10th Annual Holiday Contest – Susanna Leonard Hill
Posts about 10th Annual Holiday Contest written by Susanna Leonard Hill
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Susanna Leonard Hill
Well hi there, my little snowflakes!

You’re just in time for some high jinx and shenanigans!

I’m always on the lookout for those fun holiday quizzes, but let’s face it: we’ve done Elf Names, and Reindeer Names, and that pretty much covers the available options. Last year I made up a What Kind of Christmas Cookie are you quiz. . . which was entertaining. . . but now we’ve done that too.

So this year I’ve decided to combine holiday quiz tomfoolery with writing prompt/idea generation! Try out this one!

I will not even try to deny that some of these combinations work better than others 😊 But I don’t mind if you cheat a little and use the first letter of your middle or last name or the month your pet iguana was born to get a better result 😊

My Holiday Picture Book Title is The Littlest Cookie (or, because there’s an alternative on that one, The Biggest Cookie, which is probably more appropriate!) But I think I could write either of those stories and have fun doing it! I might add in a type of cookie. . . The Littlest Sugar Cookie or The Biggest Peppermint Supreme Cookie. Or I might expand one way or the other: The Teeniest Tiniest Itty Bittiest Cookie or The Most Gigantic Christmas Cookie of All Time! But have a go and see what you get and share your title in the comments if you want to!

Wasn’t that fun?

Don’t you feel like you just got a little surprise holiday gift?

I bet those writerly brain cells are already humming!

So you’re welcome, and I won’t keep you from getting words on the page!

Go forth! Write! Create!

And enjoy your holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Hanukkah!

Wondrous Solstice!

Happy New Year!

Etc. etc.!

See you in 2021!

Uh. . .

Were you expecting something else?

I already gave you your next picture book idea AND JOY!

What more could you want?

Oh, silly me.

There I go again, just completely forgetting the only reason you came to see me today!

I guess, now that you mention it, it IS time to find out who won

THE 10TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY CONTEST!!!

~ for children’s writers ~

As always, I was thrilled to see so many wonderful stories! Really! It is amazing and inspiring, not to mention VERY entertaining! There is just so much talent out there amongst you all!

But as you well know by now, with large entry numbers, all of high quality, come hard choices. My assistant judges and I worked hard to winnow the total down to a manageable number of finalists that we felt were truly all-around deserving of that distinction, and those were the ones we presented to you on Monday (ahem, okay, technically it was Tuesday 😊) for your vote.

There were, however, a few entries that barely missed being finalists, and many other entries that were outstanding in certain areas even though they might not have qualified all-around for one reason or another, or that the judges couldn’t reach a consensus on.

So my assistant judges and I would like to award recognition, a lovely badge, and a small prize to the following authors for the following merits:

1. For Honorable Mention In The Competition As A Whole: (entries we truly wrestled with not including in the finalists!)

Kaitlyn Sikes for ‘Twas A Cold Winter Solstice (beautifully written!)

Jessica Hinrichs for The Merry Melody Farm (also great for younger readers!)

Randi Lynn Mrvos for Four Things (also wonderful kid voice!)

Jilanne Hoffman for Promises Are For. . . (a poignant exploration of promises dishonored and promises kept)

Deborah Clayton for The Song of the Stable Mouse (a sweet, kid-friendly retelling of the Christmas story from the POV of a little mouse, nicely written!)

Elyse Trevers for Baia’s Bags of Blessings (a timely story of generosity and spreading the joy of Chanukah even in difficult times)

Laurie Carmody for The Holiday Henchman (a glimpse of Christmas from the naughty side that kids will enjoy)

Linda Schueler for Planting Smiles (a believable story of reluctance turning to understanding)

Patricia Nozell for Star (a miniature horse with a big heart who finds her own way to shine)

Cathrene Valente Youngquist for The Toymaker and the Christmas Tomte (told like a folk or fairy tale)

Mary Vander Plas for Oy to the World: An Ode to 2020 (so fitting!)

Shannon Howarth Nelsen for Christmas Bread (so evocatively written we could almost smell the bread)

2. For Make This A Picture Book! 😊

Ashlee Hashman for Gingerbread Construction Crew

3. For Great Depiction of Sibling Relationships

Pamela Love for Angel’s A

Melissa Trempe for Operation Christmas Distraction

Cynthia Stacey for The Christmas Tree

4. For Great For Younger Readers

Kirsten Leestma – December 21st

Larissa Elliott – Christmas Good

5. For Great Kid Appeal

Ellen Turcio for A Super Scooper

Stacey Miller for A Cranky Christmas

6. For Inventive Re-Telling

Lauri C. Meyers for Gingerbread Girl To The Rescue (a new version of The Gingerbread Man)

7. For Great Ending

Gabrielle Cardwell for Decorating The Tree

Ashley Bray for Noella

8. For Wonderful Stories Celebrating Other Lands/Holidays/Cultures/Customs

Shariffa Keshavje for Holiday Helpers

Rachel Hobbs for The Day of the Three Kings – Argentina

Linda Hofke – Not Counting On Sweet Treats This Year

Kathryn Rammell – A Swedish Pageant And The Mystery of the Missing Meatballs

9. For Unique Point of View

Megan and Rob Hunnicut for Sugar’s Spin (POV of the chosen cookie!)

10. For Humor 🤣

Bill Canterbury for Princess Oblivious

Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories! You may all email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com subject line Prize Winner to collect your award badge and prize, which is ten dollars for category 1 – Honorable Mention in the Competition as a Whole – and five dollars for all the other categories, in a format that can be emailed for you to put toward something you’d like at a large online store (and I’m being cryptic because when I did this for Halloweensie I got a ton of problematic spam mail because of the way I worded the post, but hopefully you can figure it out. The store starts with the letter A 😊 )

And now…

…the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

The announcement of the WINNERS OF THE 2020 HOLIDAY CONTEST as voted on by you, our esteemed readers!!!

rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat

DDDRRRUUUMMM RRROOOLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!

In First Place…

Winner of the whole shebang…

who gets first choice of all the prizes…

Dana Marie Miroballi

for

Christmasaurus Hex!!!

Congratulations, Dana, on a fun, kid-friendly, delightfully humorous story that was clearly very popular with a LOT of readers!!!

In Second Place

Rebecca Gardyn Levington

for

A Spark of Friendship

Congratulations, Rebecca, on bringing the Shamash to life in spot-on rhyme! You get to pick your prize after Dana.

In Third Place

Molly Ippolito

for

Firling’s Friend

Congratulations, Molly, on a sweet entry that made us hope that Firling wouldn’t be left out! You get to pick your prize after Dana and Rebecca.

In Fourth Place

Julie Abery

for

Waddle Santa Do This Christmas?

Congratulations, Julie, on a delightful, original story about penguins pitching in!!! You get to pick your prize after Dana, Rebecca, and Molly!

In Fifth Place

Allison Strick

for

Let It Grow! Let It Grow! Let It Grow!

Congratulations, Allison, on a very well written, creative, original take on green gifts! So clever! You get to pick your prize after Dana, Rebecca, Molly, and Julie!

In Sixth Place…

Kelsey Gross

for

The Solstice Tree

What a lovely story, Kelsey, where all the forest truly helped out! Nicely done! You get to pick your prize after Dana, Rebecca, Molly, Julie, and Allison!

In Seventh Place…

Kristy Roser Nuttall

for

The Twelve Sleighs of Christmas

Congratulations, Kristy! We loved how the elves helped Santa out of his fix by turning one sleigh into twelve! I’m sure you get the idea of how the prize picking goes by now 😊

In Eighth Place…

Natasha Zimmers

for

The Christmas Owl

Such beautiful writing, Natasha! You evoked the peace of the snowy woods, made us feel the tension of the situation, and taught us something about owls as a bonus! You get to pick after Kristy 😊

In Ninth Place

Laura Bower

for

The Sleigh–Awake Band

Congratulations, Laura, on your entertaining entry written in excellent rhyme! Who would have thought Santa had a band along with him to keep him from falling asleep? You get to pick after Natasha 😊

In Tenth Place

Chelsea Tornetto

for

The Christmas Corgi

Congratulations, Chelsea, on an adorable entry that made us all want a Christmas corgi! You get to pick your prize after Laura!

In Eleventh Place

Kelly Swemba

for

Christmas Impossible: An Unquiet Night

Congratulations, Kelly, on a delightfully fun and kid-friendly entry that saw the elves helping out in true squirrel control fashion! You get to pick after Chelsea!

In Twelfth Place

Marty Findley

for

Not Too Little

Congratulations. Marty, on a wonderfully relatable story that celebrates every child who has ever wanted to help and been made to feel that he or she isn’t ready for that yet! You get to pick after Kelly!

All the winners should email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com with the subject heading Prize Winner so we can work out details for you to receive your prizes! (The sooner the better!) And for your convenience, the whole prize list is included at the bottom of this post.

Congratulations again to all our winners – it was a stiff competition!! – and congratulations to EVERYONE who wrote and entered a story in the contest. You all deserve a huge round of applause and a shower of holiday confetti!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this contest SO MUCH FUN, whether by writing an entry, reading people’s stories, leaving comments for the authors, and/or voting in the finals, or by donating a prize. It’s because of all of you that this contest was such a success, so many, many thanks from the bottom of my heart!

As I… hmm… maybe didn’t mention…? but seem to do every year so you’re probably not surprised, I’m taking a little blogging break so I can spend time with my family. Although it will be a bit different than in other years, it’s still holiday time 😊 So I will see you all in a couple weeks – most probably the first week of January 😊

Before we part company, I want to wish you all a happy and healthy holiday filled with love, laughter, joy, and family, and a happy, healthy and successful new year! It is a pleasure and a privilege to get to spend time with you all, and I’m happy and grateful to know each and every one of you!

Looking forward to all the things we’ll do in 2021!

Happy Holidays, and all best wishes for a wonderful New Year!!!

The Prizes!: OMG! So much awesomeness!!!

A Picture Book Manuscript Read and Critique by Agent Kaitlyn Sanchez of Olswanger Literary! Although she is currently closed to submissions (making this prize EXTRA special!) a look at her wish list will give you an idea of what she likes.

A 12×12 Silver Membership (valued at $177 but worth so much more!) generously donated by author and 12×12 founder and queen, Julie Hedlund! 12×12 is a fantastic, educational, supportive community with TONS to offer its members, including interesting and informational webinars of all kinds, access to forums and critiques, and the chance to submit to agents. If you’re not familiar with it, you can learn all about it HERE. Julie is the author of A Troop Is A Group of Monkeys (Little Bahalia Publishing, 2013), My Love For You Is The Sun (Little Bahalia Publishing, 2014), and the forthcoming Over, Bear! Under, Where? (Philomel Books, Fall 2021)

A Picture Book Manuscript Read and On The Spot Critique by prolific author Laura Purdie Salas! Laura offers a 50-minute on on-the-spot critique via Zoom for one picture book manuscript of up to 600 words (fiction or nonfiction, rhyming or prose or poetry). She will read it out loud to the writer and then do a critique right then and answer questions. Laura is a writer of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, prose, her own submissions and work for hire – she’s done it all! She is also the author of a number of fantastic books for writers which are often given as prizes here. Some of her books include A Leaf Can Be (Millbrook Press 2012), Clover Kitty Goes To Kittygarten (Two Lions 2020), Snowman – Cold = Puddle (Charlesbridge 2019), If You Were The Moon (Millbrook Press 2017), Making A Living Writing Books For Kids (CreateSpace 2017), and Picture Books The Write Way (CreateSpace 2014)

Rate Your Story owner, Picture Book Mechanic, and author Lynne Marie is offering 4 amazing prizes!

A 1/2 hour Zoom Session Picture Book Manuscript Consultation/Critique from ThePictureBookMechanic.com

Another 1/2 hour Zoom Session Picture Book Manuscript Consultation/Critique from ThePictureBookMechanic.com

A Rate Your Story Speedpass from RateYourStory.org

[From the Rate Your Story site] “A SPEED PASS allows a Non-Member to submit to Rate Your Story, as well as a Member to submit additional items to best serve the rating and feedback needs of our writing community.

We have a variety of Speedpass options, including pitches, query letters, art or a single manuscript at any time for a rating + guaranteed comments*, and it will be returned in less than 7 days’ time. Should you require a faster turnaround, fast pass options may be purchased to facilitate that.”

Another Rate Your Story Speedpass from RateYourStory.org

Lynne Marie is the accomplished author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten – art by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic 2011), Hedgehog’s 100th Day of School – art by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play — art by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares — art by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling 2019 and Scholastic 2019) and Let’s Eat! Mealtime Around the World — art by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books 2019) and two others forthcoming.

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (fiction, rhyme or prose) by accomplished author Laura Sassi, author of Goodnight, Ark (Zonderkidz 2014) , Goodnight, Manger (Zonderkidz 2015), Diva Delores And The Opera House Mouse (Sterling 2018), Love Is Kind (Zonderkidz 2018), and the forthcoming Little Ewe: The Story of One Lost Sheep (Beaming Books, February 2021)

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by talented author Sandra Sutter, whose delightful books include The REAL Farmer In The Dell (Clearfork Publishing/Spork, March 2019) and Stan’s Frightful Halloween (Clearfork Publishing/Spork, September 2020)

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by gifted author and former Holiday Contest prize winner, Jenna Waldman, author of the forthcoming Larry’s Latkes (October 2021) (originally written for the Holiday Contest!) and Shark-bot Shalom (August 2021) She is on twitter at @SarafinaDesign

Personalized, signed copies of For Spacious Skies (Albert Whitman, April 2020) and The Queen And The First Christmas Tree (Albert Whitman, October 2018) by award-winning author Nancy Churnin.

Personalized, signed copies of The Night Baafore Christmas (WorthyKids 2019) by Dawn Young and Louis (HMH Books For Young Readers 2020) by Tom Lichtenheld, illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch. The Night Baafore Christmas will be signed by Dawn, the author. Louis will be signed by Julie, the illustrator.

Two Picture Books (TBD) donated by Darshana Khiani, whose own picture book How To Wear A Sari is forthcoming from Versify in June 2021.

Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊

Hi there!

Happy Monday!

You’re probably wondering if you’re in the right place since, if you’re like the rest of the civilized world, you woke up thinking it was Tuesday.

But Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.

We (imaginative bunch that we are) are going to join in collectively choosing to believe that it is still Monday because that’s when I said I would post the Holiday Contest finalists. And by gum. . . I almost managed it!

So close!

About three more hours and I would have pulled it off.

You’re probably also wondering what happened to my hair!

Turns out that gnashing of teeth and tearing of hair is a real thing when you have to read and judge 223 AMAZING Holiday Contest Entries and cut 211 of them to get down to 12 finalists! Ouch!

So here I am, one day before the first real snowstorm in ages is predicted to occur, which is not a good time to be suddenly bald, looking like I could be Humpty Dumpty’s sister (in more ways than one 😊) but there you have it.

I think I will set a new trend.

(You know how fashion forward I am!)

I will be wearing my Santa hat at all times for the foreseeable future 😊

Feel free to join me!

You lose 7 to 10 % of your body heat through your head, you know, and it’s probably more when you have no hairsulation. Santa hats are our friends. 🤶

Have a great day, everyone!

Remember to wear your hats!

See you soon 😊

What?

Oh!

Darn!

See?

I KNEW I’d forget something!

You came for a reason!

It’s time to announce the finalists for. . .

THE 10TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY CONTEST!!!

~ for children’s writers ~

So, I just want to say three little things before I post the actual finalists (shocking, I know, because normally I’m so quiet you can hardly get a word out of me 😊😊)

First, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time and care to write an entry for this contest. You all did a fabulous job and provided great enjoyment for many!

Second, I’d also like to thank EVERYONE – writer, reader, or both – who took the time to go around and read as many entries as you could and leave supportive comments. This means so much to the writers who worked hard on their stories. It helps them see what they did well, as well as giving them the joy of knowing that their stories were read and enjoyed. I hope you all got as much delight and entertainment out of the reading as I did! Plus, we got to meet quite a few new people which was a wonderful added bonus! 😊

Third, I want to reiterate how difficult it was too choose! There were so many amazing entries. Really. I could find at least something terrific about every single one. The sheer volume of entries meant that many good ones had to be cut. So if yours didn’t make the final cut please don’t feel bad. There was a huge amount of competition. Judging, no matter how hard we try to be objective, is always subjective at a certain point – we all have our own preferences for what makes a great story. And the fact that you didn’t make the final cut DOES NOT mean you didn’t write a great story. Everyone who plonked their butt in a chair and worked hard to write a story for this contest is a winner! You showed up. You did your best work. You practiced your craft. You wrote to specifications and a deadline. You bravely shared your writing with the world. And you have a brand new story that is now yours to revise, expand, and polish if you like and maybe submit at some point to a magazine or as a PB manuscript. A lot of people have successfully done that at this point – we have quite a few books in the world that were born in Halloweensie, Holiday, or Valentiny Contests, plus a chapter book series that came out of the Fractured Fairy Tale Contest one spring! So bravo to everyone who entered!

You will recall the judging criteria:

1. Kid-appeal! – These stories are intended for a young audience (ages 12 and under), so we’re looking for stories that children will enjoy and relate to.

2. Holiday Helpers! – the rules state a Holiday Helper story, so it must be crystal clear that the story is about someone helping someone else in some way during Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, New Year’s, or whatever seasonal winter holiday you choose. The story must center on helping – the help must not be just an offhand mention/reference in a story about something else.

3. Quality of story – entries must tell a story, including a main character of some kind and a true story arc even if it’s tiny 😊 Entries must not be merely descriptions or mood pieces.

4. Quality of Writing: check your spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. If you’re going to rhyme, give us your best 😊 Overall writing quality and use of language are also important.

5. Originality and creativity – because that is often what sets one story above another.

As I said above, you all did a stellar job – there were no bad stories. But we had to pick the 12 we thought were the all-around best on all 5 counts listed. (12 because we have 12 prizes)

So, without further ado, I present to you the 2020 Holiday Contest Finalists. A mix of poetry and prose, stories for younger readers and slightly older (but still kid) readers, funny, poignant, sweet, and cute. Please read through them carefully, take your time, think it over, and vote for your favorite. To help with objectivity, finalists are listed by title only, not by author.

And I’d like to be very clear about the voting process. You are MOST welcome to share a link to this post on FB, twitter, or wherever you like to hang out, and encourage people to come read ALL the finalists and vote for the one they think is best. Please do that. The more people who read and enjoy these stories the better, and the more objective votes we get the better. HOWEVER (and I want to be very clear on this) please do not identify yourself or ask others to identify you as a finalist on social media, please do not ask people to vote for a specific number or title, and please do not ask people to vote for the story about the unicorn-riding gingerbread princess or whatever. Trolling for votes or trying to influence the outcome is counter to the spirit of this competition which is supposed to be based on merit. I thank you in advance for respecting this.

So here we go! Read! Enjoy! VOTE! 😊

1. A SPARK OF FRIENDSHIP

[Note: “Shamash” is pronounced “shah-MAHSH”]

The menorah’s “helper candle,” the Shamash, as she is known,

has never ever asked for help. She likes to work alone.

For all eight nights of Hannukah, Shamash ignites each candle.

“A gust of wind? A sneeze? A fan? There’s nothing I can’t handle!”

Shamash can’t wait to start night one! She’s luminous and strong!

She dazzles on the second night and hums The Dreidel Song.

Night three arrives. Shamash continues beaming, all aglow.

But on night four she flickers, fades. Her pacing starts to slow.

Her blaze begins to dim night five. She fights with all her might.

But on night six, she’s feeling faint. “I…mustn’t…lose…my….light!”

The seventh night, Shamash is snuffed. She’s lost all spunk and spark.

“I blew it! I’m extinguished!” she says, sobbing in the dark.

“Need a light?” A voice calls out from up upon the shelf.

“You mustn’t feel you need to do this job all by yourself!”

A little lighter flicks a flame, announcing: “Hi, I’m Bic!”

“And I’m Shamash!” She brightens, as he lights her wilted wick.

Shamash, at last, alight again, illuminates the rest.

She beams as all eight candles gleam. “I love night eight the best!

“Oh, Bic! You are a miracle! You saved our holiday!”

“I’m happy I could help,” he says, then tucks his torch away.

Shamash prefers to work alone. “But this year, I’ll admit,

that thanks to you, my new friend Bic, this Hannukah is LIT!”

2. The Christmas Owl

In the darkness of the forest,

the young owl swooped,

plunging his talons

through powdery snow.

In the warmth of a fire

Dara gazed at Christmas lights

dancing a rainbow

on the wintery world.

A shadow of wings flickered by.

An owl?

* * *

Dara’s footsteps were silent

as she walked between the trees.

She stopped,

staring in awe.

An impression in the snow,

a perfect pair of wings.

An owl?

* * *

Freezing rain fell,

coating every surface in crystal.

Dara explored,

marveling at the frozen world.

A shadow caught her eye.

A stooped shape!

An owl!

She tiptoed closer.

She watched, still and silent.

Her toes went numb.

The owl didn’t move.

Was it hurt?

Did it need help?

“I’ll be right back!” Dara whispered.

* * *

When Kaylee, the wildlife expert, arrived,

they watched the owl together.

“When the snow forms a crust,” she murmured,

“young owls can’t punch through to catch their prey.

They get too hungry to hunt,

too hungry to move.”

Dara’s heart felt as icy

as the world around her.

Would the owl be OK?

Was she too late?

Kaylee crept

towards the owl.

She enveloped him in a blanket,

gently placed him in a box.

Dara’s sigh of relief

made a puff in the wintery air.

* * *

On Christmas eve,

the ice melted.

Kaylee called.

At dusk,

they walked

into the dripping woods.

Kaylee held the owl high,

gently relaxed her grip.

The owl flew!

“Merry Christmas!”

whispered Dara to the empty forest.

3. CHRISTMAS IMPOSSIBLE: AN UNQUIET NIGHT

‘Twas the night before Christmas

and all through the house

not a creature was stirri –

“Wait – what’s that noise?” Santa whispered and paused placing presents.

Chitter, chatter. Squeak!

“There it is again!” Santa froze and cupped his hand to his ear.

Chitter, chatter. Squeak!

“Oh no,” the jolly man groaned.

“That sounds like a-

SQUIRREL!”

Santa dialed the Christmas Tree Hotline.

The switchboard lit up like Rudolph’s red nose on a dark night.

“We’ve got a code 57,” stated Santa.

“Dispatching Elf Squirrel Division now, Sir.”

Gears, Ginger, Twinkle and Bob set their Santa Map coordinates

and dashed out through the frosty flakes.

They reached the house and whooshed down the chimney.

“So – ho happy you’re here,” said Santa.

“Glad to help,” said Gears.

They got to work while Santa snacked by the fire.

The elves climbed the tree

but

the squirrel scurried higher.

The elves swooped down from the star

but

the squirrel hid deeper.

Even Bob’s “never fail” tinsel lasso trick

failed!

“We’re doomed!” cried Twinkle.

“Is it snack time?” said Bob.

“Sweet sugar plums that’s it!” cheered Ginger.

She set a trail of cookie crumbs down the tree.

The squirrel sniffed.

It crept closer.

Then…

MUNCH!

Crumb by crumb it climbed down and into the open carrier.

“Thanks team,” said Santa and up the chimney he rose.

The elves flew to the forest where

the squirrel found the perfect pine.

Meanwhile at another house-

“Finally,” sighed Santa. “Peace and –“

Chitter, chatter. Squeak!

4. FIRLING’S FRIEND

Firling breathed in the cold, crisp breeze. Though he stood only as tall as the park bench beside him, he could still sense the yuletide in the air.

Firling’s thin branches stood still. He could hear the warm laughter in the snow covered park.

His scarce pine needles vibrated with joy as the sweet notes of Christmas carols echoed off the frozen pond.

‘Tis the season! Firling thought.

Soon I’ll be dressed in my Christmas best!

Firling watched as rows of nearby trees were adorned with colorful ornaments.

Yards of beautiful garland twisted and twirled around his tree neighbors.

Bright stars twinkled and angels perched atop trees as far as Firling could see.

Who will decorate me? Firling worried.

Suddenly a small girl approached.

“Aw! Poor, little tree! You’re the only bare one in the park.”

Firling felt his bare branches sag.

“Oh Christmas Tree, I can help! You stay right here! I’ll be back!”

Time passed and Firling began to worry that the girl wouldn’t come back.

As the sun was just starting to set, the girl returned.

Carefully, she hung hand cut paper hearts from Firling’s branches.

She wrapped long strands of braided yarn from trunk to tree top.

Finally, she placed a brightly painted cardboard star on Firling’s highest branch.

The girl beamed at her work.

“Oh, little tree! How lovely are your branches!”

The little girl flashed Firling one last smile, before heading down the sidewalk.

Here I am, Firling thought. Dressed in my Christmas best!

5. Waddle Santa Do This Christmas?

The elves are tired out and in elf-isolation,

They’ve worked all year long with no chance of vacation.

Poor Santa is worried, but what can he do?

He opens a letter that’s come from the Zoo!

Dear Santa, We’re bored as the zoo is in lockdown.

Apart from the keepers the place is a ghost town!

The Penguins at London Zoo love Christmas cheer!

So, please can we help with your presents this year?

With very best wishes and warm fishy kisses,

Your best friends the Gentoo penguins

On reading the note Santa conjured a scheme,

To rest up his elves and bring on the new team.

My dear Gentoo Penguins, I think that sounds swell!

The elves will adore this, and I will as well!

I’ll send down my reindeer, who have herd immunity,

They’ll pick you up — what a great opportunity!

And everyone had such a wonderful day,

The penguins wrapped presents, and packed up the sleigh.

The elves made hot chocolate and played in the snow,

Then baked penguin shapes out of gingerbread dough.

The penguins all hope to go back there one day,

And the elves will come visit the zoo, so they say.

In the end for this Christmas it turned out alright,

Merry Christmas to all and make sure you sleep tight!

6. The Solstice Tree

Owl watches as

sunlight dims to a simmer, and

starlight scatters across snowdust.

Tonight is the longest night.

Solstice is here.

He swoops down

and calls from his perch in the frosted pine,

Whooo can help me shine the light,

Share gifts of hope on this long night?

I can help to shine the light!

Squirrel places nuts on branches,

gifts of hope for a plentiful harvest.

I can help to shine the light!

Duck tucks feathers amongst the boughs,

gifts of hope for cozy warmth.

I can help to shine the light!

Fox props icicles alongside pinecones,

gifts of hope for flowing energy.

I can help to shine the light!

Rabbit sprinkles bits of bark,

gifts of hope for strength and safety.

I can help to shine the light!

Chickadee wraps grasses round and round,

gifts of hope for rest and ease.

Bounding, waddling, soaring, hopping

They frolic and feast

around the tree.

Until…

Footsteps thump.

Twigs snap.

Everyone freezes.

A girl squeals, “Animals! And a beautiful tree!”

Rabbit trembles. “Should we run?”

Owl shakes his head and winks an eye.

Her wonder is a gift of light,

and hope for all

on this dark night.

7. The Twelve Sleighs of Christmas

Santa’s arm hurt, and his sleigh was kaput—

One runner bent sideways—all covered in soot.

A rooftop collision had totaled his rig.

One tiny mistake that turned out to be big.

He had only been trying to test some new gear—

To practice his landing for Christmas this year.

This awful dilemma stirred up the north pole.

Poor jolly old Santa —an unlucky roll!

But the elves didn’t fret, and they shouted with glee,

“Oh, don’t worry Santa, we’ve got a plan B!”

“Your sled may be broken, and so is your arm,

But wood from your sleigh wreck has true Christmas charm.”

“We’ve already hammered and chiseled for days.

Our elf crew has fashioned these twelve brand new sleighs.”

Sleighs one through three glowed with holly green paint—

Dressed up with berries, all simple and quaint.

Sleighs four through six sported stripey red flames—

A curvy design stamped with all the elf names.

Sleighs seven through nine all sparkled like snow—

Cup holders for cocoa and revving to go.

Sleighs ten through twelve were bedecked to look bright—

Festive with light bulbs—they sparkled with light.

The elves gathered gifts—from small to quite large.

They hooked up the reindeer—now they were in charge!

These holiday helpers would rescue the day—

Subbing for Santa with twelve jolly sleighs.

Zipping up in the sky, they sang out from their flight,

“Merry Christmas to all and to all an elf night!”

8. CHRISTMASAURUS HEX

Wanda looked out the window. It was Halloween, but there wasn’t a skeleton in sight, just Santas and strings of colorful lights. “Christmas season starts earlier every year,” Wanda grumbled. “But this time they’ve gone too far.”

For the next 55 days, Wanda planned and plotted and prepared a spell to ruin Christmas.

On Christmas morning, Wanda took a candy cane and waved her wand. “Halloween was skipped, and so I’m vexed. Give me a monster that runs, roars, and wrecks.”

POOF!

Wanda clapped as a Christmasurus appeared. “Come with me and help,” she cackled.

But when the Christmasaurus ran through town, everyone smiled.

“You’re fast,” a child said. “Please pull our sled.” The Christmasaurus was happy to help.

Wanda grumbled and waved her wand. Needs to be louder.

POOF!

But when the Christmasaurus roared, everyone cheered. “Your voice is the perfect pitch,” a caroler said. “Please sing with us.” The Christmasaurus was happy to help.

Wanda grumbled and waved her wand again. Needs to be bigger.

POOF!

But when the Christmasaurus went to wreck the tree, everyone looked relieved. “You’re just the right height,” the mayor said. “Please put the star on top.” The Christmasaurus was happy to help.

Wanda flew home fuming.

The Christmasaurus followed with a note from the mayor.

“Dear Wanda,” it read. “Thank you for the holiday helper. I hope to see you both at the Christmas party. P.S. Sorry we missed Halloween.” Wanda grinned. “Why not?” she said. “I do like parties.”

9. The Christmas Corgi

Dash, the Christmas corgi,

Tries so hard to do his part.

He might be small in stature,

But he has a helpful heart!

But Dash can’t wrap the presents.

He’s too short to trim the trees.

And if he tries to shovel snow –

His stubby legs will freeze!

The cookies are too tempting,

And he can’t quite reach the lights.

And have you ever heard a corgi…

Singing “Silent Night?”

He can’t harness the reindeer,

Or help put together toys.

And Dash can’t read the letters

Sent by all the girls and boys.

He’s too small to pull Santa’s sled;

His nose will never glow.

So Dash can’t shine the way

Through storms of swirling, blowing snow.

But if you’ve had a long, hard night,

Of flying through the cold…

If climbing down chimneys and stairs

has left you feeling old…

If you need something soft and warm

to help you get some rest…

For snuggles, fluff, and love,

A Christmas corgi is the best!

10. NOT TOO LITTLE

I tried to help bake

While Mom answered the door

But SPLAT! Cookie dough spilled

All over the floor!

I tried putting lights

On the tree for my Dad

But I couldn’t reach high enough

It was so sad!

“You’re still just too little

To help us right now

But maybe next year

You can help us somehow!”

“Too little, too little

That’s all that I hear

I don’t want to wait

Until Christmas next year!”

Too little, too little,

Too little I’m not!

I know I can help

I just need the right spot!

Then Christmas Eve came

We had all gone to bed.

We were all in our dreams

Cookies danced through my head

My daddy snoozed, snoring

Mom mumbled in sleep

And my little brother

Was counting his sheep

When out of my slumber

I woke with a yelp

A clamorous crash!

Someone needed my help!

I bounded from bed

And raced into the den

As the clock struck twelve

I caught sight of HIM!

He was setting the Christmas tree

Back up and then…

I saw it was Santa!

White beard on his chin!

“I’m just bit late

Do a favor for me?

Fill up the stockings?

Put gifts ‘round the tree?”

“Yes sir!” I shouted!

“Just leave it to me!”

“Thanks for the help,”

Santa shouted with glee!

Up the chimney he went

And jumped into his sleigh

“Great helper!” I heard

As he went on his way!

11. Let it Grow! Let it Grow! Let it Grow!

Oh the weather outside was dreary

And the plants were looking weary.

Poor Santa was filled with woe.

“They won’t grow! They won’t grow! They won’t grow!”

“A Venus fly-trap for Tommy,

And a String of Pearls for Mommy?!

Their progress is much too slow!

They won’t grow! They won’t grow! They won’t grow!”

Rudolph finally came one night.

“How plants hate being out in a storm!

Northern climate just isn’t right–

The leaves and the roots should be warm!”

They ran around helter-skelter

And devised to build a shelter.

“Protected from ice and snow,

They will grow, they will grow, they will grow!”

Well they didn’t show signs of perking.

“Oh no, it isn’t working!”

“Dear Santa, don’t feel so low.

They will grow! They will grow! They will grow!”

“It’s not enough to be cozy.”

So Rudolph lit his nosey.

The greenhouse was set aglow.

“There they go! There they go! There they go!”

Santa finally cheered “Hooray!

Rudy’s light has again saved the day!

Little Tom and his mom will cheer,

And I can grow plants through the year!”

When the weather outside is nippy

Santa’s garden still looks zippy.

“With a greenhouse and Rudolph’s glow,

Let it snow! Let it blow! They will grow!”

12. The Sleigh-Awake Band

Santa packs up his sled for the long night ahead,

of lifting and gifting and being well-fed.

The cookies and milk make the big guy feel tired,

(but staying awake for his job is required!).

ZZZZZZZZZZ….

The sleigh teeters left and then sails to the right,

and loops through the air like a runaway kite.

The reindeer are dizzy, the presents are sliding –

“It’s time” shout the elves (who had all been in hiding).

Jingle’s on cymbals and Jangle’s on cello.

The sound shakes the sleigh just like jiggly jell-o.

Now Santa is stirring. Noelle grabs a drum,

and RAT-A-TAT-TATS til’ her thumbs become numb.

Then Eve heaves her tuba and gives it a blast.

BOOM, BOOM “Wake up Santa, and please make it fast!”

WHOOOSH! Just in time. He grabs hold of the reins.

The sleigh soars up high, past the birds and the planes.

The Sleigh-Awake Band jams across the night sky.

“You rock!” Santa shouts with a gleam in his eye.

You helped me make presents, baked cookies and cake,

but you helped me the most when you kept me awake!

Now, each Christmas Eve, Santa makes sure to pack

the Sleigh-Awake Band to help keep him on track!

BOOM BOOM, RATTLE RATTLE, A RAT-A-TAT TAT!

They’re off to spread joy with the tip of his hat….

Now YOU get to enjoy the agony of decision as you try to choose which of those amazing entries to vote for! You’re going to need that Santa hat!

Please vote for the entry you feel deserves to win in the poll below by 7PM EST Thursday December 17th.

Tune in Friday December 18th to see THE WINNERS!!! – same bat time, same bat station 😊

Thank you all so much for taking the time to write (if you did), read, and vote! These contests simply wouldn’t be what they are without all of you!

I truly cannot wait to see who you choose as the winner! Good luck!!! 😊

⭐️Deck the Halls! ⭐️ Light the menorah! ⭐️ Fill the Kikombe cha Umoja! ⭐️

It’s time for . . .

THE 10TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY CONTEST!!!

~ for children’s writers ~

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

Your helper can be one helper, or a pair, or a group or a bevy or a herd of helpers. Your helpers can be children, animals, elves, aliens, unicorns, fairies . . . whatever your heart desires. He/she/they can help bake, decorate, shovel snow, wrap gifts, clean the house, entertain guests, feed the hungry, comfort the lonely, bring the holiday spirit to those who have lost it – sky’s the limit 😊 But the focus of the story must be on helping – not just a brief mention in passing that Marla helped Dad set the table in the middle of a story about her frustration at not getting the starring role in the school holiday pageant.

Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, New Year’s or whatever you celebrate during the Holiday Season, 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!)

Post: Your entry should be posted between right now this very second and Wednesday December 9th at 11:59 PM EST, in ONE of the following three ways:

Post your entry on your own blog and enter your post-specific link (not your main blog URL) to the link list below, OR

Paste your entry in the comment section below (please include your byline since if your posting handle is something like MamaWritesByNightlight I will have no idea who you are 😊), OR

If you have trouble pasting your entry in the comment section for any reason (which unfortunately does happen!) you can email it to me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com and I will post it for you. If you email it, please copy and paste your entry into the body of the email NO ATTACHMENTS – they will not be opened. Please include your title and byline at the top of your entry. (And since there have been many questions about this byline means who it’s by, for example, The Hanukkah Helper by Janie Simcox.)

Please submit your entry only ONCE! If you add it to the blog link list, and the comments, and email me to post it, things get very confusing! I try to stay as glued to my desk as possible, but sometimes I have to get up so if I don’t respond to your email or approve your post immediately, don’t panic! I’ll get to it as soon as I can!

There will be no regular posts (Tuesday Debut, Would You Read It, or Perfect Picture Book) for the duration of the contest so this post with the links and comments will stay up for everyone to visit and enjoy until I post the finalists.

The Judging: My lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to approximately 10 finalists (depending on the number of entries – if we get a lower turnout we’ll post fewer finalists, a higher turnout possibly one or two more.) In the interest of finishing up the contest in a timely fashion so everyone can go about their holidays, we will do our best to post the finalists here by Monday December 14th for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed on Wednesday December 16th at 5 PM EST. Whoever gets the most votes will be first and so on down to tenth place (or wherever we place to), and the winners will be announced on Thursday December 17th. (These dates are subject to adjustment if it takes the judges longer than we anticipate to get the judging completed.)

Judging criteria will be as follows:

1. Kid-appeal! – These stories are intended for a young audience (ages 12 and under), so we’re looking for stories that children will enjoy and relate to.

2. Holiday Helpers! – the rules state a Holiday Helper story, so it must be crystal clear that the story is about someone helping someone else in some way during Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, New Year’s, or whatever seasonal winter holiday you choose. The story must center on helping – the help must not be just an offhand mention/reference in a story about something else.

3. Quality of story – entries must tell a story, including a main character of some kind and a true story arc even if it’s tiny 😊 Entries must not be merely descriptions or mood pieces.

4. Quality of Writing: check your spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. If you’re going to rhyme, give us your best 😊 Overall writing quality and use of language are also important.

5. Originality and creativity – because that is often what sets one story above another.

6. PLEASE FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS! Large numbers of entries make it easy to cut entries that haven’t been entered as we asked.

The Prizes!: The prize list is completely and totally awesome! Read! Covet! Write your best! 😊

A Picture Book Manuscript Read and Critique by Agent Kaitlyn Sanchez of Olswanger Literary! Although she is currently closed to submissions (making this prize EXTRA special!) a look at her wish list will give you an idea of what she likes.

A 12×12 Silver Membership (valued at $177 but worth so much more!) generously donated by author and 12×12 founder and queen, Julie Hedlund! 12×12 is a fantastic, educational, supportive community with TONS to offer its members, including interesting and informational webinars of all kinds, access to forums and critiques, and the chance to submit to agents. If you’re not familiar with it, you can learn all about it HERE. Julie is the author of A Troop Is A Group of Monkeys (Little Bahalia Publishing, 2013), My Love For You Is The Sun (Little Bahalia Publishing, 2014), and the forthcoming Over, Bear! Under, Where? (Philomel Books, Fall 2021)

A Picture Book Manuscript Read and On The Spot Critique by prolific author Laura Purdie Salas! Laura offers a 50-minute on on-the-spot critique via Zoom for one picture book manuscript of up to 600 words (fiction or nonfiction, rhyming or prose or poetry). She will read it out loud to the writer and then do a critique right then and answer questions. Laura is a writer of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, prose, her own submissions and work for hire – she’s done it all! She is also the author of a number of fantastic books for writers which are often given as prizes here. Some of her books include A Leaf Can Be (Millbrook Press 2012), Clover Kitty Goes To Kittygarten (Two Lions 2020), Snowman – Cold = Puddle (Charlesbridge 2019), If You Were The Moon (Millbrook Press 2017), Making A Living Writing Books For Kids (CreateSpace 2017), and Picture Books The Write Way (CreateSpace 2014)

Rate Your Story owner, Picture Book Mechanic, and author Lynne Marie is offering 4 amazing prizes!

A 1/2 hour Zoom Session Picture Book Manuscript Consultation/Critique from ThePictureBookMechanic.com

Another 1/2 hour Zoom Session Picture Book Manuscript Consultation/Critique from ThePictureBookMechanic.com

A Rate Your Story Speedpass from RateYourStory.org

[From the Rate Your Story site] “A SPEED PASS allows a Non-Member to submit to Rate Your Story, as well as a Member to submit additional items to best serve the rating and feedback needs of our writing community.

We have a variety of Speedpass options, including pitches, query letters, art or a single manuscript at any time for a rating + guaranteed comments*, and it will be returned in less than 7 days’ time. Should you require a faster turnaround, fast pass options may be purchased to facilitate that.”

Another Rate Your Story Speedpass from RateYourStory.org

Lynne Marie is the accomplished author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten – art by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic 2011), Hedgehog’s 100th Day of School – art by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play — art by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares — art by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling 2019 and Scholastic 2019) and Let’s Eat! Mealtime Around the World — art by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books 2019) and two others forthcoming.

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (fiction, rhyme or prose) by accomplished author Laura Sassi, author of Goodnight, Ark (Zonderkidz 2014) , Goodnight, Manger (Zonderkidz 2015), Diva Delores And The Opera House Mouse (Sterling 2018), Love Is Kind (Zonderkidz 2018), and the forthcoming Little Ewe: The Story of One Lost Sheep (Beaming Books, February 2021)

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by talented author Sandra Sutter, whose delightful books include The REAL Farmer In The Dell (Clearfork Publishing/Spork, March 2019) and Stan’s Frightful Halloween (Clearfork Publishing/Spork, September 2020)

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by gifted author and former Holiday Contest prize winner, Jenna Waldman, author of the forthcoming Larry’s Latkes (October 2021) (originally written for the Holiday Contest!) and Shark-bot Shalom (August 2021) She is on twitter at @SarafinaDesign

Personalized, signed copies of For Spacious Skies (Albert Whitman, April 2020) and The Queen And The First Christmas Tree (Albert Whitman, October 2018) by award-winning author Nancy Churnin.

Personalized, signed copies of The Night Baafore Christmas (WorthyKids 2019) by Dawn Young and Louis (HMH Books For Young Readers 2020) by Tom Lichtenheld, illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch. The Night Baafore Christmas will be signed by Dawn, the author. Louis will be signed by Julie, the illustrator.

Two Picture Books (TBD) donated by Darshana Khiani, whose own picture book How To Wear A Sari is forthcoming from Versify in June 2021.

Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊

This is the part in the proceedings where I would normally post my sample to entertain and encourage you. Ahem. Seems I’ve been a little over-scheduled with life lately, and my sample isn’t quite finished. . . If I can get it done whilst running the contest I’ll pop it in here. If not, you guys have the hang of these contest by now and you don’t really need my example! 😊

I know you guys are going to come up with great stories, and I’m so looking forward to reading them all! 😊

***UPDATE 12/8/20*** – I’m late adding this in and it would have benefited greatly from more time to work and a slightly longer word count, but. . .

A Little Christmas Joy (249 words)

Cara longed to play in the snow.

She wanted to open her mouth and feel the cold snowflakes melt on her tongue.

She wanted to lie on her back and make snow angels.

But Cara wasn’t allowed outside alone, and everyone was busy inside because it was Christmas Eve.

“So many presents to wrap!” Mom said.

“I’ll help!” said Cara.

She handed Mom scissors and tape, and pressed her finger to the crossed ribbon so Mom could tie a snug bow.

“This tree needs decorating!” said Dad.

“I’ll help!” said Cara.

She hung pepperminty candy canes from the fragrant-needled boughs wherever she felt spaces.

“So much cookie dough to bake!” said Cara’s big sister.

“I’ll help!” said Cara. She grinned and scooped a fingerful of dough from the bowl into her mouth.

The whole day passed, and Cara never got to play in the snow.

She carefully placed cookies and milk on the hearth for Santa, along with apples for the reindeer.

When Santa arrived, he saw everything Cara had helped with – the presents, the tree, the cookies – and her snow boots waiting hopefully by the back door.

He smiled and whispered, “You help everyone else. It’s time you got a little special help yourself.”

When Cara awoke, her gift was beside her. A wet nose, a wagging tail, and a note in Braille on her collar that read: Hi Cara! I’m Joy, your Guiding Eyes. I can’t wait to take you out to play in the snow!

*** There you have it 😊 ***

With so many great prizes up for grabs I hope there will be a lot of entries – the more the merrier! And you’ve still got a couple days to write, so you can squeeze in under the wire if you haven’t written yet. Feel free to spread the word to your writing friends as well. And your reading friends – parents, teachers, etc. The more people who read and enjoy your stories, the better!!!

Contest Entrants, remember to add your post-specific link to the google form below so we can all come read your awesome stories! (Post-specific means not your main blog url, but the actual url of the post that has your story in it – otherwise if you post again before the contest ends, your link will take readers… and judges!… to the wrong place!)

Eager Readers – just go along the list of links, click on them, and enjoy the stories! And don’t miss the fabulous entries that are posted in the comments below! The titles are listed and linked just below the link list at the bottom of the post and will take you directly to the stories!

Happy Writing and Happy Holidays!!!🎄⭐️ ✡️❄️☃️🕎

Don’t miss the 119!!! fabulous entries that are posted in the comments below! The titles are linked and will take you directly to the stories!

Ivy’s Christmas Wish – Anne Reilly

Decorating The Tree – Gabrielle Cardwell

Not Too Little – Marty Findley

Christmas Angel – Brenda Whitehead

Decorations Deputy – Nicola Thackrey

A Super Scooper – Ellen Turcio

A Cranky Christmas – Stacey Miller

Sylvia Kitty – Susan Drew

Bug Academy Christmas Pageant – Kathiann Weatherbee

Calma The Llama – Mattie Noall

Don’t Let The Cat Help Decorate The Tree – Lu Pierro

BigFoot’s Surprise – Natalie Cohn

A Fine Idea – Jill Proctor

Holly The Holiday Helper – Ashley Congdon

Ollie’s Christmas Visits – Marilyn Wolpin

A Dust Bunny’s Christmas – Marty Bellis

Naserian – A Maasai The Holiday Helper – Ketan Ram

Who Will Do It? (April Helps Out) – Elizabeth Westra

Bambini Christmas – Martha Holguin

Holiday Helpers – Shariffa Keshavjee

A Servant’s Heart – Ellen Crosby

Snail’s Starry Night – Becky Loescher

Sandy Claws’ Helpers – Susan E. Schipper

Dear Santa – Dawn Young

Christmas Neighbor – Linda Staszak

Sugar’s Spin – Megan & Rob Hunnicut

Elf And The Pixies – Vicky Langdon

The Signed Confession – Cristina Raymer

The Reverse Advent Calendar – Anne Lipton

Holiday Helper Extraordinaire – Susan Summers

Home For Christmas – P. J. Purtee

Three Christmas Camels – Deb Robertson

Reindeer Shoes – Katherine Rahoy

A Little Holiday Help – Nina Nolan

Christmas Is For Everyone – Gerry Lynne Baker

The Best Christmas Helper – Jean Hall

Gingerbread Construction Crew – Ashlee Hashman

A Swedish Pageant And The Mystery Of The Missing Meatballs – Kathryn Rammell

Christmas Smiles – Alli Strauss

A Hanukah Detour – Sandra Budiansky

The Oldest Elf – Jim Chaize

Santa’s Helpers – E. Elle Bea

La Navidad I’ll Never Forget – Carmen Gilbert

I’m Helping For The Holidays (No, You’re Not) – Krista Harrington

Have A New Year! – Karen Keesling

Not Too Small At All – Sarah Hawklyn

To Celebrate We Mix It Up – Sarah Hawklyn

Christmas Gifts – Donna Kurtz

Colin’s Christmas Treat – Sally Yorke Viney

App-y Christmas! – Paul Kurtz

Santa’s Elves Need Helpers Too – Katie Brandyberry

The Red Caboose – Stephanie Cullen

Christmas In Germany – Elizabeth Meyer Zu Heringdorf

Leo And The Tree Lady – Ann Malaspina

The Sleigh-Awake Band – Laura Bower

Baba’s Christmas Wish – Taylor Gardner

A Dear, Dear Boy – Darcee A. Freier

Changing The World – Kathleen Campbell

The Christmas Cookie Catastrophe – Lynn Camacho

Grandma’s Christmas Helper, A COVID Alphabet Story – Sarah Hetu-Radny

Baia’s Bags Of Blessings – Elyse Trevers

Chanukah Helpers – Marla Yablon

The Farmyard Nativity – Krystal Snead

Sprinkles For Santa – Cindy Sommer

The Crocheted Star – Beverly Warren

The Toymaker And The Christmas Tomte – Cathrene Valente Youngquist

New Year’s Cheer – Mia Geiger

Santa’s Surprise Helper – Liz Kehrli

Holiday Helpers Galore! – Isabel Cruz Rodgriguez

Nothing To Give – Maria Marianayagam

Oy To The World: An Ode To 2020 – Mary Vander Plas

Gingerbread Commotion – JC Kelly

Hummus For Santa – Leila Boukarim

Island Santa – Anne Sawan

Samosas For Santa – Namita Moolani Mehra

Beaver’s Gift – Deb Buschman

Let It Grow! Let It Grow! Let It Grow! – Allison Strick

Star Light, Star Bright – Estelle Grace Tudor

Candy And Cain’s Big Job – Becky Kimbrough

Santa Knows – Diane Hanington

The Best Christmas Ever – Diane Hanington

Little Light – Patti Tomarelli

Runny-Nosed Rudolph – Sarah Hetu-Radny

Ask Santa – Jennifer Reichow

Not Counting On Sweet Treats This Year – Linda Hofke

The Runaway Reindeer – Caroline Perry

Flossy’s Fairy Fail – Laura Howard

The Christmas Tree – Cynthia Stacey

The Greatest Gift – Lisa Khan

Adorable, Not Abominable – Kimberly Lee

Maya’s Light – Karyn Curtis

Tiffani And The Talking Tree – Courtney Ryan

Santa’s Helpers – Meghan Wallace

Missing Magic – Darci Nielson

One Cold Christmas – Toni Hawks Floyd

Merry Marsmas – Megan Walvoord

Me Do It! – Simon Yeend

‘Twas A Night On A Farm – Penelope McNally

Winter Welcome – Jessica Whipple

A Not-So-Helpful Helper – Liv Gehlbach

The Kindness Crew – Michelle S. Kennedy

Christmas For The Birds – Elizabeth Volkmann

Christmas Shelter – Rita Russell

Princess Oblivious – Bill Canterbury

A Forest Christmas – Barbara Keevil Parker

Little Donkey, The Christmas Helper – Jacqui Boulter

Cam’s Christmas – Ann Gray

Santa’s Helper – Mary Rudzinski

“For The Girl Who Has Everything” – Bill Canterbury

Buon The Christmouse – Georgette Kaftan

Great Aunt MaccaBea – Danielle Sharkan

Blue and Boots and the Christmas Spirit – Katie Schwartz

Santa’s Slumber – Jennifer Lowe

The Holiday Helper Thing – Cindy L. Jeklin

Holiday Helpers – Bonnie Anderson

GRA’MERE’S COOKIES – Loren Hackney

‘Twas nearly Thanksgiving

When here on my site

I realized you guys needed

Guidelines to write

For the annual Holiday Contest. I know!

I’ve left you with only fourteen days to go!

So put on your thinking cap! Warm up your pen!

For Holiday Contest – numéro TEN!

Okay.

Clement C. Moore I may not be. . . 😊

I mean, if I’m going to be honest about it, I’m not really sure what a sugarplum even is. . . !

Let’s just put dancing fruits right out of our heads for a moment because I have big news!

Huge Excitement!

SOMETHING TO TWIRL YOUR TINSEL FOR!

The guidelines for . . .

THE 10TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY CONTEST!!!

~ for children’s writers ~

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

Your helper can be one helper, or a pair, or a group or a bevy or a herd of helpers. Your helpers can be children, animals, elves, aliens, unicorns, fairies . . . whatever your heart desires. He/she/they can help bake, decorate, shovel snow, wrap gifts, clean the house, entertain guests, feed the hungry, comfort the lonely, bring the holiday spirit to those who have lost it – sky’s the limit 😊 But the focus of the story must be on helping – not just a brief mention in passing that Marla helped Dad set the table in the middle of a story about her frustration at not getting the starring role in the school holiday pageant.

Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, New Year’s or whatever you celebrate during the Holiday Season, 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!)

Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between 12:01 AM EST Monday December 7th and Wednesday December 9th at 11:59 PM EST, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list on the official holiday contest post which will go up on my blog on Monday December 7th and remain up for your reading pleasure until I post the finalists. There will be no regular posts (Tuesday Debut, Would You Read It, or Perfect Picture Book) for the duration of the contest so the links will stay up for everyone to visit and enjoy. If you would like to enter but don’t have a blog you are welcome to paste your entry in the comment section of my December 7th post when it goes up. If you have trouble commenting, you can email me. (We’ll go over this part in more detail on the December 7th post! 😊 )

The Judging: My lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to approximately 10 finalists (depending on the number of entries and final number of prizes – if we get a lower turnout we’ll post fewer finalists, a higher turnout possibly one or two more.) In the interest of finishing up the contest in a timely fashion so everyone can go about their holidays, we will do our best to post the finalists here by Monday December 14th for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed on Wednesday December 16th at 5 PM EST. Whoever gets the most votes will be first and so on down to tenth place (or wherever we place to), and the winners will be announced on Thursday December 17th. (These dates are subject to adjustment if it takes the judges longer than we anticipate to get the judging completed.)

Judging criteria will be as follows:

1. Kid-appeal! – These stories are intended for a young audience (ages 12 and under), so we’re looking for stories that children will enjoy and relate to.

2. Holiday Helpers! – the rules state a Holiday Helper story, so it must be crystal clear that the story is about someone helping someone else in some way during Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, New Year’s, or whatever seasonal winter holiday you choose. The story must center on helping – the help must not be just an offhand mention/reference in a story about something else.

3. Quality of story – entries must tell a story, including a main character of some kind and a true story arc even if it’s tiny 😊 Entries must not be merely descriptions or mood pieces.

4. Quality of Writing: check your spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. If you’re going to rhyme, give us your best 😊 Overall writing quality and use of language are also important.

5. Originality and creativity – because that is often what sets one story above another.

6. PLEASE FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS! Large numbers of entries make it easy to cut entries that haven’t been entered as we asked.

The Prizes!: The prize list is under construction. . . But I wanted to get the guidelines up so you guys would have as much time as possible to work on your stories! Stay tuned for an updated list at some point 😊

A Picture Book Manuscript Read and Critique by Agent Kaitlyn Sanchez of Olswanger Literary! Although she is currently closed to submissions (making this prize EXTRA special!) a look at her wish list will give you an idea of what she likes.

A 12×12 Silver Membership (valued at $177 but worth so much more!) generously donated by author and 12×12 founder and queen, Julie Hedlund! 12×12 is a fantastic, educational, supportive community with TONS to offer its members, including interesting and informational webinars of all kinds, access to forums and critiques, and the chance to submit to agents. If you’re not familiar with it, you can learn all about it HERE. Julie is the author of A Troop Is A Group of Monkeys (Little Bahalia Publishing, 2013), My Love For You Is The Sun (Little Bahalia Publishing, 2014), and the forthcoming Over, Bear! Under, Where? (Philomel Books, Fall 2021)

Rate Your Story owner, Picture Book Mechanic, and author Lynne Marie is offering 4 amazing prizes!

A 1/2 hour Zoom Session Picture Book Manuscript Consultation/Critique from ThePictureBookMechanic.com

Another 1/2 hour Zoom Session Picture Book Manuscript Consultation/Critique from ThePictureBookMechanic.com

A Rate Your Story Speedpass from RateYourStory.org

[From the Rate Your Story site] “A SPEED PASS allows a Non-Member to submit to Rate Your Story, as well as a Member to submit additional items to best serve the rating and feedback needs of our writing community.

We have a variety of Speedpass options, including pitches, query letters, art or a single manuscript at any time for a rating + guaranteed comments*, and it will be returned in less than 7 days’ time. Should you require a faster turnaround, fast pass options may be purchased to facilitate that.”

Another Rate Your Story Speedpass from RateYourStory.org

Lynne Marie is the accomplished author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten – art by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic 2011), Hedgehog’s 100th Day of School – art by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play — art by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares — art by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling 2019 and Scholastic 2019) and Let’s Eat! Mealtime Around the World — art by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books 2019) and two others forthcoming.

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (fiction, rhyme or prose) by accomplished author Laura Sassi, author of Goodnight, Ark (Zonderkidz 2014) , Goodnight, Manger (Zonderkidz 2015), Diva Delores And The Opera House Mouse (Sterling 2018), Love Is Kind (Zonderkidz 2018), and the forthcoming Little Ewe: The Story of One Lost Sheep (Beaming Books, February 2021)

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by talented author Sandra Sutter, whose delightful books include The REAL Farmer In The Dell (Clearfork Publishing/Spork, March 2019) and Stan’s Frightful Halloween (Clearfork Publishing/Spork, September 2020)

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by gifted author and former Holiday Contest prize winner, Jenna Waldman, author of the forthcoming Larry’s Latkes (October 2021) (originally written for the Holiday Contest!) and Shark-bot Shalom (August 2021)

Personalized, signed copies of For Spacious Skies (Albert Whitman, April 2020) and The Queen And The First Christmas Tree (Albert Whitman, October 2018) by award-winning author Nancy Churnin.

Two Picture Books (TBD) donated by Darshana Khiani, whose own picture book How To Wear A Sari is forthcoming from Versify in June 2021.

Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazone, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊

So there you have it! Fire up those brain cells! Grab a cup of hot chocolate, plonk your tiny hiney into a comfy chair, and get to writing your potentially prize-winning Holiday Helper story!!! You have 14 full days! (And remember, I’m being a helper because deadlines are great for creativity and productivity!) So what if you’re in charge of Thanksgiving dinner this week! Your little cherubs can model helpfulness and serve as inspiration for your contest entry by peeling potatoes, making up the bed in the spare room for Great Auntie Brunhilda, bathing the cats, and whatever other little chores need doing! You’ll have plenty of time to write! 😊

On your mark…

…get set…

…GO!

I am SO looking forward to getting to read all your stories!!!

In this unusual year, when people have been isolated and separated and lots of folks are more than ever in need of holiday cheer, lending a helping hand seemed like a nice topic. I hope you’ll all have fun with it!

Have a marvelous Monday, everyone! 😊