Susanna Leonard Hill’s Ho! Ho! Ho! The 9th Annual Holiday Christmas Contest

The Contest:  Write a children’s holiday story (children here defined as age 12 and under) about A Holiday TREAT!

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 250 words (I know! So much freedom after the Halloweensie Contest 🙂 )  (It can be as short as you like (the judges will be grateful 🙂 , you are welcome and encouraged to write shorter, but no more than 250!  Title not included in word count.)  The field is wide open!  Have fun!  The more creative 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!)

Here’s my story for Christmas. Miracles happen! There are many homeless people in the world today and that most of us choose to ignore. Although, The Little Match Girl was published in December 1845, and written by Hans Christian Andersen I can still see poverty all around us.

A retelling of The Little Match Girl. 246 words.

It was the night before Christmas. The poor girl’s tiny feet were blue from the cold.

Her trembling voice called out to passer buys. “ Matches for sale.”

No one had given her a single penny.

She gazed at the windows as she leaned against the damp wall. The candles glowed, and she could smell roast turkey and stuffing. She sat down and pulled her feet up to her chest. She grew colder and colder.

She pulled out a match from her basket. Just one, she thought, to warm my hands.

“Rischt! How it glowed, how it burnt! The bright flame warmed her hands. She imagined sitting in front of a wood stove. Then the match burnt-out.

She lit another match against the cold, damp wall. She saw a Chrismas tree with thousands of lights. She reached out to touch it when the match went out.

Then she saw a falling star. “A wishing star,” the girl cried.

“I wish I may, I wish I might. Have this wish I wish tonight.”

Her grandmother had said that when a star falls, a soul ascends to God.

She felt the warmth of her grandmother’s bosom pressed against her frozen cheeks. The smell of candles, stuffed turkey, and cranberry sauce tickled her nose.

The little girl slowly opened her eyes. To her surprise, she sat on a long plush chair in front of a fireplace, all tucked up with warm blankets.

“The child is alive!” the family cheered.