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Annual Christmas story

Mia searches for her mission in note

Mia and Brandon walked down the sidewalk, bundled up against the brisk, cold air in puffy coats and hats. The mouthwatering scent of baking cookies drifted through the air, coming from the Cookie Crumble Bakery, mixing with the smell of coffee from the Busy Bean Cafe next door. Mia took in a deep breath, loving the way everything seemed to smell so much better in the cold winter air. “So you have no idea what the note means?” Brandon asked, and Mia shook her head. “For the hundredth time, no.” She patted her coat pocket, where the note was safely stowed away. “The address ...

Mia’s golden ornament shows signs of being magical

Mia sat on her bed, holding the golden ornament. When she’d pulled it out of her backpack, she’d been positive it had flickered for a second, like a broken light bulb. But as she stared at the shiny orb sitting on her pink bedspread, it did nothing but look like a plain old ornament. Hesitantly, she picked it up and twisted it to open it up. For a moment, it felt like it warmed in her hands, then it was back to normal. She frowned at the two halves. “What is going on?” she wondered out loud, then shook her head. She was being silly; she was probably just so filled with ...

Mia picks a most wondrous and strange golden ornament

Editor’s note: This is the second chapter of a 12-part continuing, fictional holiday tale, “The Golden Ornament” that is running daily through Christmas. Parents are encouraged to read it aloud to their children. The outdoor lights dimmed as the music began to play, and the people of Winter Falls began their traditional rendition of “O Christmas Tree.” At the start of the second verse, the massive tree lit up in all its glory with brilliant twinkling lights. The star on top was warm white and as bright as a star in the sky. Even though Mia knew exactly how it would look, she ...

Feel the excitement of the ornament

Editor’s note: This is the first chapter of a 12-part continuing, fictional holiday tale, “The Golden Ornament” that is running daily through Christmas. Parents are encouraged to read it aloud to their children. The annual lighting of the town square Christmas tree was the night Mia looked forward to most each year. The small town of Winter Falls knew how to do Christmas right. It was the kind of town where everyone knew each other, whose residents were friendly and giving, especially around the holidays. Every year, Mia walked down to the center of town with her mom and ...

Hannah rides on Santa’s sleigh

Hannah filled her mug from the hot cocoa fountain that stood taller than she was, then grabbed a frosted snowman cookie from one of the trays attached to the large toy train that twisted through the room, carrying plates and trays piled high with thousands of cookies. She’d just come back inside from watching a penguin race, which was apparently a popular party event at the North Pole. Max was sitting by a massive stone fireplace, and she sat next to him to warm up. “I’ll be sad to see you go home tomorrow,” Max said. “We all will.” “Me too,” she said. “But Mom ...

Hannah shares a visit with reindeer

“Can the reindeer talk?” Hannah asked as they arrived at a massive warehouse. She stared up at the rectangle building — a building that hardly seemed suitable for anything to live in. “No, they can’t talk like people do,” Santa said. “But they’re excellent at communicating. You’ll see.” They opened the door to the warehouse, and Hannah gasped. “How?” she asked, stepping back out into the cold and looking around before stepping back into the warm warehouse. Somehow, the inside wasn’t a warehouse at all, but a small village complete with stables and fields ...