Ho! Ho! Ho! The 4th Annual Holiday Contest Is Here!
The 4th Annual Holiday Contest!!!!
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| Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! |
Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
The Contest: Write a children's story (children here defined as approximately age 12 and under) in which wild weather impacts the holidays! Your
story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or
not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate,
but is not to exceed 350 words (Title not included in word count.) Any kind of weather
will do: sun, rain, sleet, heatwave, blizzard, tsunami, monsoon,
hurricane, hail, tornado, etc! Weather may be atypical for your setting
(rain in Maine, frost in Florida), it may be extreme (blizzard instead
of regular snow, drought instead of lush greenery), or it may be unheard
of (spring flowers in Antarctica, snow in the Sahara, bathing suit
weather at the North Pole), but whatever you choose, make us feel the
impact on the holidays! The wild weather may be a hindrance, a
wish-come-true, a threat, a pleasant surprise, etc. The field is wide
open! Have fun! The wilder and wackier the better! No illustration
notes please. (And yes, if you feel compelled to submit more than one
entry you may, just remember you're competing against yourself!)
Post: Your entry should be
posted on your blog by Friday
December 12 at 11:59 PM EST, and your post-specific link should be added
to the link . The post will remain up until Sunday
December 14 so there will be plenty of time
for everyone to post their entries and visit each other and enjoy all
the other entries.
Santa Quits
(350 words)
I’ve had enough Mrs Claus,
Sack the elves, lock the doors
Cut up the suit and make a quilt
Put the deer all out to pasture
There isn’t any reason dear for me to keep the job this year
The news cast shows the world wide weather is too crazy for
the sled.
I’ll get cosy by the fire and put my feet up here instead,
once I lock it in the shed.
There’s raging blizzards all around, twisting cyclones in
Australia, fire storms and broken ice, heat waves where there shouldn’t be.
Frost caves forming in old glaciers, melting Arctic, rising seas, rapid floods,
oozing mudslides, hot volcanoes in Hawai’i!
It’s just too much.
What’s the matter Santa dear is it really all that weather?
I’ll make a nice hot cocoa then you can sit and tell me
What it is that really has you in this dreadful bother.
It’s not like you to rant and rave about a little weather.
I can’t compete with super stores
Kids who want and want some more
It seems that no one cares for things that once were made
with love
Production lines of shiny plastic, batteries and miles of
wire
Blinking lights and robot voices or the latest trendy gadget
All the hungry lost and lonely people sleeping in the street
A million match girls no one sees freezing, by their feet.
No one these days even knows what a match girl is
And you dear man are working up to quite an awful tizz.
Get your suit on right this minute and strap in all the deer
You are part of the solution when troubled days are near
No matter what the weather or who sleeps upon the ground
You cannot fix in one day the big things that abound
Make a difference in little things as you walk your path
A friendly smile, a kindly
wave, a jolly cheerful laugh
Lighten the heart of a single child, or bring a family hope
That is what it’s all about. I am sure that you will cope.
Off you go Dear.
Poor Santa! I feel his sadness. Glad he has Mrs Claus to talk him into doing his job though. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Teresa
DeleteOh my goodness. This really says it all, doesn't it? What a nice turn to what Santa does. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks you Lynn
DeleteLove the message. Never enough altruistic Christmas stories. Enjoyed Mrs. Claus' protest.
ReplyDeleteThank you Patricia
DeleteMy first comment got lost and now I don't even know what I said first. So I will say this time ... poor Santa, all that pressure to compete. I'm glad he has a wise wife. Very nice story! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you again Lynn your first comment came through :)
DeleteI never thought of Santa NOT wanting to deliver because of the weather. Cute idea!
ReplyDeleteThank you Tina
DeleteNice story. Glad Santa has Mrs. Clause to buck him up.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sylvia
Deleteawwwwwwwwwwwww
ReplyDeleteThank you Mim, this is the short version.
DeleteI love Mrs. Claus's attitude! Good luck in the competition!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jilanne
DeleteThat Mrs. Claus, she has a lot of good sense!
ReplyDeleteThank you Marlaina
DeleteOh, gosh! I can relate to Santa's worries. But Mrs. Claus has the right attitude and cheerful encouragement, and she is right - if Santa brighten's one child's day or gives a family hope then he's done some good - and that is the same for all of us. Thanks for a lovely entry with a beautiful message of holiday spirit, Cecilia!
ReplyDeleteThank you Susanna, for the competition and your kind message.
DeleteI have a feeling Santa's saying what a lot of people feel about the holidays sometimes! I'm glad Mrs. Claus was able to rally him back to work!
ReplyDeletethank you for your lovely words. I was hoping it would make a little warmth in the heart.
DeleteCecilia, super idea. LOVE Mrs. Claus. What an encourager. It made me remember that old saying about the woman behind the man. Hehehe. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThank you Robyn. I do like a sensible spouse in a story. :)
DeleteWhat a great story! You've conveyed the message perfectly, and I think it's the real reason for the season. Hope. We all need to aspire to healing the world even if only one small step at a time. Every one of us makes a difference (although celebrities like Santa do tend to make a bigger impact).
ReplyDeletethank you Mishka, all the stories were wonderful
DeleteOh wow, wow, wow! You had me at the reference to the little match girl, Cecilia! That was my all-time favorite Christmas story...I wept each time I read it as a child...but read it anyway because it touched me so deeply. And I still weep.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love Mrs. Claus' matter-a-fact attitude. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. ;)
Incredible entry into the contest - I LOVE it!
Thank you Vivian, I loved the match girl too, it also made me weep and I wanted to rescue her which probably set the steps for me becoming a foster parent.
DeleteCecilia...wow, wow, wow! You had me with the reference to the Little Match Girl...my all-time favorite Christmas story. I wept each time I read it as a kid...but read it over and over anyway. And it still touches me deeply.
ReplyDeleteYour story is incredible...love Mrs. Claus' matter-a-fact attitude. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. :)
What a thought-inspiring story. Love this line "Lighten the heart of a single child, or bring a family hope
ReplyDeleteThat is what it’s all about."
Thank you Andy. I was well pleased with the message
Delete