A Christmas Memory

Once in a small town called Fearsbrooks, there was a girl named Amelia.  She was 7 years old.  She was a blonde-haired girl with green eyes.  She was definitely her father’s daughter.  She loved decorating the Christmas tree and making Christmas cookies with him.  One day, her dad woke her up to tell her it was a week until Christmas.  That meant it was time to decorate the tree.

 

     Amelia got up and changed from her little shirt and teal pants to her Christmas pajamas.  Amelia loved this time of year, especially this year because it was her turn to put the angel on the top of the tree.  She loved doing that because her dad would lift her up on a stool and help her put it on the top of the tree.  After they put the angel on the tree, they got out sugar cookies.

 

     Amelia’s mom, Sarah, went to get frosting from the market downtown.  When she got back, Amelia, her dad, and little brother, Henry, were snuggled up in a warm blanket, drinking hot cocoa and watching The Christmas Channel.

 

     Henry was a momma’s boy.  So, their family was in pretty good shape.  Amelia ran to her room and got her Christmas box.  She pulled out her special ornament she made for her dad.  She tried to give it to him, but as she was handing it to him, he started to get wobbly and wavy.  She tried to hug him, but he disappeared.  She ran to her mom who brought her to the couch and showed her that Noah (her dad) was still sitting on the couch drinking hot cocoa.

 

     Amelia shook her head.  She thought she was losing her mind.  She sat on the couch just staring at her dad.  She had a scrunched-up nose and wide eyes.  She started to tear up.  Then, she realized what was happening.  She was just seeing things.

 

     She ran to her room down the hall.  She sat at her desk and wrote a poem.  “Oh where has he gone?  Where or where is a love or a hate?  A little kind, very smart, he has my heart”.  Just as she was walking out of her room *DING*  She sat up in her bed.  

 

     What was she doing here?  Then, she started sobbing.  She realized it was all a big, fat, lying dream.  She was sad because her dad had passed away a few months ago.  She kept having dreams about him.  This time, it felt even more real than all the others.

 

     She got up, walked to the tree and took the ornament down that she made for her dad.  She put it on the mantle with his picture and sugar cookies decorated with green, red and white frosting.  A big cookie had the name with big blue frosting letters: Noah/dad/bub.  He was great at all of these things.

 

     Then, Amelia’s mom, Sarah, woke up, which meant it was present time.   When they were all done, Amelia looked under the tree to see if there were any more presents.  She found a little box with her name on it.  It was from her dad.  She brought the box to her room and opened it.  It was a necklace that said “father’s daughter” and a keychain.  The keychain was a Christmas tree and a heartfelt piece that read “put it on your blanket when you miss me”.  She smiled, laughed and even cried.  It was a great Christmas, even without Noah.

 

Judges’ notes: Christmas magic has a little tinge of sadness in it. After all, the manger scene leads to the Cross. This story captures that sadness but manages to keep a beautiful lining of hope and love. Showing emotion through the written word is a gift, and it is an honor to recognize that gift in this contest.