Stories of the Season

The entries submitted for Southwest Orlando Bulletin’s 25th annual Stories of the Season contest told tales of special visits from Santa, mystical holiday creatures and the joy of spending time with family and friends. Whether they recreate holiday memories or take readers to imaginary places filled with elves, reindeer and their ilk, they are sure to add holiday spirit to all this year.

Congratulations to first-place winner Victoria Hernandez of Sand Lake Hills, runner-up Tabitha Eastham of Ocoee, and child winner Porter MacCabe of Saddlebrooke, all of whom received cash prizes. Also included are submissions selected as honorable mentions.

The staff of the Southwest Orlando Bulletin extends thank-yous to everyone who entered the contest and wishes a happy holiday season to all.

Winner

My Favorite Time of Year

by Victoria Hernandez

Sand Lake Hills

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. My reasons have changed, however.

As a little girl, I loved it for the same reasons as any other kid: Santa Claus and presents. Staying up late with my little brother, hoping to see the jolly old man in the red suit, and tracking him down on websites were always exciting. Of course, we would end up falling asleep before he arrived, but in the morning, the best part of all came — opening the gifts he’d brought for us! I now look back and wish our childhood had never ended, for it now seems 10 times more magical.

I still love Christmas, but now I love the lights … though it is a pain to set them up. I now love the weather … when I’m not standing outside in the dark, frozen in place at a bus stop. I now love the decorations … even though every magazine in the store makes me jealous of the perfectly imperfect decorated homes. I now love the drinks, because it is the only time of the year my grandmother makes homemade hot punch. I now love the food, because it is the second time in the year that we eat like kings. And I now love the time spent with family and friends, because it is one of the few times everyone is together.

Christmastime is always hectic, crazy and busy, but full of laughter, memories and nostalgia. Whenever my family comes together, it is loud but cozy. I treasure these moments very much.

Toward the end of the past couple of years, I have found myself reflecting about life and the previous 12 months. This year, I’ll be able to think about 16 years worth of memories and the awesome 2016 I have had. As beautiful as Christmas is, it always comes with a bittersweet sense of closure. Perhaps that is why it is so beautiful. The feeling of closure makes me stop, think, remember and enjoy the present. That’s what Christmas is all about in the end. It is about remembrance and being thankful — thankful for small things like Santa Claus, presents, annoying lights, cold and sunny weather, perfectly imperfect decorations, grandma’s homemade punch, savory meals and loud-but-cozy family time.


Runner-Up

A Fresh Start

by Tabitha Eastham

Ocoee

She stepped off the train — a little disheveled from the long ride. She never imagined that she would take so long to get from the big city to this sleepy little town. She had, however, shared great conversation with her seatmate — a sweet, good-looking, younger gentleman traveling home from a long business trip. Sadly, she would never see him again.

As soon as her face touched the air, she noticed a swift change in the temperature. She was met with bitter coldness, the kind of cold that feels like tiny daggers pricking the flesh. It had been an especially bad year. With the death of her grandmother and then a broken wedding engagement, it was time for a fresh start. What better way to start anew than to move to a new place and start a new job, and that was exactly what she had chosen to do.

She took a seat on the bench outside of the train station in an attempt to wait for the carriage that was to come fetch her. An older gentleman was already sitting on the bench reading the town gazette. The moment she took her seat, he looked up from his paper and flashed her a brief, yet quite congenial, smile. She reciprocated his politeness by smiling back.

Hour after hour passed, but the carriage never came. She was beginning to worry that she would never make it to her destination, which was the town’s local hotel.

In that time, the friendly elderly gentleman rode his carriage down to the feed store to purchase items and passed back by the train station.

“You’ve been sittin’ there a long time, young lady,” he said. “Do you need a ride somewhere?”

“I was waiting on the local carriage company to come and get me, but it seems that the rider isn’t making a stop here today,” she said.

“You missed the last ride. It was at one o’clock in the afternoon, and seeing that it is now 5 p.m., you are going to be stuck here tonight,” the man said matter-of-factly.

“Oh, my!” she exclaimed.

She had no clue what she was going to do, as the weather was starting to take a turn for the worse. The snow was beginning to pour from the sky, and she was freezing from the inside out.

“Tell you what,” he said with a smile. “You can come stay at our house tonight. My wife, Ella, would love to have a visitor stay with us!”

“I couldn’t impose upon you like that,” she said.

“Nonsense!” he exclaimed, as he pried the bag from her little hand and placed it in the carriage.

They drove for about 15 minutes, until they reached a quaint little cottage on the north side of town. Snow covered the gabled rooftop like melted marshmallows.

When she walked in the front door, she saw a fabulous spruce tree decorated with popcorn, candy canes and pine cones. She was astounded by how breathtaking it was.

That night, after an extraordinary meal and amazing conversation with these two kindhearted souls, she fell fast alseep in the cozy bed they had arranged for her.

In the morning, she awoke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. She got dressed and made her way down the tiny stairs. While descending the stairs, she heard familiar laughter. When she entered the kitchen, she was greeted by the elderly couple.

“Good morning, Rosalyn,” they said. “We’d like you to meet our son.”

The young man turned around. It was him, the kind stranger from the train …


Child Winner

Scarecrows Christmas

by Porter MacCabe

Saddlebrooke

Once upon a time there was a scarecrow. A farmer had put up the scarecrow for harvest, but he forgot about it. The scarecrow had a sack head, sweater and jacket. He also had a pair of jeans with patched knees. One night there was a strong windstorm. During the storm, the metal arrow from the farmer’s weather vane flew off the house and shot into the scarecrow’s neck. The next night, a bolt of lightning hit the metal rod and brought the scarecrow to life. Then, with a straw-stuffed body, the scarecrow set out to live in the wild.

The scarecrow was bored in the wild. He was just sitting alone in a cave with only a rock to call his friend. After a few weeks, he heard a bang! He hurried outside where he found a turkey that was being shot at. He ran and grabbed the turkey, and then ran away. He soon had run at least a mile, so he put down the turkey and asked, “Why do they hunt you down like that?”

“Because,” the turkey said, “it’s Thanksgiving, and they think eating turkey is better than beef jerky. You have shown me an act of great bravery and kindness. I thank you!”

With that, the turkey ran back to the forest, and the scarecrow ran back to his cave.

Almost one month later, the bored scarecrow hear a noise, so he went to check it out. He found a man who had just chopped down a tree. He was marching away with the tree, happily singing songs.

The scarecrow saw this and said to himself, “This is outrageous! How dare he chop down a tree and sing so merrily! I shall follow him, or as scarecrows say, stalk him like we stalk crows, for I shall find the purpose for killing that tree.”

A few minutes later, the scarecrow found the man inside a house. He looked through a window and saw the man and his family joyously decorating the tree. Then the youngest child put a star atop the tree and smiled.

“What’s this?” the scarecrow asked. “They are hanging mistletoe, and putting strings of lights and a star on the tree. What is this?

He turned to leave and hit a pole.

“Ouch!” he exclaimed, while reading a banner on the pole. “Merry Christmas? Christmas? Then I shall celebrate it, too!”

The next day, he gathered lights, mistletoe, an ax and a star. Then he chopped down a tree, and put the lights and star on it. He then put up more lights and plugged the lights into a solar panel to make the lights and star shine. Afterward, he put up the mistletoe and rested.

He awoke Christmas morning. There were a box and card underneath the tree. The card read, Dear Scarecrow, Christmas is about joy and happiness with friends and family. Cherish it. From Santa Claus.

He opened the box. Inside it was a book called Christmas Carols. He opened the book and sang a song.

Hearing the song, the turkey, a bear, two squirrels, two hawks, a blue bird and a partridge in a pear tree soon came.

“Come and sing with me, friends,” Scarecrow said.

And so the animals sang and helped to make a feast. I should know, because I am the scarecrow who celebrates Christmas. I live in a cave. Bigfoot is my friend and so are all the animals of the forest. Life has never been happier!


Honorable Mention

A Magical Combination

by Savanna Schenk

Keenes Pointe

Christmas isn’t just another day in December. Christmas is a season that is celebrated continuously throughout the entire month. To me, Christmas is one of the most important holidays. It brings together friends and family. The elements of Christmas cheer can be seen in stores, heard in songs and seen on the faces of happy children. The beautiful energy is felt in our hearts as we carry out family traditions, give gifts and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Generally speaking, most families have traditions they uphold each year during the holidays. Families of different backgrounds enjoy foods that are unique to their culture. People enjoy decorating their homes and yards to express their Christmas spirit. Other traditions may include activities like caroling, making Christmas cookies or building gingerbread houses. Still, others enjoy traveling to see friends and family in other parts of the country or world.

Nobody denies that receiving a gift is a wonderful feeling. However, giving a gift can be even more rewarding. Taking time to think of others will definitely improve their day, as well as yours. Making or buying gifts for those we love makes them feel special. In addition to giving gifts to people we know, Christmas is also about sharing with those who are less fortunate. We should always remember how blessed we are and how important it is to share those blessings with others.

Most importantly to me, Jesus is the reason for the season. The spirit of Christmas underlying all other traditions comes from the gift of Jesus’ love. His love allows me to generously spread cheer, hope, purpose and good will to all.

Above all, Christmas is the magical combination of family traditions, delicious food, joyful music, gift-giving and charitable sharing, all wrapped up in the gift of Jesus’ love. Even though the world consists of many different people, we are connected spiritually. Christmas is so much more than Dec. 25. It is a time, season, holiday and spectacular series of events. It is the ultimate promise of hope, a reason for joy, and the love that unites us all.


Honorable Mention

The Carriage Ride

by Emily McCarron

Belmere

It was a frigid day in winter. The streets of England were cold and windy. Cassandra Wentworth was grateful that she was in her warm, comfortable carriage instead of outside. She was riding home after having tea with her friend, Abigail Thompson.

As the carriage was nearing Cassandra’s house, she saw a woman and children out on the street. They looked hungry and cold. Cassandra remembered something her mother had told her. When Cassandra was little she had asked why some people didn’t have homes and food. Her mother told her that some people were less fortunate than Cassandra, and everyone couldn’t always afford those things. Cassandra’s mother told her that she should always help the less fortunate. She told Cassandra that if she made a few people happier, she could make the world happier.

Cassandra told the driver to stop. The driver stopped the carriage, and Cassandra stepped outside.

Gathering up her courage, she walked over to the woman and said, “Hello, would you like to go on a carriage ride?”

The woman was hesitant and confused at first, but when one of her children said, “Mama, can we go?” she agreed.

Once comfortably seated in the carriage, Cassandra told the driver to take the carriage around the streets for a short time. During that time, Cassandra and the lady, whose name was Charlotte, made cheerful conversation.

Charlotte repeatedly said how happy she was that Cassandra had offered to give her and her children — Thomas, Mary and Rose — a carriage ride. Charlotte said that it was enough kindness to last them a lifetime.

Cassandra thought about what she had done and how happy she had made Charlotte and her family. Cassandra wanted to do more for them.

She turned to Charlotte and said, “Would you like to come stay in my house? We have plenty of room.”

Charlotte and her children were overjoyed after hearing the offer, and after seeing the happiness in her children’s faces, Charlotte accepted. That day, Charlotte, Thomas, Mary and Rose went to live with Cassandra.

A few weeks later, it was Christmas. The chefs were very busy preparing a large Christmas dinner for the many people living in Cassandra’s house. Inviting Charlotte and her children to live with her made Cassandra feel happy, So she continued searching for poor families in town, offering them rides in her carriage, and a nice place to live at her house. By Christmas, the house was full of men, women and children who were grateful for Cassandra’s kindness. All of the people Cassandra had helped were in warm spirits.

Adults were sitting by the fire, talking; children were merrily playing; and everyone was greatly anticipating the meal that was yet to come. The happiest person in the room was Cassandra. She was filled with joy at the sight of the people’s happy faces.

Cassandra worked for the rest of her life to seek out people who needed help and give them places to stay and food to eat. Her home became know as The Carriage House, and people were always welcome to come in and stay for as long as they needed.


Honorable Mention

What Christmas Means to Me

by Emily Meena

Westover Club

Ding! Oh, the delicious gingerbread cookies I’d been awaiting all season were ready to come out of the oven! I opened the oven and grinned as the mouthwatering scents of cinnamon and spices wafted into my nose. I pulled the long tray out of the oven and set it on the granite counter. I grazed my hands over the warm cookies, picked the perfect one, and popped the chewy goodness into my watering mouth. Christmas means many things to me. I love the holiday festivities and celebrations. Christmas means spending time with family, dong classic Christmas traditions — like decorating the tree, of course! — and giving to others.

Spending time with family is a great way to create everlasting memories. I enjoy chattering about the true meaning of Christmas, a baby born to save the world, instead of worrying about if I’m going to receive the item I’ve been waiting for all year long.

My family eats a feast Christmas night with refreshing sparkling cider, tender turkey, buttery rolls and freshly mashed potatoes. I like reading Christmas stories with them and excitedly waiting all season to have fun Christmas Day. We have a blast searching all over town to find the perfect tree, not too skinny or tall, with just the right number of branches to hang all our meaningful ornaments.

Celebrating classic holiday traditions, like baking Christmas cookies and hanging sparkling lights outside to make our house glow, really help enhance the swollen excitement of the holiday season. Decorating our Christmas tree is one of my favorite things, carefully hanging delicate ornaments and stringing lights on the tall branches while listening to cheery Christmas music. It’s just a great way to bond with family. I love wrapping presents for others, using decorative wrapping paper, and placing the presents under the tree. Baking gingerbread and buttery shortbread cookies is definitely one of the best things to do during the busy holiday season. I like to decorate them with small, colorful sprinkles and use cookie cutters to mold them into festive shapes like angels, reindeer, bells, etc.

After that, giving to others is a joyful thing. It produces a happy bond between you and the receiver. We give to celebrate how God has His son so we could be saved and have eternal life with Him in heaven. I love seeing people open gifts I gave them and wearing a smile on their faces as they tear it open. When you give to others, it creates warm feelings all around. Plus, ripping open a delicately wrapped present and getting what you’ve always wanted is sure to bring a smile to your face.

To sum it all up, Christmas has many heartfelt meanings. The music, exchanging of gifts, gobbling down a well-prepared feast — it’s all great, but it’s the holiday’s real meaning, Jesus, that is the joy of the Christmas season.


Honorable Mention

Hanukkahistmas

by Kadance Jablon

Wintermere Harbor

Meet Hunter. Hunter is an outgoing Christian boy. He loves to pray with his family and go to church. It was the week before Christmas, and Hunter was excited. He loved seeing relatives, opening presents and praising his Lord and savior.

Hunter noticed there were no Christmas decorations in school. He asked Ms. Hansford, his teacher, “Where are all the Christmas decorations?”

“Not everyone celebrates Christmas, Hunter,” a boy named Joseph interrupted.

“So, what do you celebrate?” asked Hunter, suddenly feeling threatened.

“Hanukkah,” Joseph replied.

“Oh, that holiday they copied off of Christianity?” Hunter asked.

“Actually, Judaism was first, so the Christians copied us,” Joseph said confidently, while giving Hunter a death glare.

Joseph was the shy Jewish boy in Hunter’s class. He was just as excited for Hanukkah as Hunter was about Christmas, except Joseph always felt left out. He was the only kid in class who celebrated Hanukkah.

Ms. Hansford pulled the boys away from each other.

“Boys! This won’t be tolerated at our school. Go to detention, and think about what you have done.”

The boys sat in detention without saying a word. All of a sudden, a blast of wind brushed Joseph’s face, and a golden door appeared out of nowhere. A man came through the door. He was wearing an old cloak and had a brown goatee.

The mysterious man said nothing, but guided his hand toward the door, wanting the boys to go through. Without thinking, they went.

“Have fun in Israel,” the man said, closing the door behind the boys.

Then the boys fell and landed in sand.

“Hunter, do you know where we are?” Joseph questioned happily.

Not waiting for Hunter to answer, Joseph pointed at a temple and told the story of how Hanukkah began.

“There was a Jewish group called the Maccabees. They were on a journey to take back the temple from Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Syrian Greek leader. Sadly, after they got to the temple, there was only enough oil to light the building for one day. Then there was a miracle. The oil lit the entire temple for eight days. The Maccabees gained confidence and defeated Antiochus IV Epiphanes.”

“Wow, that is a miracle!” Hunter exclaimed in awe.

Then, all of a sudden, the golden door popped up again, and the mysterious wind pushed them into the door, which led them to Bethlehem.

In the city of Bethlehem, it was a warm and silent night. The boys saw a wooden stable, and Hunter knew exactly what it was.

“This is where Jesus was born!” he exclaimed excitedly.

“If this is where Jesus was born, then why is it so warm?” Joseph asked. “Isn’t Christmas in December?”

“Jesus was born in June, but we celebrate in December,” Hunter said. “It’s like Christians are celebrating Jesus’ half-birthday. December is six months after June.”

“Wow, I never knew that,” Joseph said.

The boys watched the Virgin Mary show baby Jesus to the town.

The golden door appeared, and the man in the old cloak showed up.

“Did you boys learn your lesson?” he asked.

The boys explained to the man how it was not nice to judge someone based on his or her religion or background. They learned that other religions may not be that bad.

“Boys, boys!” It was Ms. Hanford, trying to wake them up. “You better have learned your lesson. I heard you’ve been asleep most of the time.

The boys became friends after their journey. They even shared winter break together. They also celebrated with their families. You may be wondering what holiday they decided to celebrate. Well, they celebrated their own holiday, Hanukkahistmas.


Honorable Mention

What Christmas Means to Me

by Caden Collins

Lake Butler Sound

Yay! Christmas is here! On Christmas, my family opens their presents first thing in the morning while listening to Christmas music. We stay at home on Christmas.

Something I really like about Christmas is to see what I get for presents. Sometimes I shake the box and try to guess what’s inside. My sister and I take turns opening gifts. It is hard to wait for my sister. She takes a long time opening each one. I like to open the big presents first, because the better presents are usually in the bigger boxes! I like to see the look on my sister’s face when she opens the gift from me. I try to get her something that will make her really happy. She always gives me the biggest hug after opening my gift, and, of course, my parents take pictures.

We have family and friends come over on Christmas. I like to play games with them when they arrive. We play board games, or baseball or football outside. After we come in, we play games on the PS4 while my family puts together the gifts that we opened. One of my favorite games to play is Call of Duty, which took my parents forever to finally get for me.

I start to smell the food, and this makes me hungry. After playing on my game for a while, I go downstairs to eat with my family. Some of my favorite things to eat are my mom’s famous macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and stuffing.

“This is so good!” everyone says. “I want more!”

We go around the table and say what we are thankful for. I always say, “family.” My mom always cries, because she is so happy, and every year, I tell her not to. After we are done eating, we go into the pool and hot tub until it is time for dessert. My sister makes the best cookies and brownies.

Those are the reasons I like Christmas — for family, friends, presents and food. The next time Christmas comes, it will be even better!

Honorable Mention

Unbeliever

by Gabrielle Urton

Winter Garden

Snow fell as softly as a feather from the heavens above. The air was filled with the sweet smells of gingerbread and peppermint. The sleepy town was painted with colors of delight. But of this delight, Charlotte had none.

No one blamed her for this. After all, her season was probably anything but pleasant. Four hours was all the sleep she got. Eleven hours for school, and then it was off to work for the remaining nine. An extra hour or two of sleep was a luxury for her as she spent her days working and studying.

This left her no time for the holidays, not that it would matter. Charlotte hadn’t celebrated Christmas since she was 15. Not only did she not believe in Christmas, she didn’t believe in the spirit of Christmas or the magic it produced. She hated being with her family and friends. She thought it was a waste of valuable time. But, all that changed one Friday night.

It was a busy day, and Charlotte got home later than usual. As soon as she walked into her apartment, she was shocked. It was decorated with candy canes, cotton snow, a beautiful garland swirling around the railing, a giant wool stocking was hung neatly above the hearth, and in the center of the room stood a 5-foot-tall pine tree. The tree was exquisitely covered with ribbons, popcorn strings and gorgeous ornaments bursting with color. Charlotte determined not to investigate the mysterious decorations. She had more homework than usual and would have to get up extra early.

The next day, she awoke only to find that breakfast was already prepared, but not the way she did it. Her breakfast was usually a simple cup of coffee. Today, there were freshly cooked omelets filled with cheese, tomatoes and onions. There was hot bacon sizzling in the frying pan. There were pumpkin-flavored pancakes dipped in maple syrup. And to top it off, there was hot cocoa covered in whipped cream and sprinkled with peppermint candies.

Things were getting out of hand. Neighbors came over with plates of cookies. As for school, her teacher called and said she had the day off. She decided to go shopping and found herself looking for Christmas presents for her family.

I don’t have the money to buy presents, Charlotte thought quietly to herself. Just then her boss called and gave her a promotion. It included a raise and Christmas bonus. These miracles continued for the remainder of the day.

She came home, still trying to figure out everything, and that’s when she saw an elegantly decorated Christmas card on the mantle. She opened it and read.

Dearest Charlotte,

I know you are confused right now. Anyone would be, but you are someone who needs this the most. You are caught up in all this chaos, and you don’t even notice. So all day I’ve been trying to make your life easier. Just remember, sometimes it’s OK to spend time with your family and friends.

Sincerely,

St. Nicholas

In shock, Charlotte started thinking about the past few months. She never called her family, tried to make friends, or talked to anybody other than her boss. Now she wanted to change that. Quickly she wrapped the presents she had bought.

A few short hours later she was on her family’s doorstep, carrying the presents and a huge plate of Christmas goodies. She nervously rang the doorbell. Her family came to the door, and a huge smile spread across her face as she whispered, “Merry Christmas!” and it was.


Honorable Mention

A Grand Resolution

by Adam Griffiths

Westfield

It’s Dec. 30. Most people are snuggling up by a warm fire. Not me. I live in Florida, and it’s always hot here. So instead, I’m getting a start on my spring cleaning. I see boxes covered with dirt. Half-opened, untouched, they remind me of old times. I see old crates, old papers, pictures, shoes, jars — actually, I feel like I’ve seen this jar. Then it hits me like a truck. I remember that it’s filled with old New Year’s resolutions.

“Too late for that,” I whisper to myself.

Then my parents’ voices surge through my head.

“When was the last time you went through with a plan?”

I open the jar and take out a crumpled Post-it note.

“2012. See Grand Canyon. Wow, was I optimistic that year.”

I stand up, feeling OK with myself. Then I take a good look at my house. Unpainted walls, half-unpacked boxes, overgrown weeds. I inhale a pale, dusty breath of air and decide what I’m going to do. I’m going to see the Grand Canyon.

I’ve always loved driving — big cities, large mountains, and, since I’m in Texas, long deserts.

“Nothin’ for 150 miles,” I say to myself.

Then I start speeding up, 50 mph, 70 mph, 90, 75 …

“Huh?”

50, 30, 20.

“Oh, no.”

My car comes to a complete stop, and I get a really bad feeling. I check my watch, and it reads 6:30. I turn to the road and put my thumb up.

After some waiting, a car drives up. It’s a black street racer with gold rims and a bumper sticker that reads “Bad to the Bone.” It’s not ideal, but I don’t really have a choice.

Then from the backseat of the car steps this guy. He has to be twice my size, tattooed from head to toe, and wearing the scariest leather jacket I’ve ever seen.

“Hey,” he says. “I’m Jose. Where you headed?”

“Grand Canyon,” I reply.

“Niceee,” he says, making a hissing sound from his cracked, golden teeth.

He stuffs me inside the small backseat, saying not to mind Pablo, another creepy guy sitting on the other side of me, and we’re off.

After a very long time of uncomfortably driving, we arrive at a visitors center.

“Money?” Jose asks.

“What money?” I ask back.

“We drove you here. You give us money,” Pablo explains.

“Well, I don’t have any money on me so …”

I’m quickly thrown out of the car, and it hurts a lot.

I brush myself off and check my watch. It reads 10:57, and I walk inside. I see people leaving, and a worker shouts, “Closing time 11 p.m.”

I freak out and jump into a storage closet. I can hear security guards roaming the halls.

After a while of waiting, I check my watch again. It reads 11:58 p.m. I’ve come all this way, so I sneak out. I go out into the hallway, trying to avoid the flashlights. I stand by one last corner, by a cracked-open door.

Then I hear the guards counting down. This is my opportunity. They are looking at their watches, so I run through the hall to the door.

I burst out the door, and half of my body flies off the railing. I’m thinking millions of things, but all I can hear is the guards yelling, “Happy New Year!” All I can see is a huge firework fly over the canyon and burst into a thousand tiny sparkles that float over a beautiful river, and I think to myself, It was all worth it.


Honorable Mention

An Elf & Two Kids

by Alex Wells

Wesmere

One day, the Smith family received a gift. The gift was The Elf on the Shelf, and his name was Charlie. Every night while the Smith family was asleep, Charlie traveled to the North Pole to tell Santa how the family’s children, Katy and John, were behaving. Katy and John Smith were siblings. Katy was John’s little sister. Katy was high on the Christmas spirit, but John thought Christmas was silly and Santa was a big phony. One early morning, as the sun’s rays were just starting to peek over the horizon, Charlie returned from the North Pole. Unknown to him, Katy was in the kitchen getting a cool glass of water.

With a sudden shriek, Katy spotted Charlie.

“Shh. Shh!” Charlie begged in a hushed tone. “Please, I’ll be caught!”

“Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?” Katy asked alarmingly.

“I’m Charlie, you’re elf.”

“But why are you talking and moving around? Are you magical?” Katy whispered excitedly.

“Yes, and I need you and your brother’s help,” Charlie said. “You see, every night I travel to the North Pole to report on how you and John are behaving. But this time when I arrived, I saw something horrible. The worker elves, who are responsible for making all the gifts, are refusing to work, because they claim that hardly any kids still believe like you do.”

“So what do you need from me?” Katy asked.

“I need you and your brother to come with me to the North Pole and convince the elves in the workshop to continue making gifts for all the children around the world,” Charlie said.

“OK, but John doesn’t believe in Christmas,” Katy said in a depressed voice. “He thinks it’s stupid.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Charlie said. “Once he sees me, he’ll know Christmas is real.”

Katy and Charlie tiptoed to John’s room to wake him up.

“John, John, wake up,” Katy whispered.

“No, it’s too early,” John mumbled.

“Come on, John,” Charlie said. “We need your help to save Christmas.”

Suddenly, John shot straight up like a rocket.

“Who are you!” he screamed.

“Keep it down,” Charlie said. “You’ll wake your parents. I’m Charlie, your Elf on the Shelf. I need you to come with us to save Christmas.”

“I must be hallucinating,” John said.

“You’re not,” Katy said.

Charlie explained the crisis they faced at the North Pole, and soon enough, John agreed to go.

“Grab your coats, kids,” Charlie said. “It’s cold in the North Pole.”

“How are we going to get to the North Pole anyway?” John asked.

“Through magic,” Charlie said.

“Awesome!” Katy said.

“I don’t know about this,” John said.

“Don’t worry,” Charlie said reassuredly. “Santa’s sled is safe.”

And suddenly, using his magic, Charlie made Santa’s beautiful red sled appear.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” Katy exclaimed, as she instantly started petting the reindeer.

“Come on, kids,” Charlie said. “Get in. We don’t have much time.”

Katy jumped right in while John, looking a bit sickly, got in slowly.

“Here we go,” Charlie said, as they blasted off from the Smith’s front yard in the cool, early, morning air.

A few hours later, they arrived at the North Pole.

“Alright, we’re here,” Charlie said, as they landed in a snowy courtyard.

“Now, remember what I told you. Once we get to the workshop, you two need to convince the elves to continue working.”

The group met Santa in the workshop and gathered the elves. Katy and John gave an emotional and moving speech, and convinced the worker elves to continue making gifts for all the children who still believed in the magic of Christmas. Afterward, they returned home, and Katy and John had the best Christmas ever!


Honorable Mention

The Magic of Christmas

by Katharine Nguyen

Windsor Landing

There was a girl named Emily who was very rich. She was spoiled, selfish and rude, and her mind was full of hatred. She never thought of other people.

One day, her grandma demanded that Emily go outside. After five minutes, she found herself deep in the woods. She wandered farther and heard something. It sounded like a drum. She followed the sound and saw a boy hitting a log. She thought the boy was poor and ugly-looking.

She went up behind him and said, “Ugly face, get out of my forest!”

She kicked the log away from him and stomped on it. The child cried and ran away. She seemed to enjoy that very much and laughed so hard her face turned red.

Suddenly, a young boy about her age appeared and said, “Don’t treat people like that. They might help you someday.”

Then he vanished. Emily was so upset that she ran and ran. She did not see a big hole and fell into it. She broke her leg and yelped in pain. It was starting to get dark, and she was scared.

“Help! Help!” she screamed.

Luckily, someone nearby heard her and rescued her. It turned out to be the little boy she had yelled at. He was surprisingly strong and carried her out of the forest.

The young boy returned and said, “I bet you are glad that boy helped you. You should be nice to people.”

She looked down and thought about what had happened. She wanted to apologize to both the child and the young boy, but they were nowhere to be found.

When her family came back, they noticed that Emily’s behavior had changed. She was nicer to people. One Sunday, they convinced her to go to church. She didn’t know anyone and wandered around until she saw a girl about her own age. Emily was nervous, because she had never made a friend before.

She approached the girl and said, “Hey, my name is Emily. What is your name?”

“Are you talking to me?” the girl asked.

“Yes,” Emily said.

“Oh, my name is Avery,” the girl said.

“That is a beautiful name,” Emily said.

They played board games, tag and puzzles all afternoon. When the day was over, Emily had found a best friend!

The next year, one week before Christmas, Avery’s mom grew very ill. Avery was crying, and she said that her mom might die. Her family was too poor to afford a doctor to cure her mom’s disease.

Emily couldn’t forget what her friend had said. It bothered her so much that she decided to break her piggy bank and get the money to pay for a doctor to cure Avery’s mom. Luckily, the doctor was able to cure the fever. Avery was so happy. She gave Emily a beautiful guitar to return her kindness.

On Sunday, Emily went to church as usual. The priest told a legend of two brothers who often appear around Christmastime. They sounded exactly like the two boys Emily had met last year. When the story was over, Emily asked the priest if the boys in the story could be Christmas ghosts.

“Yes, they could be,” the priest replied. “Why do you ask?”

“I met two boys similar to the ones in your story,” Emily said.

“Maybe they are,” the priest said.

Emily wandered around the church. Something on a stained-glass window caught her attention. She saw the two boys that she had met in the forest last Christmas. They were smiling and waving at her. She blinked her eyes and looked closer. This time, she did not see them, only a picture of two young boys. But in her mind, she knew they were the spirit boys who had helped her to be a nicer, better person.


Honorable Mention

Santas Daughter
Reaches a Milestone

by Madeline Heald

Windermere Chase

Carol sighed as she hauled a bucket of blue paint to the elves’ workshop. It wasn’t easy being Santa the 31st’s daughter. (Yes, there is more than one Santa. If there was only one, we would all be hundreds of years old.)

Why couldn’t she have a better job? She was responsible, smart, quick-witted and caring. Couldn’t she manage something like taking the reindeer and sleigh out for a practice run? But, alas, here she was being the bossy elves’ paint-fetching servant. How fun.

As soon as she arrived, the elves said as one, “Santa wants to see you. Set down the paint and go now.”

Carol set the paint down and trudged through the snow in her black boots, her red dress dragging along. She squealed as she slipped on the snow and slid down a slope, her brown braids whipping behind her.

“Well,” she said aloud. “That’s certainly a way to get down here quickly.”

She dusted off her dress and stepped inside the house. Immediately, Evelyn Claus, her mother, rushed over and made sure she was OK. Then she started talking.

“Yourfathersaysyou’rereadybutIdon’tthinkso.You’reonly12yearsofagesoyoungand …“

“Stop, Mother,” Carol said. “Talk slowly. What is it?”

“Your father is going … well, we want you to …“

Her mother stopped and burst into tears. Carol figured she would have to ask her father what was going on if she wanted to know. So, she slid from her mother’s grasp and went to find her father.

“It’s Christmas Eve, C, the night of …” her father started to say.

Carol could tell her father was at a loss for words, so she quickly helped him.

“Amazingness?” she asked.

“Yes,” her father said, beaming at her. “Now remember, don’t skip any houses and have fun!”

Carol’s mother hugged her tightly and then burst into a lecture about safety and rules.

“It’s going to be all right, Mother,” Carol said. “I can take care of myself.”

The big surprise was that Carol was going to get to drop off all of the presents this year.

The reindeer landed the sleigh on a roof, and Carol hopped out, holding three presents. She walked over to the chimney, took a deep breath, and jumped in. She slid down a few inches and then stopped. Carol was stuck.

How can my father do this? she wondered. I should have been practicing back at home.

Carol wormed her way down the chimney and set the presents by the tree. Then she went out the door and whistled for the reindeer to come and get her. The rest of the night went flawlessly, and Carol worked until morning.

When she got back home, her mother rushed over and hugged her while her father asked, “How did it go, C?”

“Amazing,” Carol replied. “Can I do it again next year?”

Her father looked at her mother, who said, “I don’t see why not.”

“I can’t wait!” Carol exclaimed.


Honorable Mention

A Christmas Miracle

by Gabriella Bull

Carriage Point

It was Christmas Eve night. No one was awake, except me, Gabby. I was going to the bathroom when I looked out the window. I saw a glistening light in the sky! Was it Santa and his reindeer? “Nah,” I whispered. I continued walking to the bathroom.

When I came out, I heard a creeaakkk, and the front door opened. I quickly ran into a dark corner so no one could see me.

Then, right before my eyes, I saw him — Santa gobbling up the milk and cookies I had left for him before I went to bed. He also put presents underneath the tree. Man, he’s fat, I thought. When he left about 10 minutes later, I went back to my warm, cozy bed.

In the morning, beautifully wrapped presents were under the tree, and my reindeer stocking was filled with candy canes. Then, my sister, Alex, and Mom came out of their bedrooms.

“I saw Santa. I really did!” I said to my mom.

“That’s a nice dream you had, sweetie,” Mom responded.

“No. I really truly saw him. It wasn’t a dream,” I said.

“Prove it,” Alex said.

“I … but, whatever,” I stammered. “Let’s just open presents.”

I ended up getting a bunch of cool toys. But what I didn’t notice until we were done opening gifts, was our elf, Sparkie, holding a letter. It read: Dear Gabby, Even if your mom or sister Alex don’t believe you, I do. I saw you last night. Santa. P.S. Show this to your family to prove them wrong.

So that’s what I did, and you should’ve seen Alex’s face. (Shh … don’t tell her I said that.)


Honorable Mention

The Winter Holiday

by Bryce Ownby

Oaks of Windermere

John hated winter. It was always cold, and he couldn’t play outside. His brothers, Tim and Jensen, loved playing outside and had snowball fights every day, but John hated it. On the first day of winter break, all John did was wake up, eat, watch ESPN SportsCenter, and sleep. He did the same thing the entire first week of winter break. He had grown tired of watching golf highlights from Dubai and soccer Plays of the Day from a tournament in Sao Paulo.

Then, on the first day of the second week of winter break, John got sick of moping around. He looked out the window and saw, as usual, Tim and Jensen playing outside. But he also saw that there was a moving truck in front of the deserted house down the street. John decided to investigate, so he put on his pants, jacket and boots, and went outside. After dodging his brothers’ snow grenades, he made a beeline toward the moving truck. When he got there, he saw a boy, who seemed to be about his age, sitting on the snowy lawn of the formerly empty house.

All of a sudden, the boy jumped up and said, “Hi!” So John said hi back and asked the boy if he liked spaghetti. The boy replied, “Of course,” and they continued their conversation. Before John knew it, the sun had gone down. So John said, “Goodbye,” and promised to come back the next day. The boy told John that he thought that was a great idea, and that when John had shown up earlier that day, he had been sitting on the front lawn, lonely, and missing his friends back in Cleveland.

“Wow!” exclaimed John. “Are you friends with Lebron James or Kevin Love?”

The boy, whose named turned out to be Phillip, quickly replied, “No, but my dad took me to a game at the Quicken Loans Arena to watch the Cavaliers play the 76ers just before we moved to our new house.”

At that moment, John realized that winter wasn’t so bad if you enjoy it with friends.

The next morning, John went back to Phillip’s house, where they played tag until lunchtime, at which point John asked if Phillip and his family wanted to come over for Christmas Eve dinner that night. Phillip’s parents said, “Yes,” and they all went to John’s at 6:30 p.m. They enjoyed dinner, and while the parents shared stories of their fondest childhood Christmas memories, Phillip and John played Monopoly with Tim and Jensen until 9:15 p.m. They only stopped because Phillip’s parents were tired from five days of moving and unpacking. The evening ended with agreements from the children to finish their Monopoly duel the morning after Christmas. Later that week, Phillip’s parents invited John and his family to their housewarming party, where they joined in the family’s celebration of Kwanza. John, as well as everyone else there that night, knew this was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

Even after winter break ended, John and Phillip continued to play after school every day. Gone were the days of soggy Cheerios mixed with boring golf highlights from places where it was still warm in the middle of winter. Winter soon passed into spring, and the boys filled their days with basketball and puzzles. Even when the seasons circled back around, John never looked toward winter with the same dread as he had before.


Honorable Mention

Eid for Everyone

by Mohammed Muzakkir

Emerald Woods Forest

Will Eid, a Muslim holiday, be a happy celebration for all or a despair for some?

Stargaze and his family visited the mosque the night before Eid. This was a usual practice in their community. The whole community was in a festive mood in celebration of Eid. Stargaze and his friends were playing beside the mosque, and he heard a little boy talking to his mom.

“Can we buy some new clothes for Eid?” the little boy asked.

“We can’t, because we don’t have any money,” the little boy’s mom said.

Stargaze really wanted to help them and had a fabulous idea — to collect money for the poor. He went inside the mosque and made an announcement.

“Who wants to have shiny cars for Eid?” he asked. “We are offering an excellent deal. A $5 car wash right here and right now while you all relish your night before Eid. Please raise your hand if you agree to this plan.”

Everyone in the mosque raised their hands for the car wash, and the little boy’s mom thought that it was a great idea to earn money.

“OK, then, we will begin the car wash in 15 minutes sharp,” Stargaze said.

He raced to his friends to make all of the arrangements.

“Friends, I need your help with washing all the cars in this parking lot, and we have to be ready in 15 minutes,” he said. “Starlight, can you go to the nearby store to get supplies?”

“I’m going right now,” Starlight said.

“Sunny, you are responsible for collecting money,” Stargaze said.

“Got it,” Sunny affirmed.

“Great, we’ve got towels, car-washing liquid, window-washing liquid, car polish, and special cloth for window and tire cleaning,” Super said.

“Looks like we are ready, friends,” Telescope added.

Stargaze and his friends started car washing as planned. They were halfway done with the cars until …

“Stargaze, Princess Pixel heard about our plan, and she is on her way to ruin it,” Night warned.

“Oh, no!” Bright exclaimed.

Stargaze thought of a brilliant plan very, very quickly.

“I think this should be easy,” he said hesitantly. “We are seven, so let’s divide and rule. Sunny, you continue to collect money and make sure you keep it safe. The boys will continue to wash the cars, and the girls will get ready to fight Princess Pixel.”

“I can fight and defeat her,” Night claimed.

“So can I,” Starlight said.

“And I’ll continue to wash cars,” Telescope said.

“Let’s do this!” Bright exclaimed.

“Now,” Super said.

Princess Pixel came flying in with her Dirt-Ray. The girls were ready to secure the cars from the dirt with their rackets.

Every time Princess Pixel tried to mess up the cars, the girls would defend with their rackets and push the dirt back at the princess. The princess challenged Stargaze to fight, and he agreed.

While Pixel and Stargaze were fighting continuously, the cars were already sparkling clean. Stargaze skillfully distracted the princess from messing up the cars and courageously won the battle.

“I’m going to be back soon,” Pixel said.

Princess Pixel felt embarrassed and left.

“Now let us celebrate Eid,” Stargaze said.

Everyone had fun and collected money for the indigent family. The little boy and his family got new clothes for Eid. Stargaze’s friends and family learned that you should always believe in the spirit of Eid.

“Happy Eid, everyone!” they shouted in unison.

Moral: Work together to make others happy and believe in the spirit of goodness.


Honorable Mention

Night of the Living Puppies

by Eli Thoman

Winter Garden

“Oh, no. A robotic puppy! Fire your space lasers!” I yell to Bob.

“Okie dokey, Timmy,” he responds. “I’ve got this!”

“Fire in the hole,” Bob hollers.

Then Mom yells, “Get off your video games, you two. It’s Christmas Eve!”

“It’s Christmas?” I ask, feeling dazed by the last hour spent staring at the screen.

“No, it’s Christmas Eve,” Mom says.

“Oh,” I reply.

“Also, make your Christmas list,” Mom shouts from the bottom of the stairs.

“After this level, please?” I plead, hoping to buy just a few more minutes of time.

One level later:

I get off the chair, get a piece of paper, and write my Christmas list. This is what I write from worst to best: iPad, Wii, Nintendo 3DS and Xbox.

My mom reviews the list and replies, “You can’t have anything on this list! You don’t need any more technology in your life.”

The next morning I wake up but don’t feel very excited, because I already know there won’t be any technology presents. Those are the only things that I could possibly want. Then I hear something. It’s a squeaking sound. It sounds just like the Night of the Living Puppies video game. What could be making that sound when we aren’t allowed on video games today?

It’s my present! A real, live Bichon puppy! He runs up and licks my face. I laugh, pick him up and hug him.

“I’ll name him Mogul,” I say.

This is the best Christmas gift ever! I guess my mom knew what she was talking about when she said that there is more to life than technology.

Bob, Mom and I rush outside to play in the soft, cold snow with Mogul. It is so much fun! We chuck huge snowballs at each other and laugh for an hour. We almost lose Mogul once since he’s the same color as the snow. After that, we go inside and eat mint chocolate-chip cookies. Mogul has a dog biscuit. I guess there is more to life than video games!


Honorable Mention

The Snowflake

by Grant Williams

Stoneybrook West

Once there was a boy named Max, who loved snowflakes. He loved to make snowballs and have snowball fights. He loved the taste of snowflakes on his tongue. Max had an entire collection of snowflakes. When he was little, he dreamed of having a world of snowflakes.

One night, he saw a giant snowflake in a field. Max had to add it to his collection! He began to chase the snowflake. He ran after it in a forest for five hours. Then Max was hit by a snowstorm!

The storm was really bad, and he couldn’t escape. Max got lost. When the snowstorm finally stopped, Max saw a tree that had a smiley face carved into it. Next to the tree was a chest. Max grabbed the chest and took it home with him. When he got home, he opened it. Inside was a huge snowflake.

Later that day, he went to search for snowflakes online. He found a legend about a snowflake king and queen, who lived in an ancient forest deep in the woods. To find the forest, you had to find a tree that had a smiley face carved into it. Max was shocked! Was that the same tree he’d seen? How did he get the chest?

Every day, Max searched and searched for the smiley face tree, but he never saw it again.


Honorable Mention

My Favorite Parts of Christmas

by Jack Slattery

Lake Butler Sound

The most wonderful time of the year is upon us! The Christmas season is the most holy and joyous time of year. Christians believe Dec. 25 is the day we celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ. Our families gather together to worship, eat and show how much we love and appreciate each other. Christmas carols, decorations and gifts make us feel happy and joyful.

Christmas in our family is considered very special. My family travels to each other’s homes, but usually my family comes to my home in Windermere. My cousins from Seattle love to visit us in the warm weather to celebrate Christmas. This time of year is one of the only times we get to see each other, so Christmas has an important and special place in my heart for my two little cousins, Alison and Olivia. We love to play outside, bake cookies, go to special holiday events, and eat delicious food. My Uncle Paul loves the hot tub.

Christmas is special because we have time off from school to spend special time with family and friends. It’s fun when we don’t have to worry about schoolwork or baseball, and we can really sit down and talk with each other. We like to play board and card games, especially Old Maid and Scrabble. My family loves to go to Disney during the break to see the beautiful Christmas lights and decorations. When my grandma and grandpa come from New York, we sing Christmas carols and watch holiday movies. Our favorite movie is Elf. We also love to give each other gifts. I love to shop for my siblings and look for a gift they will really like.

Christmas is also special, because we attend Christmas Eve Mass as a family. I play travel baseball along with my two brothers, so sometimes it’s hard to get to Mass. Christmas is a time where we all go and worship. We get dressed up and wear our Sunday best. I like this Mass, because we sing Christmas carols, and the church has pretty decorations. I also enjoy the live Nativity play the children of the church act in. I love to sit with my siblings and listen to the music.

Christmas is truly my favorite season, and I look forward to the holiday every year!


Honorable Mention

A Magical Christmas

by Maiya Davis

Ocoee

Christmas Eve was beautiful. There were bright lights and snow falling everywhere. Everyone was happy. In one of the peaceful houses was a girl named Rebecca. She was very excited for Christmas. Rebecca wanted to stay up all night, but her mom told her to get some sleep. She went upstairs happy, because she knew tomorrow would be magical.

Rebecca was about to go to bed, but she saw a glowing light.

“I wonder if it’s a crystal,” she said.

She was so curious about it that she went outside. Then she noticed that the light got bigger and bigger. Soon, the magical light swept her away. She saw that it was a portal taking her away.

When the glowing ride stopped, she saw the most beautiful lights and colors! It was a small village. She saw nice people. She walked around, enjoying the people smiling and saying hi to her. She was sure everyone would get presents. While she was walking, she accidentally bumped into someone.

“Sorry,” Rebecca said.

That’s when one village pulled her arm and said, “Don’t talk to her. She’s very rude.”

Rebecca said, “OK,” but she wanted to help the woman. She started talking to her about being nice. She wanted to help her make friends. Soon, villagers started talking to the woman. Everyone was happy that Rebecca had come.

That’s when Rebecca saw the shining light that was her house. She knew that it was the magic portal! She said goodbye to the villagers, went to the portal, and was soon back home. She knew without a doubt that everyone was happy now.

This shows that everyone should be nice. It’s always important to help others.


Honorable Mention

Santas Claws

by Story Korkis

Wesmere

You would think on Christmas break Hamm and Jamm, the mean twin teenagers — aka Double Trouble — would let up on classmate Sam. But, no. They buried Sam upside down in the snow and made fun of him.

“Frosty, please don’t melt,” they shouted while laughing.

Other kids had to laugh or get picked on themselves.

This kind of activity had been going on for the past three years. Hamm and Jamm’s parents seemed to be gone a lot, and they lived in a small cabin not more than 50 yards from Sam’s house. Luckily for everyone else, Hamm and Jamm had to stay inside lately because of the bitter cold.

Hamm and Jamm were freezing when a knock came at their door. Again and again, there was another knock. A snarling wolf was trying to get in! They closed the door quickly, but the next thing they knew, the wolf got in through the back window and was staring them down with bloodthirsty eyes.

They grabbed a broom and blanket, and threw the blanket on the canine while they pushed the wolf, who was trying to hold firm with razorlike claws, into the den and closed the door.

After the panic stopped, they thought of a cruel idea, and they went to get Sam.

“Sam! Sam! Santa came early, come see!” they said.

Sam forgot his coat, he was so excited, and ran to their cabin.

“Where?” Sam asked.

“In that room,” the twins said, pointing toward a door. “He has a present for you. Go on in.”

Loud growling could be heard from behind the door. The twins pushed Sam in and pulled the door closed.

No sound. Still no sound. Had they killed Sam?

In another few moments, Sam came out holding a tiny puppy in his arms. He had put the huge blanket around it.

“Hi, little guy,” Sam said. “Santa left me this puppy. Thank you. I thought you both hated me.”

Then he left with a smile and the dog.

Where was the wolf? Gone.

When Sam got home and fed the dog, a miracle happened. The dog barked three times and turned into an angel.

“Sam, you are so kind and accepting of everyone. As a reward, I will give you any wish you want.”

The angel also told him what had happened. Sam thought about Jamm and Hamm, and considered putting them in excruciating pain forever.

However, he thought some more and said, “Jamm and Hamm don’t have a family to show them love. Please open their hearts and help them find kindness, too.”

The sun came out that day, but no one cared about missing snow during the holidays, because it was warm.


Honorable Mention

Ho! Ho! Ho!

by Hutton Milchin

Windermere

Christmas is an important holiday to my family. For us, the holiday season starts the day after Thanksgiving and goes until New Year’s Day. Christmas in our family centers around family, friends and religion.

My favorite part of Christmas is spending time with family. During the Christmas break, we spend time doing fun family activities. My brother comes home from college, and we train for sports together. He takes me out to eat at our favorite restaurant. My grandmothers also come to visit. One comes from Vero Beach, and the other one comes from Richmond, Virginia. Sometimes my uncle comes, too, and he plays video games with me. Sometimes we take family trips at Christmastime. One year we went skiing in Colorado. Last year, we went to the Bahamas. Making memories with my family is my favorite part of Christmas.

The second reason Christmas is important to me is because we get to spend time with friends. Sometimes I can play with my friends all day, because there is no school, and our parents let us have sleepovers. We also have a tradition of making gingerbread houses with our family’s best friends. We end the holiday season with a big New Year’s Eve party with all our friends.

The third and most important reason that Christmas is important to my family is religion. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God and my savior. On Christmas Eve, my family goes to church to celebrate his birth. We light candles, sing Christmas songs, take Holy Communion and worship with other families. After all, Jesus is the reason for the season!

Christmas is my favorite time of year. And while I love to get presents for Christmas, it means much more than that. I look forward to Christmas all year long.


Honorable Mention

A Home for Frosty

by Brandon Salcedo

Windsor Landing

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Ginger. One day she went outside in the snow, made a snowman and called it Frosty. A few days later, a magician walked past her house and left his hat on the snowman.

The next day, Ginger went outside to see Frosty, but he was not there. She searched everywhere, but she could not find him. A few hours later, she went to look for Frosty again. She raced to her backyard and saw footprints leading to the shed. She slowly opened the old, creaky shed door and saw Frosty looking for a way out. The snowman turned around, jumped and ran into the house and upstairs to her room.

He was running all around and started to melt. Ginger had to think fast so she brought supplies to keep her room very cold. She gathered snow from her backyard and found two old air conditioners in the garage. She also wanted to hide Frosty from her mom, because she knew her mom would get scared. It was hard hiding Frosty, because he always ran around the house! However, Mom did not notice him. She was too busy on Facebook, Snapchat and email.

It was a few days before Christmas, and Ginger was excited. However, she was also nervous that her mother would discover her secret guest. She decided to move him to the attic, where he would be less obvious. Ginger began moving the air conditioners and snow up there.

The next day, when she checked on Frosty, he was not there. She looked outside, in her room and underneath her bed. She looked everywhere! Then she heard a frightening scream and went downstairs. She saw Frosty in the pantry with her mom.

“What is that thing?” her mom asked.

“I can explain,” replied Ginger.

She explained how she built Frosty, and he then came to life and ran into the house.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” asked her mother.

“Because I knew you would get scared,” Ginger said.

“You know we cannot keep him forever,” her mother said.

“I know,” Ginger said sadly.

“Get some sleep,” her mom said. “We’ll think of a solution in the morning.”

It was Christmas Eve, and everyone was sleeping except for Ginger and Frosty.

“I can’t keep you forever, Frosty,” Ginger said.

“I know,” Frosty said.

“You can talk!” exclaimed Ginger.

“Yes, yes I can,” Frosty said.

“But why didn’t you tell me,” Ginger asked.

“Because I knew you’d get scared,” Frosty said.

Suddenly, they heard a deep voice bellow, “Ho! Ho! Ho!”

“It is Santa Claus!” they screamed excitedly.

They both raced down the stairs, flung open the front door, and saw Santa Claus on the rooftop.

“What are you two doing up?” Santa asked.

“We’re sorry, Santa,” Ginger said timidly. “But we have a problem, and we’re trying to think of a solution.

“What is the matter?” Santa asked.

“Since spring is coming in a few months, I will not be able to stay here,” Frosty said sadly. “I have to find a way to a cold place before I melt.”

“Well,” Santa said, “I happen to live in a very cold place, and I can take you with me tonight!”

“That is wonderful news!” Frosty said joyfully.

Ginger looked very sad, but she was also happy for Frosty.

Off Frosty went to find new adventures and places to explore, and what better place to live than the North Pole?


Honorable Mention

Christmas Joy

by Madison Salgado

Windermere Trails

All the joys of the season.

The sense of Christmas around the world.

Happiness in all.

Excitement for the holidays.

The smell of pine needles.

A star on top.

Presents underneath.

Hot cocoa burning my tongue.

Marshmallows floating on top.

Now calls my name.

Rolling, building, sledding, tasting.

The big guy who comes and wishes all good night.

Out he goes.

Lands with a thump.

The joy of Christmas is around tonight.


Honorable Mention

Christmas Forgotten

by Aliza Britton

Windsor Landing

It was a sad and gloomy time in New York City. There were no lights or decorations. The tree in Rockefeller Center was missing, and the stores were vacant. The ice skating rink was closed. And the people in the city were all home, working. Even Santa’s elves could not fix the problem in the city. So, it was up to Santa to find four responsible helpers to get New York City looking and feeling like Christmas.

A week later, in the North Pole, Santa had found four furry helpers. They were pups named Snowflake, Icicle, Ginger and Jingle. They loved Christmas. Snowflake had the idea of going to New York City and bringing a lot of presents to everyone. Jingle wanted to find and light the Christmas tree again. Ginger suggested reopening the ice skating rink. Icicle agreed to do all of those things. The pups wanted everyone to be happy, but they didn’t know how they would get there.

“The sleigh!” Jingle said.

They asked Mrs. Claus to give them a ride in the sleigh.

“Yes, of course, since this is a very important trip,” she said.

In the morning, Mrs. Claus started packing the bags and preparing the sleigh.

“I will get ready as fast as I can,” she said.

The pups told her they would be waiting. They were wondering if they could really bring back Christmas to New York City.

When they got to NYC, it looked like any ordinary city on any day. The pups looked at each other and knew it was going to be a big challenge to bring Christmas to the city.

“OK, guys, let’s get started,” Icicle said.

Snowflake had wrapped presents and was ready to start sneaking into houses to deliver them. Ginger went to the ice skating rink to find the Zamboni. She cleaned the ice. The ice was finally shine, smooth and white. It was ready for skating.

Jingle put up the colorful ornaments, beautiful stars, angels and lights on the tree. Jingle got scared because someone was watching her. Luckily, it was just Mrs. Claus. Icicle snuck into Carlos’ Bakery and baked delicious Christmas cookies for the whole city. After all of their work was done, New York City looked phenomenal.

After a good night’s sleep, it was finally morning. The smell of freshly baked cookies was in the air. The pups could see through windows that kids and families were opening presents. Ice skaters were circling around the rink. The large tree at Rockefeller Center was shining brightly for all to see. The pups could hear laughing and cheering all over the city.

“It sounds so nice,” Ginger said.

“High-four!” Jingle said. “We did our job. We accomplished our Christmas mission in the city.”

New York City celebrated Christmas, and there was a happily ever after.


Honorable Mention

A Christmas Surprise

by Jessica Bravo

Gotha

Christmas day is probably my favorite time of year. I get to see my family members and loved ones. Unfortunately, this won’t be one those years for me. My husband of six years was deployed to Afghanistan eight months ago, and this year,I was told that he won’t be back until Jan. 18, 2017, meaning he will miss Christmas and New Year’s. Sure, this is very depressing for me and his family, too, but as long as he is looked at as a hero in our kids’ eyes, I will pull through.

We have twins who are already 6 years old, and they look up to their father, saying how much of a hero he is to them and how much they miss him. What breaks my heart is that they always ask me if he is making the country proud, and I always respond with, “Of course!”

Today was Christmas Eve, and I went out with my kids, shopping for last-minute gifts for the family when they come over tomorrow for our annual Christmas party. I was looking through the aisles when my little girl, Emily, pulled my hand to get my attention.

“What is it, Emily?” I asked.

She responded by pointing one of her little fingers at a sign that said: Santa Claus.

“Do you want to go and see Santa?” I asked her.

She nodded her head while jumping up and down in excitement.

“Do you wan to go, too, Katherine?” I asked her twin sister.

She replied in the same manner as her sister.

“OK then, let’s go!” I said as we walked over to where Santa was and stood in line.

The line was short, and the kids got more excited as we inched closer.

“Now, what do you little girls want for Christmas?” Santa asked them as soon as they sat on his lap.

“Daddy!” they said at the same time.

Hearing that broke my heart, and it seemed to do the same to the people around us.

“I want Daddy to come home from war,” Emily said.

“He has been gone for so long, and I want him to come back home. Can you make that happen?” Katherine asked with her hands neatly placed on her lap.

“Oh, well, I will try my best, OK?” Santa said flustered.

I looked around and saw everyone with a sad face plastered on and pitying the girls. Every time I hear them ask when their father is coming home or whenever I hear them say they want their father to come back, I just want to break down and cry, but I know I have to be strong for them.

“OK, girls, help mommy with the gifts,” I told them.

As soon as I walked into the house from shopping, something felt very off. Our alarm system didn’t go off, and I remembered that I had put it on before we left the house. I put down the gifts and told the girls to go to their room. I grabbed the closest thing to me, which happened to be a vase. I slowly walked to my living room to see if there was someone in the house, and there was!

I dropped the vase in my surprise and let it shatter to millions of pieces on the floor. What had made me stop dead in my tracks was the love of my life standing in front of me. This is now becoming the best Christmas of my life!


Honorable Mention

Christmastime From a Dogs Point of View

by Parker Andreson

Windermere

Do you enjoy Christmas? I do , but no one thinks about how a dog feels on Christmas.

I’m William, a golden retriever. My owners, Joseph and Susan, have two kids — Maria, who’s 7, and Isaiah, who’s 11 months old. It’s Christmas Eve, and everyone is getting ready. Maria is in her room, and Susan is playing with Isaiah. Joseph is out shopping, so I’m laying down on my bed in the hallway. No one can wait for tomorrow.

They are now eating dinner, so I decide to eat my meal. It’s the usual, dog food with water in a separate bowl. Maria, Joseph and Susan are having mac and cheese with peppers on the side. Susan is feeding Isaiah his baby food, so I finish my meal and walk under his chair to wait for some food to drop. I get some, but only a little.

It’s now 7:35 p.m., and we are watching TV. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is on. When I hit my paw against the door to go out, Susan gets up and opens the door. I bolt into the yard and start sniffing. Suddenly, I smell a squirrel. There it is, down the slight incline. I run after it, and it takes off for a tree. The squirrel just makes it up the tree before I grab for it. Darn! I’ll get it next time. You just wait squirrel.

“Woof,” I bark.

“Will! Will!” Susan called.

I trot up to the house and go inside.

Everyone has gone to bed. It’s 12:06 a.m. I hear a thud, then a creak in the floorboards. I decide to investigate. There stands the man himself, Santa.

“Hello there, Will,” he says. “I have some treats for you.”

Mmm hmm, I sure could use something to eat right now. Santa gives me three treats and pets me. I lay down. He takes out many gifts and puts them underneath the tree. I go back to my bed and fall asleep.

I wake up and hear Isaiah crying. Suddenly, Maria comes running down the hall and into Joseph and Susan’s room.

“Mommy, Daddy, wake up!” she says.

Isaiah continues to cry.

“Merry Christmas,” Joseph says.

Susan picks up Isaiah and takes him into the family room. Maria, Joseph and I follow.

Joseph pets me and says, “Merry Christmas, Will.”

“Look at all these presents!” Maria said excitedly. “Can we open them? Please, please, please, please?”

“Yes,” Susan says.

Isaiah makes a weird noise, and Susan pats his back. I lay there while Maria tears into the first present. It’s what she wanted, a makeup kit.

“Yes!” Maria shouts.

Next, everyone starts opening presents until they are gone. While I lay there, I think about how I saw him, Santa Claus, and no one knows. It’s a weird feeling.

Now you know how a dog feels on Christmas. If you have a pet, you should think about how it feels during the holidays.


Honorable Mention

The Christmas Disaster

by Derin Rohleder

Windsor Landing

It was two weeks before Christmas, and my family was decorating our Christmas trees. We had both a big and a small tree. My brother and I always decorated the smaller one. We were all happy, and we watched a Christmas movie almost every night. On Dec. 24, my mom and I baked cookies for Santa.

When I got to bed, I was so excited I couldn’t sleep. When I woke up, I rushed to the tree, and, oh no, there were no presents under it. We were devastated!

The following day at school I was talking to my friend, Sean, and he told me that he didn’t get any presents either. No one did. It was a Christmas disaster.

The next day, Sean and I walked around at recess, asking everyone if they got presents or not.

“Sean, what do you think happened,” I asked.

He told me that he thought Santa had turned evil.

“We have to find a way to get to the North Pole,” he said.

“My dad is going there on a business trip tomorrow,” I said.

“Really?” Sean asked.

The next day was Saturday. I called Sean on my phone and asked him where we should meet. He said in his backyard, so when it was 8 a.m., we could sneak into the car to get on the plane. When we arrived, we went to every single house, asking where we could find Santa. Everyone thought that we were crazy until we saw an old-looking house that Sean was too scared to go into, so I went in.

The old man in the house told me that deep in the snowy mountains there was a cave, and in that cave was a scroll protected by a dragon. On that scroll was a map of how to get to Santa. So we traveled into the mountains until we saw the cave and went in.

We were scared by the huge dragon guarding the scroll, and we thought we had no chance of getting past the dragon until we saw two swords on the wall. We fought the dragon. It was a hard battle, but we won! We looked at the scroll, and it said that Santa worked undercover at the same place my dad was having his meeting.

It was risky, but we had to do it. When we got there, we immediately started looking for Santa. After what felt like years of searching, I saw a familiar man with a big white beard. It was Santa. We walked over to him and demanded an answer for why he didn’t deliver presents this year.

He said that he was too lazy and that after delivering presents since the beginning of time, he needed a break. After a long talk, he finally agreed to deliver presents every year from then on.


Honorable Mention

The Strong Squad Saves Christmas

by Michael Wong

Stoneybrook West

Once upon a time, there was a group of teenagers called The Strong Squad who saved the North Pole from super villains. The members of The Strong Squad were Spencer, Layla and Devin. These teenagers each had special gifts given to them by Jesus, because they were chosen to protect and preserve the holiday of Christmas. Spencer had super-intelligence, Layla had super-strength, and Devin had super-speed. The super villains were Evil Santa and Evil Elf. Evil Santa kidnapped the real Santa every year to steal his powers, and Evil Elf hypnotized elves to control them.

“Yay, it’s Dec. 23,” Devin said. “Only two more days until Christmas.”

“Mom, Dad, where are our presents? I think I know who did this. I have to call Spencer and Layla.”

“Spencer, Layla, Evil Santa and Evil Elf are striking again,” Devin said. “Time to squad up.”

Everyone in the village was in chaos, because Christmas was ruined, but The Strong Squad would save the day. The teens met up at their headquarters so they could find Evil Santa and Evil Elf’s coordinates. To do this, they used Spencer’s high-tech computer. As soon as they found the coordinates, Devin super-sped to their location to observe what they were doing.

“Guys, they’re destroying all of the kids’ presents,” Devin said. “We have to attack now.”

“We have to attack when they least expect it,” Layla said.

“Guys, it’s Christmas Eve, and the kids are counting on us,” Spencer said.

“Alright, let’s attack now!” Devin and Layla said together.

Devin super-sped Spencer and Layla to the evil lair.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” Evil Santa asked.

“We came here to stop you,” Devin said. “Children are very upset with both of you.”

“Then let’s settle this with a fight, and if we win, you let us destroy Christmas every year,” Evil Elf said. “If we lose, we’ll buy back all the Christmas gifts and be good citizens.”

Evil Santa and Evil Elf started attacking with the increasing power of Evil Santa. He was stronger than ever. Before they could reach The Strong Squad, Devin ran around them, creating a tornado and which made them dizzy. When both of them fell down, Layla punched the ground, causing it to shake. Eventually, Evil Santa and Evil Elf were knocked out.

Spencer used his power to steal handcuffs to turn them in to the police. In order for them not to use their powers, their cells had to be underground, covered in pure steel.

Christmas was saved once and for all, but the only thing left was the presents. Devin took all of the presents from the lair and super-sped them back to all the families.

“Hooray! Hooray! Christmas is saved!” the children chanted.

Eventually, when Jesus found out about the Strong Squad’s good deeds, he thanked them. He also enhanced their powers. Devin had invisibility and super-speed, Layla had teleportation and super-strength, and Spencer could fly and had super-intelligence.

The Strong Squad was known as the heroes of the North Pole, and they formed an alliance with Santa. Although Christmas was saved, there is a new, powerful threat coming. This means The Strong Squad will have to train even harder. Stay tuned for the sequel, coming next December.


Honorable Mention

Christmas Magic

by Emma Pohlhammer

Roberts Landing

“Kimi, come here quickly!” Mom said.

“Yes, Mom, what is it?” I asked.

“Look, the hail is damaging the town Christmas tree! I am so glad you came home early, because if you had stayed out any longer, you could have been … gone,” Mom said.

The next morning.

“Look at what the storm did to the tree,” Mom said.

“But Mom, look at the townspeople,” I said.

“Look at what they are doing,” Mom said. “Hmm, all I can see is that all of the townspeople are still celebrating Christmas, even after the storm nearly destroyed the tree.” Mom said.

OK. So now I will tell you how it all started.

It started when we had a major hurricane, tornado, blizzard and earthquake all at once. When we thought it was over, we all came out of our houses. That was a mistake! We had a major aftershock as you can see. I am going to describe it whether you like it or not.

The wind said, “Whoosh,” as it zipped across the sky. Hail the size of bowling balls with equally as strong force had taken on our strongest Christmas tree, the one in the town square. Sleet ruined the strong, healthy grass, and the blizzard covered the houses of the town of Berry. Worst of all, the berries had been destroyed, as if they were the main target. It was a total nightmare. Nobody in the town of Berry could get to sleep, but one person did. Her name was Kimi.

That’s me! I got to sleep, because I have a mysterious mystical power. It lets me save the world, according to an old town legend. It says the person with the power will save us all and our most prized holiday, Christmas. I have that power, but all I’ve been doing with it is saving myself. But one afternoon during the storm, something happened. I had the courage to step outside and face the storm.

“Ouch!” I said. “Aww man, battling hurts! I think I broke my arm! And I am at the end of the battle I have been fighting against the storm. I can’t give up now!”

“Ha, ha!” the storm mocked me.

“Hey, can you talk?” I asked. “Oh, I am so going to get you! You are so dead! All energy blast!”

“Ahhhhh,” the storm said.

Yeah, it really hurts, but I single-handedly saved Christmas.

“Hey, look!” the people in town shouted. “That little girl saved us all. She’s a hero!”

“Mom! Where are you, Mom?” I shouted.

“I’m right here, honey,” she answered. “Oh, look at you. You’re all grown up.”

“But, Mom. You should be sad. The Christmas tree is ruined.”

“Honey, Christmas is not about the tree. It’s about people coming together and enjoying time with each other. It’s also about celebrating peace, joy and happiness. Now, let’s celebrate!”

I am truly sorry for telling this story so short, but hey, let’s celebrate! I deserve it, I think.

“Mom, I have a present for you,” I said.

I hope you have an adventurous Christmas, and remember this: Have a merry Christmas. Your Christmas can be magical, too, if only you believe. And remember to keep the heart of Christmas in your heart.

The staff of the Southwest Orlando Bulletin extends special thanks to everyone who participated in the 25th annual holiday short-story contest.

Editor’s note: Entries may have been edited for grammar, punctuation, length and content. To honor as many holiday short stories as possible, School News does not appear in this issue. 💓