I have been following all the seasonal writing contests in the past few months but I haven’t participated in any. I felt that I didn’t have a well of inspiration to draw from, having grown up in a country that doesn’t experience the seasons nor celebrates Halloween. But when I saw some posts floating around my feed last night about Susanna Hill’s 10th Annual Holiday Contest, my interest was piqued. Everyone knows Santa Claus and my childhood was full of dreams wishing I was a Christian instead of a Buddhist so that Santa would visit me too. Now, I know better: Santa transcends borders, races, and religions. And this year, he’ll be leaving some presents for my kids under our tree too! Besides, even if you don’t celebrate Christmas the holidays have universal appeal: it is a celebratory closure of sorts to the year past.
For the theme of this contest which was ‘Holiday Helpers’ I went back to my fantasies of Santa’s workshop. Here is my entry. It has a word count of 249 and I hope it meets all the criteria. Either way, not bad for a few hours of writing methinks. I look forward to turning this into a picture book someday!
Thank you to Susanna Hill for this initiative that helps us connect with other kidlit writers and their delightful stories.
Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you enjoy this 🙂
Raya’s Really Important Role
Mrs. Claus was about to unlock the wardrobe when there was a knock on the door. It was Raya, the workshop’s happiest helper. Her cheerful smile was missing.
“Can I help you?”
“I came to say goodbye,” Raya sniffled.
Mrs. Claus was surprised. “Isn’t there work to be done?”
“The others said I speak funny. That it takes too long to understand what I say. And that with just two days to Christmas there’s no time to waste.” Raya hadn’t grown up in the North Pole and had a strong native accent.
Mrs. Claus hated seeing her sad.
“There is one REALLY important task I need help with…”
Raya stopped sniffling. “What is it?”
Mrs. Claus opened the wardrobe. In it was the unmistakable red suit.
Raya’s dark eyes widened.
“I need to get this cleaned, but I feel a bit unwell. Can you make sure it’s ready on time?”
So, on Christmas eve, when all the elves were finally heading home, they met a beaming Raya walking up the path to Santa’s.
“Stop! Santa cannot be disturbed when he is getting dressed!” they shouted.
“That’s exactly why I’m going there.” Raya held up the suit. Everyone gasped.
“I am now Mr. & Mrs. Klaus’s Personal Assistant. If you need me, I’ll be at the house,” she said with a grin.
The elves avoided her eyes. Just when Raya was wondering if she should repeat herself slowly, they started clapping and congratulating her.
Looks like they understood after all.
Santa and Mrs. C are lucky to have Raya!
I think so too ? Thanks for reading!
I love this, Thush! You’ve packed a very powerful message in a very small, colourful package. Nicely done!
Thank you Karyn x
Wow, I wouldn’t have guessed you wrote and polished it so quickly.
The ending where they cheered Raya on is so satisfying.
Thanks for reading Katie!
Contests are wonderful motivation for writing! My very first published children’s book, A CHRISTMAS GUEST, was an entry I wrote for a holiday writing contest. Congratulations on entering. That makes you a winner in my book.
I have a longer version of this that I hope to shape into a Christmas picture book too (perhaps with your help!)