Hello! My guess is that you're here to read the three winning Christmas Stories. As we all know, we have some very talented writers in the guild, and thanks to this activity, the skills that they have been blessed with, have been acknowledged. Congratulations to everybody who have participated in this activity, all of your stories will be featured in the new edition / Holiday edition of the Advance. Weekly!
Congratulations to our three winners! Now, get reading!
Third Place // vandread_the_story
It was a warm afternoon. Santa was typing on his blue keyboard in his 'Santa's Present Factory'. He was typing a long list of items that the children wanted this Christmas. After a while, Santa was feeling thirsty but found out that there was no more of his favorite mango juice left in his factory. So, off he went to the magical forest at the heart of North Pole, riding on his trusty companion, which is a brown horse named Sasha. To prevent himself from getting lost, Santa left a trail of french fries on his path. After riding for a long while, Santa found the huge mango tree that he was looking for and went to pluck down a few mangos. However, along the way back, he dropped his mangos, when Sasha leaped across a river. Santa wanted to return to get the mangos, but he was running out of time. It was nearly twelve midnight. So, he hurriedly went back to the factory to collect the childrens' presents and rode on his sleigh, along with his reindeers.
Second Place // tmercy910
Geoffrey was a good little Ixi. He lived in a small house by a gentle river. One day he was getting ready for Christmas. He had his tree all decorated with Blue and red lights and carefully picked ornaments. His favorite ornament was a wooden horse his Grandma Ixi had given him five Christmases ago. She had passed a year ago and he missed her dearly. The ornament had always reminded him of her. He looked back at his tree and smiled. Grandma was a wonderful giving old ixi, she went out of her way to give to the less fortunate neopians at this time of year. He looked over his shopping list and added mangos to make some mango sorbet with mint springs for tonight dinner. His brothers and sister were going to visit him tonight and he wanted everything to be perfect.
He headed off to the market to get the things he still needed for dinner. On his way he saw little neopets having snowball fights and whizzing down snow covered hills on their sleighs. When he got to market there was a jazzy scorchio playing Christmas carol on a keyboard. Geoffrey tossed a few neopoints in the hat nearby. He passed a burger shack and smelled French fries and other yummy things. There were two cozy neopets snuggled together sharing a milk shake in a corner table. He loved what this time of year brought out in everyone. Love, hope, giving, family� A tear welled in his eye. He missed Grandma so very much! He wanted to do something to really honor her memory. As soon as he looked up he saw just the opportunity he was looking for. He saw four ragged little neopets begging for neopoints. He knew what to do! He hurried and went shopping. He got home and prepared everything. Under his tree were toys galore and new clothes wrapped in shinny paper and pretty bows. When his brothers and sister got there they were shocked. �What is all this stuff� his brother exclaimed. �And this food, there�s enough to feed the King�s army! We can�t possible eat all this�� Just then his sister was interrupted by a knock on the door. When they opened it in walked the four ragged dressed little neopets. His brothers and sister looked at him and smiled. All Geoffrey said was �In honor of Grandma Ixi, and the spirit of the holiday��
First Place // coolboy224
A Time for Christmas
�I want you to LIST the thoughts that run through your head as I mention a word.�
�Doc, this isn�t helping. I mean, there�s nothing wrong with me. Why aren�t you taking care of the patients who whimper and suck their thumbs?�
Doctor Albert Petrucci sighed. He ran an aged hand through his thinning hair. His job had never gotten easier, and the toll it had taken was obvious. Despite being well before retirement age, Petrucci�s graying hair had already begun to give way to speckles of white. However, one thing never changed: his patients came first, and curing them was what he lived for.
�Mr. Rowan,� he began again as he reached for the FRENCH FRIES sitting in front of him, �no one thinks there�s anything wrong with you. This is just a standard test I do for my own self benefit. I want to get to know you.�
Petrucci had always found it easier to talk to patients in a familiar setting, and sharing a late night meal at Mcdonald�s always seemed to be just the thing. Even so, his breakthroughs never came easy, and this was no exception. On Christmas day, the local police had called the doctor at one in the morning, and through his yawns and groans, he had arrived. Waiting for him was a man who seemed ordinary in every possible way. Mr. Rowan was a stout man, and a full beard masked his face, but his eyes had stood out to Petrucci instantly. The crystal BLUE eyes pierced through him, and he felt himself shudder. How could such a man end up at the police station an hour after Christmas began?
Now, three months later, the two men were once again at that Mcdonald�s. Petrucci sipped his soda as he watched the two men outside in the van. It had taken all his contact power to persuade the psychiatric ward to allow Mr. Rowan�s public meetings with Dr. Petrucci, and despite all the doctor�s assurances that Mr. Rowan was not dangerous, they still stationed two guards near him. Petrucci shook his head and returned his attention to his patient.
�Let�s move on Jacob,� Petrucci continued, �can you tell me what you did yesterday?
�What did everyone else do yesterday?� Rowan answered with a chuckle, �I watched the children open their presents. We would have gone on a SLEIGH ride, but our horse, Marrow, wasn�t feeling up to it. Must have been that flu going around you know? Although I didn�t know horses had flus. It was a pity really. The outer edge of the forest was so beautiful. My daughters cried and cried, but what could I do? You can�t force an animal to run. They eventually calmed down as I took them skating by the RIVER. I can tell you, I did not enjoy the trudge through the snow.�
Petrucci returned a hearty laugh. �Especially for you my friend. You aren�t exactly a tall person.�
�That�s true, but at least I have a full head of hair,� Rowan countered good-naturedly. �So anyways, after that, we returned home and sang a few carols. You know, all the popular ones the kids love? Listening to my sweet Carly belt out that one song.
�I believe it�s �angels� John,� Petrucci corrected.
�It isn�t your song.�
�But those aren�t the words!�
�It isn�t your version,� Rowan stated matter-of-factly.
Petrucci sighed in resignation, though a smile still stood on his face. �Alright my friend, you win. And I supposed Jenny was pounding the notes out on the KEYBOARD?�
�That she was,� Rowan anwered in a wistful voice, �she�s our little Mozart.�
Rowan�s face suddenly changed. A cloud passed over his face suddenly, and his tone dropped. �But no,� he looked confused, �the keyboard fell! It knocked the TREE over. I told Anne the tree was too close to the fireplace. I should have done something. No! Carla! Watch your dress. Oh, Jenny, why is your face so black. Anne? Carla! Jenna!�
An unnerving silence overtook the two men. Just as suddenly as the cloud had fallen on them, it left. A peaceful look overtook Rowan again. He gave Petrucci a polite nod.
�Well Albert, it was nice talking to you, but I need to be going. It�s Christmas Eve and I have to get home before Anne kills me. The girls will want to take the sleigh down to the lake. I hope the HORSE has gotten over it�s cold.�
Petrucci nodded to the two men outside as they exited the van. The doctor stood up, leaving Rowan at the table, and met them at the door.
�He�s all yours, but honestly, he isn�t dangerous, he�ll just be miserable for the rest of his life.�
The men nodded, but continued in anyways. For the twelfth time in three months, Rowan was being returned to the asylum. Petrucci sighed. The world was unfair, but he did what he could to ease the pain. Petrucci pulled his hood over his thinning head and strode briskly into the cool March air.
