Susanna Hill’s 3rd Annual Holiday Contest: Write a children’s story about a Holiday Mishap, mix-up, miscommunication, mistake, or potential disaster in 350 words or less. I managed 344.
Ah, Christmas! Finding a fitting tree, decking it out with ornaments we made ourselves, caroling in the freezing cold, stockings, stuffings, baking cookies – lots of cookies! Always a plate for Santa, his reindeer and this year, extra for my sister, Candy.
Candy loved wrapping presents. She was good at it. An artist! A master of folding and taping – any shape, any size. You name it, she could wrap it. We’ve always left it to her, and why not? It made her happy!
What she enjoyed most of all? Embellishment! Ribbons, bows, bells and gift tags galore! She made them herself, believe it or not, and you almost couldn’t tell, if it weren’t for the incident with my remote control car last year, but that’s another story.
The thing is, she got carried away. Literally. But I knew Candy didn’t want to wrap just our presents. And why let her talent go to waste? It wasn’t easy for my parents, but it made her happy! And they still had me. So we let her go. We didn’t try to save her as she flew up the chimney. Okay, I was the only one there.
But it wasn’t anyone’s fault. She was wrapping merrily away, maybe sitting a bit close to the tree, which was really close to the fireplace, and it takes a lot of ribbon to create a work of art, and who was I to ruin her fun? I got more ribbon when she asked. I was really helpful, she said. But there was a lot of ribbon! Candy could hardly see. And maybe Santa couldn’t see her.
And all that gum on Santa’s shoe? Who knows where he picked that up?
So, although I am looking forward to my presents this year, the ones from Santa addressed to me? Well, I might just leave them wrapped – a reminder of my dear sister, who probably wrapped them herself. At least until I’m sure she’s settled. Settled down, that is. The extra cookies I’m sending with Santa should help.
Cookie anyone?
Do go to Susanna’s blog to read the other entries – HERE
julie rowan-zoch 