls and the icing on the floor.
After cleaning the floor and placing the presents, she went back to the kitchen to continue cooking the meal. Her day went on as expected until the doorbell rang. She opened the door and there was her sister Jolene. Confused, she declared, “You’re here early, aren’t you?”
Jolene looked at her worriedly. “Doesn’t the party start at 3:00?”
Marla’s eyes widened in panic as she looked back inside at the clock. It was 2:45. There were still presents to be wrapped, food to be cooked, Christmas lights to be turned on, and a house to be cleaned. She immediately sprang into action, despite the unlikelihood she’d get it all done before people began to arrive.
As Marla began to declutter her living and dining rooms, Jolene slowed her down. “What can I do to help?”
Marla tried to narrow down the unfinished tasks. “Do you think you could wrap ten presents before the party starts?”
Jolene nodded while hurrying to get to work.
Marla then plugged up her Christmas tree. She stepped back and watched as the lights turned on. The relief she was expecting did not appear when the top portion of the tree remained dark. A bulb had blown. She groaned and found the replacements, trying to pick out which blub caused the outage. After about five minutes of searching, she finally replaced the right blub and the whole tree was lit up.
She returned to putting the finishing touches on the house when a smoky smell filled the room. She instantly took off toward the kitchen. The oven was full of smoke. She flung the door open, and a cloud came out. Marla put on oven mitts and took the turkey out. It was charred.
Jolene came by the kitchen with the wrapped presents. Marla stared defeatedly at the burnt turkey. Jolene sat the gifts down and walked over to assess the damage. “It’s not that bad, Marla. It will still taste fine.”
Just as the feeling of doom sunk in, their heads turned as the doorbell rang. Marla slowly walked over, but before she could open the door, it swung open, and two children rushed past her into the living room to peek under the Christmas tree. Even with their blond heads turned from her, Marla knew it was her nephews Kasey and Peter. They scrummaged through the presents to find their names, excitedly guessing what Santa brought them.
While she watched the boys, Marla forgot entirely about the burnt turkey, the partially cleaned house, and the mischievous look in Giovanni’s eyes, threatening to knock over the tree again. The stress of the day was lifted as she remembered the childish delight of Christmas. Kasey looked back at her from the tree and asked, “Did you see the snow?”
Marla’s eyebrows furrowed and she looked outside. In her relentless preparation, she never took the chance to look out and see the glistening snow. With an enthusiastic grin, she turned to the boys, “Do you want to go play outside?”
Within five minutes, she had herself and both kids dressed and ready to go outside. They carried sleds as they shuffled into the plentiful snow. Jolene looked out the window, shaking her head with a smile as she finally saw Marla enjoying Christmas.
Friends and family were arriving at the party with their presents and questioning looks towards the turkey, but Marla finally understood that Christmas wasn’t about how good the food was or how well-behaved the cat was, or even how neat the wrapping on the presents was. Christmas was all about spending time with your friends and family without being focused on anything but your love and appreciation for them. Marla couldn’t think of a better way to show her love to Kasey and Peter than going out on a snowy Christmas and finding her childlike love for Christmas again. While she thought her Christmas was going in the wrong direction, it seemed to lead her right where she needed to be.
Third Place
The Reason for the Season
By Logan Harrison
A time for loving, a time for caring,
A time for giving, and a time for sharing.
The Christmas season, what a wonderful time,
That so many love with no reason why.
So many think it’s all about gifts,
All about lights, and all about myths,
All about family, and all about friends,
Some even live for the seasonal trends.
Of course, we all love these things,
But there’s something that we should love more,
The precious gift that was given,
That wasn’t purchased from a store.
Two thousand Years ago, on the first CHRISTMAS morn,
the precious gift named JESUS in Bethlehem was born.
He gave his life for you and me,
Bled and died on an old, rugged tree.
If you don’t know where you’ll spend eternity,
Just ask Him into your heart and He’ll set you free.
The Christmas time what a wonderful season,
And so much sweeter if you know the true reason!
