Hannah meets Santa Claus, aka grandpa

December 21, 2019

Hannah always had loved going to the mall and department stores at Christmas time; she enjoyed the way they always turned into magical winter wonderlands, and one of her favorite things to do was visit Santa at the mall every year. Now, even though she was actually right here in the middle of the North Pole, feeling the cold air nip her face as the polar bear trotted down the road, she wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. She hugged the bear, pressing her face down into his warm, soft fur as he slowed down outside of a massive log cabin, decorated to look like ...

An awesome arrival to the North Pole

December 19, 2019

Hannah couldn’t believe what she was seeing. How could it be that just a few hours ago she was a regular 10-year-old at home on a Sunday afternoon, and now she was standing at the massive red gates of the North Pole? She clutched her dad’s hand as they walked through them, and on his face was the same expression of wide-eyed wonder that she knew she had. Just inside the gates was a trolley station, where Max was talking to an elf wearing a black and white uniform with a candy cane sticking out of his front pocket. A series of signs pointed in different directions where the ...

Charlotte meets old friend from North Pole

December 17, 2019

Max hugged Charlotte tightly before stepping back to look her in the eye. “You’ve grown up.” “I was grown up when you last saw me,” she said with a grin. He waved her comment off and smiled. “You know what it’s like at the Pole. Everyone is childlike. To me, you were just a little girl, no matter how old you got.” “Eighteen is hardly a little girl, Max,” Charlotte said with a laugh as she beckoned him inside, shutting the door behind them. She looked from the elf to her family. “Max, this is my daughter Hannah.” The elf stepped looked up at Hannah from ...

Hannah’s parents consider meeting with grandparents

December 16, 2019

When her dad came home, Hannah sat in the living room, surrounded by piles of wrapping paper. Ten years’ worth of gifts sat in front of her, the oldest sent when she was just a baby, and they’d all been sitting in the attic closet for years. Yet somehow, each and every item was something that was on her Christmas list this year. Her mother offered no explanation other than saying with a shrug, “That’s my father for you.” “What happened here? Did Christmas come early?” her dad asked, setting down his briefcase. He kissed her head, then sat next to Charlotte on the ...

Hannah gets a surprising invitation

December 15, 2019

Editor’s note: This is part two of a 12-day fictional tale that will run through Christmas. Parents are encouraged to read aloud to their children. Charlotte stirred the sauce simmering on the stove, then checked on the chicken in the oven. As she tore up lettuce for the salad, her eyes kept flickering to the envelope on the table. It got harder every year, which always surprised her. She thought that with enough time and distance, memories would fade and the ache in her heart would disappear. But that hadn’t happened, and with each red envelope she received, the ache grew ...

Hannah makes discovery about her mom

December 14, 2019

Hannah Montgomery carefully placed a chipped golden star at the top of her miniature tree. The small tree was her most treasured possession, despite the fact it always ended up crooked, no matter what she did. The strand of twinkling white lights had thankfully lasted another year, although the same couldn’t be said for the ornaments, whose box had somehow gotten crushed in her closet under a stack of books. A few could be salvaged, but the rest had to be tossed. She’d been planning to spend her allowance on a big sheet of Christmas window stickers, and although they would make ...