Welcome to day one of my 12 Stories of Christmas Challenge. If you want to participate, add your story or a link in the comments below. This is a poem I wrote during Covid.
The North Pole has received communication from both of your sons requesting a puppy. We are not authorized to fulfill such requests without permission from parents. Please reply by December 23 to inform us of how you would like us to proceed.
Thank you for reaching out. We thought Ben and Sam had given up on getting a puppy. It seems their hearts are set. I’m sure they won’t forget to feed him like the fish. You have our permission to process the order.
It has come to our attention that the elves have agreed to send a puppy to Ben and Sam Parker. After last year’s incident at the Miller house, we made it clear we will no longer transfer dogs.
Sparky the chihuahua was intolerable. He gave out a high-pitched bark every time Rudolph’s nose glowed. He chewed on Comet’s harness resulting in him breaking loose from the sleigh. Then, he relieved himself in your bag, resulting in a list of gift complaints. Then, when we were finally rid of him, he started yipping and woke up the family. You had to rush out without getting the carrots they left for us (although I seem to recall you had time to get your cookies).
We insist that you cancel the order for the Parker’s puppy.
I sympathize with your concerns. However, I cannot disappoint the kids. They are at the top of the nice list. I will make sure the Parker’s puppy is better trained than Sparky.
Letter addressed to Heather Parker, left in stocking labeled “Mom”
Dear Mrs. Parker,
I regret to inform you that we were unable to complete your order due to supply chain issues. We apologize for the inconvenience and have replaced your order of one live puppy with two dachshund beanie babies left wrapped beneath the tree.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! There are so many traditions this time of year, and as I go through them, I often think of ideas for stories. But, I get so busy that I never write them. So, I decided to challenge myself this year to write “12 stories of Christmas”. Between now and December 24th I plan to post 12 holiday themed stories. To make this more fun, I’m sending the challenge to any writers to participate. Here’s how it works:
On the mornings of December 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 20th, 22nd, and 24th I will post my story for the day. The goal is to keep writing and enjoy the holidays, so these will be flash fiction, with limited time for revision, so there’s no pressure for “professional polish”.
Anyone who wishes to participate just needs to visit Nicole’s Nook and click on the day’s story. Then, in the comments post your own story or a link to it. The only requirements are that the stories have some holiday connection (whatever holiday you celebrate- it doesn’t have to be Christmas). It can be any genre or format (short story, poem, memoir…). You can participate in as many or few days as you wish, but please only submit one story per day.
