Holiday Writing Contest 2015!

A big thank you to Susanna Leonard Hill for putting together this contest once again!

FreeImages.com/Graham Soult

A quick view of the rules:

• Must be a children's story beginning with any version of "Rocking around the Christmas Tree at the Christmas party hop." Verbs, prepositions, item and venue may be changed.
• Not to exceed 350 words (I had to squeeze into that this year, but I made it exactly 350!)
• Post between yesterday and Friday, Dec 11 at 11:59 EST and link to the contest page.

For more details and all the rules head on over to the contest page here.


This year, I have put my own spin on one of our family classics. We used to read this story each Christmas Eve. Though I don't know who wrote the original, I can see my grandfather as the Ole Grandpa Bill.

Fairies in the Tree

Snuggling around the Christmas tree at the Annual Storytelling Showdown, Ole Grandpa Bill stood up to tell a story old, as old as it could be. His favorite memory of Christmas that focused on the tree.

His eyes lit up like twinkling lights as he began to spin his tale. “Up the hill we clambered,” he said, “the Christmas thrill climbing as we searched for the largest tree.”

He took a long deep breadth through his nose. “The air was cold and crisp that night, as it is tonight and as it should be on Christmas Eve. It was just past dusk, when as clear as a bell we heard someone cry out . . .”

“There’s fairies in this tree!” Mama chimed as she always did. 

Ole Grandpa Bill smiled and continued on, “sure enough, all snuggled in the branches of the perfect Christmas tree, were a band of little fairy folks.”

He clasped his hands and raised them in the air. “The leader of our Christmas quest then swung his mighty axe,

CRACK
CRACK
CRACK

and he fell that mighty tree down into the snow.”

“What happened to the fairy folks?” Mama asked as she always did.

“Now,” Ole Grandpa Bill said smiling, “they left that fine old tree, then followed our whole party home. They watched, pressed to the glass, as we set the great tree in the hall.”

For a pause, he stood squinting out into the snow. He grinned at the ghosts of tiny faces on the panes.

“Then those fairies took wing to Santa Claus and told him about it all. So he came that night, dear Santa did, with lollipops and toys then trimmed the tree in finery for all us girls and boys.” 

“Thanks to the fairies, he returns each year.” Mama finished as she always did by hanging the fairy in the tree.

Nobly, Ole Grandpa Bill bowed his head and, smiling at the joyful applause, squeezed back into his seat. 

Snuggling around the Christmas tree after the Annual Family Storytelling Showdown, the merry clan awarded Ole Grandpa Bill the trophy for another year.

Thanks for stoping by! Enjoy all of the other entries here and be sure to check in there next week to see the finalists and vote.

Merry Christmas!