Christmas Contest

Congratulations to everyone that participated in this contest. We had some great submissions and new contributors. Thank you everyone. Here's what we received in alphabetical order, please leave a comment for our contributors.

Kristi (Illustration)

I wanted to create a vintage storybook look to my picture - it did not turn out exactly the way I wanted, but it was fun to get the paints out again. It is a picture of a girl lighting the advent calendar (a German tradition we are celebrating this year with our family).

Liezl (age 5)

Liezl's picture is of the snowman she is going to make if we ever get any snow.

Nate (Illustration and Storytelling)

Arnold was a hard working elf that had many years of helping Santa prepare and pull off some great Christmas’s. Arnold was a hard worker, no one doubted that. He hardly had time to make friends with the other elves that worked in management with him. He dreamed of one day working as the Christmas Eve Head Elf, the elf that had the special privilege of mapping out Santa’s delivery run, where he would go and stop. He knew he would be the best and for that reason he worked his hardest, never stopping to take a break or enjoy living in one of the most magical places on earth, the North Pole.

One day he got a call on his elfPhone, he was getting a promotion from the Big Man Himself, Santa! He was so excited he missed most of the conversation until the words, “You will be sent to Bermuda tomorrow, get ready for some work and sun you lucky guy!” Bermuda, why are they sending me to Bermuda two days before Christmas? Isn’t Santa pleased with my work so far? I thought he would surely want my help for this Christmas’s delivery run. Bermuda? -Arnold thought to himself.

Now you must understand children that most elves would love nothing more than to be sent to Santa’s relief workshop located in the Bermuda Triangle, which every other elf looks at like a vacation. You see, Bermuda is home to Santa’s beach house and a workshop where elves build toys for all the children in the world that live in the south half of the world. Santa stops off there midway through the night to refill his bag with wonderful presents. Elves spend the rest of the year working on presents and surfing the waves, something Santa stays away from as much as possible.

Arnold arrived in Bermuda with a feeling of defeat, he had moved thousands of miles from fulfilling his dreams. What am I supposed to do here in Bermuda? As he climbed from the ELF Arliner 200 into the gentle tropical breeze he was met on the ground by a secretary elf holding a sign with Arnold’s name in big letters.
“Are you Arnold?”
“Yes I am; do you know what my new job is here?”
“You’re going to get everything prepared for Santa’s arrival. We’re almost ready but I guess you’re the elf to get it all done.”
This is great, I still have my chance.

For the next 24 hours Arnold ran around to every factory, pushing elves to hurry up and prepare all gifts for Santa’s arrival on Christmas when he would stop and refill his magical bag of gifts. “We don’t have any time to spare,” he would tell elves in every department. In between factory visits he would walk quickly reviewing papers and talking on his phone to elves up north, making sure everything was coordinated and ready. Santa will see how hard I’ve worked and I’ll get the big promotion next year.

Finally the anticipated moment arrived; it was hours before Santa’s sleigh would land on the runway. The city was filled with elves excitedly making their way to greet Santa, catching buses and talking to neighbors about how the last few hurried weeks had been. Arnold nervously ran down the street, reviewing his checklist a hundred times. “Christmas has to be perfect. I can’t ruin Christmas!” Suddenly his cell phone rang.

“Hello Arnold, I need to have a word with you.” Arnold immediately recognized the voice as Santa’s although he had never talked to him before. Arnold got so excited; maybe he’s going to tell me about my job for next year.

“Arnold you’ve been working so hard and I’m grateful but I need to ask you a question this Christmas Eve.”
“Yes Santa, I would be pleased to do the job.”
“Pleased to do what job?” Santa asked, confused.
“You were calling to ask if I’d work for you next year as your Christmas Eve Head Elf, aren’t you?”
“Oh I see, it’s worse than I thought. We’ll talk about that later Arnold but for right now I need you to do one last thing before I pull in. I remembered as I flew over Canada that I left my favorite glasses there. Could you get them for me; it would really help save Christmas for me…and for you especially.”
“Of course Santa, then can we discuss a future promotion?”
“We will but I really need your help first. Now I need you to look over…” Santa explained where to find the Christmas glasses he really needed to finish the flight. The glasses were made out of fog-proof glass and made delivering so much easier.

“I’ll find the Christmas glasses!” He ran as fast as he could to the store that Santa described and found the broom closet, turning the doorknob and stepping in. The room was dark, the door slammed behind him making the room pitch black. The door was locked. He felt around for a light switch and found one, flipping it on a curtain raised up along one of the walls, revealing the light from outside

It was not a broom closet but the storefront display. He could see all the elves hurrying down to the middle of town where Santa would land in a few moments. He pounded on the glass windows but no one responded to him. Doesn’t anyone see me or know I’m missing? Christmas will be ruined if I don’t find these Christmas glasses! He started looking around the floor of the empty display for anything that looked like glasses, the space was empty though. Why did Santa have me come in here? Maybe his memory is going foggy. I don’t understand. He nervously started fidgeting with his papers, checklist, and then pulled out his phone.

Arnold dialed Santa’s number back and it rang for a few seconds. He pounded on the glass again, no one noticed. Santa’s voice picked up on the other side. “Arnold, have you found my glasses for me?”

“No Santa and I’m stuck in the store front display and no one notices me and I have so much to do before you get here and if I don’t Christmas will be ruined! How do I get out?”
“Settle down Arnold. You haven’t ruined Christmas, that’s impossible.”
“But Santa there’s so much to do still and I haven’t…”
“Relax Arnold; push the button on the back wall and you’ll get what I need this Christmas Eve.” Click, Santa hung up the phone and Arnold spun around to see a button on the back wall which he pushed eagerly.

A hole in the floor revealed a rising object. When it made it to Arnold’s height a spotlight turned on above and revealed a nativity scene. Music started playing overhead, “Still, still, still, one can hear the falling snow…” It was beautiful; a tear fell down Arnold’s cheek. He wiped it away. Christmas can’t be ruined…it isn’t possible.

There lying on the floor of the nativity shined Santa’s glasses, where he must have dropped them as he prepared the scene. They reflected the light and made the Baby Jesus sparkle in the warm glow of the spotlight. Arnold picked up the glasses. How could I forget what Christmas is really about?

Later as he handed Santa the glasses, Santa asked him how he felt about Christmas now. “I love Christmas, especially in the quiet moments. Thank you Santa.” “Of course,” Santa replied.

Santa was able to deliver all the presents that year, but one of the year’s greatest presents was the gift Arnold received. It didn’t come from Santa’s sleigh but the real Christmas miracle from year’s ago when the Christ child was born of Mary in Bethlehem. Arnold learned that we need to take a break from all the hustle and bustle to be still. The next year Arnold got a promotion but it was a special job from Santa to prepare next year’s nativity scene, the greatest job an elf could receive.

Quincy (age 3)

One day some mice ate the Christmas ornaments off of the tree because they thought it was candy. The family was sad because the ornaments were gone, so the mice went outside and made some ornaments with leaves and pinecones. The family loved the new ornaments.

Scott (Animation)

It’s Christmas Time, at a house glimmering with Christmas lights. This punk pizza boy, delivering for Angel's Pizza, dreams of what it would be like to be a real angel: he'd fly and lift that roof up and slam that pizza down in front of these slow customers. "Here! Take your pizza!" Yeah, that would be awesome.

A devil, seeing this punk boy's disposition, whisks the punk away and proposes he duel with a real angel. The punk kid, now equipped with the wings and robes he dreamed of, takes the challenge and struts toward the true, brilliant angel. The punk makes a few jabs at the angel, but he is no match. The angel puts his arm around the punk and immediately pacifies him, and then the loving angel leads the punk through the snow towards a large nativity setting. The devil, enraged, attempts everything to distract the punk from the angel's power (presents, tap dance, and other outlandish stunts). And soon, the punk completely ignores the devil. Just before they see who is inside the manger, the devil whips a black screen in front of the audience, so at least those watching this film cannot see.

But the punk steps in front of the screen and hands the devil a pizza. The punk opens a door built in to the black screen and motions for the devil to exit. The punk shuts the door behind the devil and lifts the screen back up to reveal the bright Bethlehem star and the words sparkling underneath: "Merry Christmas". The End.