24 Days Before Christmas Drabble Challenge

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Subject: 24 Days Before Christmas Drabble Challenge Wed Dec 08 2010, 04:55

So, for this challenge it is very simple, you must write 25 drabbles (this is the part where you hyperventilate), one representing each day leading to Christmas and one final drabble representing Christmas day.

Let's see who has the stamina and the creativity power.

Points will awarded according to day represented.

Top 4 drabbles of each day:
1st Place - 300 HP
2nd Place - 275
3rd Place - 250
4th Place - 225

All others - 175

You need not create all 25 drabbles but if you do you receive extra 1000 points.

Subject: Re: 24 Days Before Christmas Drabble Challenge Sun Dec 12 2010, 08:04

Day 1: The First Snowflake

The kids stared out the window, wonder and delight etched on each and every face. Small, white snowflakes were slowly falling to the ground. Faster and faster the white balls of light fell to the ground, swirling and twirling around one another, creating a soft white blanket on the ground.

Finally giving in to the children’s pleads to go outside, the teacher opened the door, watching the children run out and spin around, looking up at the sky with their tongues out to catch a flake. Bright-eyed and rosy cheeked the children laughed and played—the first snowflakes had come.

Word Count: 100

Day 2: A Nighttime Winter Drive

The young couple drove through the small town roads. It was only seven o’clock but the ever shortening day had already come to a close; the sun had gone away to be replaced by the giant hovering moon and tiny pinpricks of light from the stars. They admired the lights strung on houses, the icicles, the trees covered in snow. They saw glimpses of Christmas trees hung with ornaments and angels in lit windows.

Soon they were back at their own small, dark home. They walked up the porch, holding hands, and agreed that tomorrow they’d string up lights too.

Word Count: 100

Day 3: A Christmas Tree Hunt

“How about this one?” The girl asked pointing at a large, round tree.

“Nah, too fat,” her brother replied. “What about this one? It’s nice and tall!”

“It wouldn’t fit in our house,” his mother said.

They continued up the path, weaving through numerous Christmas trees, trying to find the perfect one. They’d been searching all day, a saw held in hand, to find the one that would be right for their house. Suddenly, out of nowhere it seemed, they beheld the perfect tree: standing proud and full. They exchanged smiles and began to cut it down for their home.

Word Count: 100

Day 4: A Mistletoe Miracle

The boy and girl stood awkwardly at the Christmas party, watching other couples laughing and dancing around while they stood against the wall motionless.

The girl sighed, glancing over at the boy out of the corner of her eye. If she was honest with herself, she’d liked him for ages, but surely he didn’t like her back. The boy met her eye and the girl looked away, embarrassed.

Suddenly, the boy leaned over slightly towards her, gesturing up at the ceiling at a green plant.

“Mistletoe,” he whispered.

The girl smiled slightly, leaning towards the boy where their lips met.

Word Count: 100

Day 5: A Snowman's Tale

The snowman had been all over the world. He was born when two kids had formed him in New York. Once he melted, he traveled to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Minnesota, why, he’d even been a mini snowman down in Tennessee! But his latest home had to be the one he was most proud of: the North Pole. The elves had come out and shaped him, decorated him. He was to be shining glory of their Christmas celebration party.

On the night of the party, the snowman stood tall and proud, watching the dancing elves. But the most memorable moment--meeting Santa.

Word Count: 100

Day 6: The Naughty or Nice List

Santa looked up an down his Naughty or Nice list. It was getting very close to Christmas and he had to make sure everyone was on the right list. Glancing through the list, he saw Rai was still on the Naughty list for never allowing anyone else a chance to win the Games Tournament.

Santa debated with himself for a minute, before deciding this wasn’t fair. After all, Rai had been very good this year; he’d made quite a jolly Christmas celebration.

Santa grabbed his magic pen and moved Rai to the Nice list. No coal for Rai this year!

Word Count: 100

Day 7: Christmas Cookie Frenzy

It was time to bake Christmas cookies. This was a big tradition for the small family. Every year they worked together to make the cookie dough and baked the cookies.

They sang carols together while they rolled out dough and used cookie cutters to make all sorts of shapes; there were candy canes, Christmas trees, snowflakes, reindeer, stars; every Christmas shape you could think of.

Once baked, they decorated the numerous holiday cookies in a frenzy, icing and sprinkles falling all over the table. Once they were done, they enjoyed the cookies with a nice steaming side of hot chocolate.

Word Count: 100

Day 8: A Christmas Wish

“Look, a shooting star! Make a wish!” The little girl’s mother said, pointing up to the night sky. The girl closed her eyes tightly, brow furrowed in concentration thinking of a wish. When she finally opened her eyes she had a slight smile on her face.

“Did you think of a good one?” her mother asked. The girl nodded, cuddling closer to her mother.

Many miles away, the soldier received the news: he would be able to spend Christmas at home with his wife and daughter. The solider looked up at the sky to see a shooting star passing by.

Word Count: 100

Day 9: Reindeer Test Run

Santa’s reindeer were all gathered outside of the stables; they were being fastened into their harnesses to pull Santa’s sleigh by the elves to make sure everything still fit right.

Once they were all harnessed and ready to go, Rudolph called for a practice run around the North Pole. The reindeer began to prance across the yard, lifting off the ground and pulling the sleigh smoothly out behind them.

They flew around the toy shops, the eating halls, the party rooms and houses to the cheers of all the elves—Christmas was approaching and preparations couldn’t have been going smoother.

Word Count: 100

Day 10: Santa's New Suit

Mrs. Claus knocked on the door to Santa’s workshop. She stepped into a brightly lit room where a glowing fire blazed beside the wooden desk where Kris Kringle sat. Santa looked up, smiling, to see Mrs. Claus with a big red box held in her hands.

“Christmas isn’t for another fifteen days,” he said with a chuckle, but accepted the box.

He opened the box to find, newly made by Mrs. Claus herself, a big red suit and hat.

“I thought it was about time for you to get something yourself,” she said with a smile as Santa laughed appreciatively.

Word Count: 100

Day 11: Holiday Shopping

Sammy loved the mall at Christmastime. All the store windows were full of holiday clothes and decorated with holly, lights and Christmas trees. The only thing she didn’t like was why she was actually in the mall: Christmas shopping. It’s not that she doesn’t enjoy giving gifts to others, but she never knows what to give her friends, no matter how close they are. She’d already looked in many stores but she just couldn’t make up her mind as to what to get them. Peering into a shop full of comfy holiday pajamas, Sammy stepped into the store to look.

Word Count: 100

Day 12: Chaos at the North Pole

The North Pole was in chaos. One of the main toy shops had caught on fire, destroying hundreds of hours of work and carefully designed toys.

How could this happen 12 days from Christmas? The elves frantically tried to work harder to redeem the lost toys. Elves ran from toy shop to toy shop trying to remake as many as possible; others attempted to fix the ruined toys and started rebuilding parts of the toy shop. The elves prayed they wouldn’t disappoint all the children this year by a shortage of toys—they worked frantically to avoid such an outcome.

Word Count: 100

Day 13: Sledding Adventures

The children hopped onto a large sled, giving it a huge push as they slid down the steep hill. The wind rushed past them as they sped down the hill, holding on to one another as they screamed with glee.

Once at the bottom they slid across the flat ice; the kids slowly tumbled off.

“Not it!” They called, running back up the hill so they would not be the last one who would have to tug the sled all the way back up the hill. The kids continued to sled until past dark, unaware of how time was flying.

Word Count: 100

Day 14: Penguin Sliding

It was time for one of the North Pole elves’ favorite games: penguin sliding. One by one, they slowing snuck up on a group of penguins. Out of nowhere, as it seemed to the penguins, the elves would jump onto their back and use them as sleds down the prime sledding location at the North Pole,

The penguins didn’t necessarily like sliding down on their bellies with elves on their backs, but that didn’t stop the elves from coming at least one every few months, and more around Christmas, to spend away a fun afternoon riding penguins down the hill.

Word Count: 100

Day 15: Horse Ride through the Snow

The couple laughed as they rode past trees covered in snow along a forest path on horseback. They felt like they’d been transported back in time to a period when horses battled through the elements—not cars.

The horses leaped over fallen branches, visible despite the snow, leaving behind a trial of hoof prints indented in the snow. Merry laughter rang through the forest as the sun slowly began to set and the couple turned their course back towards the warm house with a glowing fire, while the horses thought happily of a warm stable with an apple to eat.

Word Count: 100

Day 16: The Last Day Before Break

The kids dragged themselves to school, just like usual, but this time there was a hopeful feeling in the air: today was the last day before they had two weeks off of school for Christmas break.

The day passed by in a blur of giving gifts and watching the waiting to be free to go home and spend their time as they wish. The teachers stopped attempting to get any work done and when the bell finally rung, all the kids let out a cheer and rushed out of the school, ecstatic; even the teachers were overjoyed at the break.

Word Count: 100

Day 17: Caroling in the Town Square

The holiday shoppers smiled at the group of carolers who stood singing merrily in the town square. Even through the hustle and bustle of last minute shopping people stopped their hurried walking through the cold to watch or sing along.

The carolers had been singing for quite a while, but energy, from the excitement of singing while they spread Christmas cheer, was strong. The brittle cold did little to dampen their bright spirits. They sang until the last of the stores had closed and the owners had left; they then called it a day and pledged to come back tomorrow.

Word Count: 100

Day 18: A Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

This Christmas is coming up fast, and I know I’m writing awfully late since it’s only eight days ‘til Christmas but I’ve but wondering if one special gift would be possible this year. You see, I live in the south, and it doesn’t often get cold, which means I’ve never had a white Christmas before. I’ve dreamed of waking up on a bright Christmas morning to see not just presents under the tree, but white snow on the ground. I’m not sure if it’s too much to ask, but it’d mean quite a lot to me.

Love,
Anna

Word Count: 100

Day 19: The Worry of Coal

The boy had been worrying all night about what his mother had said. Earlier that day she’d told him if he kept acting up Santa would bring him coal for Christmas; that it was never too late to be put on the Naughty list.

Was he now on the Naughty List waiting only to receive coal?

Nervously sucking his thumb, he asked if what she said was true. Her mouth twitched with a smile as she gave him a hug.

“It’s true, but Santa knows you’ve been a good boy this year. I’m sure you’ll find presents in your stocking.”

Word Count: 100

Day 20: The Ghost of Christmas Past

The Ghost of Christmas Past sat in his throne, flipping through events of previous Christmas celebrations. He compared the sizes of trees from year to year in town squares and in homes, and the number of presents under the tree. Most of all he looked for those families who had always held a place for Christmas in their heart.

He loved most traditions that had been there for too many Christmas’ to count: the baking of cookies and the decorating of trees. Christmas was now only five days away and the Ghost couldn’t wait for another year to pass by.

Word Count: 100

Day 21: The Ghost of Christmas Present

Walking among the crowds of people, both rich and poor, the Ghost of Christmas Present sent his blessings on all. His blessings caused the good feelings experienced around Christmas, and the caroling and decorations throughout the town only added to the happy feelings. He felt like this Christmas would be a very happy one for all as he admired the activity. He walked through the crowds, smiling at all, and none were aware of who exactly he was. He joined in with carolers, he danced through the streets; the Ghost of Christmas Present was keeping the festivities in full swing.

Word Count: 100

Day 22: The Ghost of Christmas Future

The people were singing and caroling, bundled up in multiple layers to keep out the freezing cold. Many were ice skating around a big, brightly lit tree; the Ghost of Christmas Future could be found in Rockefeller Center watching festivities take place. She took one step and was in a small town, by a little white church with a nativity scene displayed. She smiled at the things yet to come, and took another step, this time to California. There was snow on the group and people bustling about. She kept taking steps, exploring the bright future of Christmas’ to come.

Word Count: 100

Day 23: Santa's Big Party

A party was in full swing up at the North Pole. It was the annual day before Christmas Eve party. All the inhabitants were invited to join in packing all the toys into Santa’s huge bag and trying to balance it on top of the sleigh. Once their work was done, the real party started. There was festive dancing and huge snowball fights. Why, even Santa can’t resist getting competitive over such a huge fight. The party lasted all night, and all creatures, including reindeer, polar bears, penguins and anyone within traveling distance of Santa Land, joined in the event.

Word Count: 100

Day 24: Silent Night

The night was still with stars shining brightly overhead. In a very small town, in a little white church, a congregation could be heard singing songs of welcome for their Savior while candles were lit. Children begged their parents to let them open just one present; they responded Santa wouldn’t come unless they were in bed but they stayed up late anyway, straining to hear the sound of hooves on the rooftop. A little baby was born in a manger, many years ago, and the celebrations are about to begin. A silent night peacefully awaits the birth of the Savior.

Word Count: 100

Day 25

Children creep quietly down to their stockings, gasps of delight escape their mouths as they see presents in their stockings. They look in delight at crumbs on the plate where cookies and milk had been left for Santa. They wake up their parents and rip open their presents, shouting with glee and showing them off to each other. The rest of the day passes in one happy blur; the children play with their toys and help with Christmas dinner. There’s tons of singing and they eat lots of candy canes, and when the day is over they fall asleep content.

Word Count: 100

Subject: Re: 24 Days Before Christmas Drabble Challenge Sat Dec 18 2010, 12:18

Day:1 An Elf's Tale

Quimbly awoke to the sound of hammering and whiring. "Ugh," he thought, "it's far too early in the morning to be making toys, why can't everyone sleep in once in a while?" He looked over at his alarm clock, and noted that he still had 5 mintues until it went off. "Maybe if I close my eyes, it'll be December 26th when I wake up, then I will have a whole glorious week without a single toy to make," he silently pleaded, as he closed his eyes again. "Ho, ho, ho, time to get up!" his alarm clock cheerily chirped.

WC:100

Day:2 The Perfect Tree

Caleb followed his father through the woods near their house, in search of the perfect Christmas tree. Caleb wasn't sure what it would look like, but he knew he would know it when he saw it. As they searched, he tried picturing the trees they passed with lights and ornaments, but so far, the picture hadn't been right yet. They neared the edge of a clearing, and, slowing down, Caleb looked to the right and saw it. The perfect tree. "Dad, how about that one!" he exclaimed, and turning with a grin, his father nodded and said, "It's perfect, son."

WC:100

Day:3 The Christmas Angel

"Daddy, can I do it please?"

The little angel could hear muffled voices as she sleepily woke up. Her long hibernation was over, and there was a sudden stab of bright light as her box was opened.

"Oh, she's so pretty!" the little girl exclaimed, lifting the angel from her box.

The little angel blinked the sleep from her eyes and looked fondly at the Christmas tree. She had been in service with this family for generations, and she loved her job.

Aided by her father, the little girl put the angel on top of the tree.

"Merry Christmas angel."

WC: 100

Day:4 The List

Witherby was frought with panic. This was the first year he'd been intrusted with the care of the naughty and nice list; and he had lost it.

"Mearly temporarily misplaced," he thought to himself while he ransacked his room.

He was certain he had placed it between his mattress and his box springs, but it was nowhere to be found.

"I am going to end up on the naughty list for sure this time," he fretted as he began to loss control.

Spinning around in place, he noticed a bit of paper under the dog bed.

"Found it!" he screamed.

WC: 100

Day:5 A Letter to the Editor

To whom it may concern:

I know that there is this whole expectation about Santa and his reindeer every year. Kids try to stay awake to hear the sleigh bells and everyone looks for Rudolph's shiny red nose. Well, this year, could everyone please try believing Santa up a jumbo jet instead? Or a bullet train? Because let me tell you, it is not easy carrying around that fat man and a present for every child in the world. I have muscle spasms just thinking about it. Give a reindeer a break, I beg you.

Yours truly,
Dasher and friends

WC: 100

Day:6 The Snowglobe

The family was getting ready to decorate the inside of their house. They had already done the tree, and now it was time for the rest of the house. As dad brought the boxes down from the attic, the kids were busy opening them and sorting through the different decorations. Gretta had found the box labled "things for the mantle," and had carefully opened it up to find her favorite decoration: the snowglobe with the little town inside. As she looked into the globe, snow began to fall, and the little town came to life. "Merry Christmas everyone," she whispered.

WC: 100

Day:7 A Letter to Santa

Blake was having a hard time writing his letter to Santa this year. The thing he wanted most in the world for Christmas was for his big brother to come home from Iraq, but he wasn't sure if Santa could do that. It seemed like an awfully big thing to ask of Santa, a bike sounded much easier. Biting his pencil between his teeth, he finally smoothed out his sheet of paper and began.

Dear Santa,

This year, I just want to see my brother. If there is anything you could do, I would really appreciate it.

Thank you,
Blake

WC:100

Day:8 The Angel Tree

The little family was walking through the mall toword the giant angel tree. Every year, they would go to the tree and pick out some angel cards. The cards always contained the information of a child who wouldn't otherwise get a present that year. Each child in the family would pick their own, and they would spend all day walking around the mall, getting the presents. The children loved this tradition, and were excited to pick out their angels. As they picked their cards, the children started chatting about what they wanted to get their chosen child; they couldn't wait.

WC: 100

Day:9 Peppermint Ice Cream

Lydia was going with her mom to the ice cream shop and couldn't stop thinking about what she was going to get. Her mom took her to get ice cream every year around Christmas, because it was the only time of the year that her favorite flavor was out. She loved peppermint ice cream, and wished she could eat it anytime she wanted. As the car pulled into the parking lot, Lydia started bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Peppermint ice cream, pepperminty ice cream, yum!" she exclaimed.

"Why don't we buy a couple gallons this year," said mom.

WC: 100

Day:10 The Nutcracker

Hannah was beside herself with excitement. It was almost time to go see the Nutcracker with her aunt, like she did every year at Christmas. It was her favorite part of the holidays, and to bide the time, she was playing with her family's own little nutcracker soldier. She loved to pretend she was a part of the ballet, and danced around the living room, fighting the rat king, and visiting the sugar plum fairy. She still wasn't sure what a sugar plum was, but she knew they must be wonderful.

"Hannah, come back from Candyland, it's time for breakfast."

WC:100

Day:11 Christmas Lights

The moon hung big and bright over the small country town while snow softly fell. The procession of cars wound slowly around the neighborhoods, as everyone looked at all of the Christmas lights on their neighbor's houses. Usually, almost the whole town decorated for Christmas, and this year was no different. The sound of excited squeeks and giggles could be heard coming from some of the cars as they approached each new house. Those who chose to walk carried cups of hot cocoa or coffee with them to keep warm. Everyone agreed that it was a very nice holiday tradition.

WC: 100

Day:12 Angels in the Snow

As the snow lightly fell in the meadow, the soft silence was broken by two little girls busily making snow angels. "Mine is called Lancelot, and he's the boss of all the other angels!" the first girl proudly exclaimed. The second little girl was concentrating very hard on her angel, and thinking over what the other little girl had just said, she carefully responded, "that's okay, this angel is Thomas, and he is the angel that scares away our bad dreams at night." The first little girl stopped what she was doing, and looking over, quietly said "thank you Thomas."

WC:100

Day:13 An Army of Snowmen

The newly assembled snowman blinked his button eyes and peered through the falling snow at the children in the yard. They were busy assembling another snowman a few feet away. He slowly looked around, and noticed, not too far away, a group of similar snowmen assembled. Going to join them, he asked them what was going on. "Those children have built us to help them win their snowball fight," said the other snowman. "We are supposed to wait over here and make as many snowballs as we can." "Satisfied with the response, the newest snowman soldier settled down to begin.

WC:100

Day:14 Cookie Day

The kitchen smelled of gingerbread, as the children sat around the table decorating cookies. Their mom was busy with the oven, taking newly baked cookies out, and putting newly shaped cookies in. Charlie, four years-old, was busy making his dinosaur shaped cookies battle one another. "Dinosaurs are not Christmassy Charlie," scolded his 7 year-old sister Becky, "you should make trees or santas instead." "But I like Dinos," whined Charlie, "you'd better be nice to me, or my t-rex is gonna eat you up!" The mother looked over and smiled, thinking it was going to be a wonderful Christmas.

WC:100

Day:15 A Trip to See Santa

"Mommy, mommy, is that really Santa?" the little boy asked his mother as she led him through the mall.

"Yes it is honey," explained the mother, "you see, Santa has such a big job being all around the world all at the same time, that he cloned himself."

"They talked about that in school today," said the little boy, "about how they did that to the president in case anything bad happens to him."

"Yes honey, just like that. That is how Santa can be in every town in the world at the same time."

"Wow!" exclaimed the little boy.

WC:100

Day:16 Snow Day

Charlie sat at the breakfast table, ear glued to the radio.

"Say it, say it, say it!" he pleaded with the announcer. He had woken up this morning to the most beautiful snowfall of the season.

"...and William Wallace Elementary will be closed because of snow today..."

"Yes!" shouted Charlie, jumping up from the table, "Snow day!"

Chugging his milk, Charlie ran to the door to go find his friends.

"Don't forget your coat, Charlie!" exclaimed his mother.

"Ok mom," responded Charlie, as, grabbing his coat, he spotted his best friend out in the yard. "I'll be home for lunch!"

WC: 100

Day:17 Exams

Ellie was having a very hard time concentrating. She was sitting in her final exam of the semester, and all she could think about was going home for Christmas. She was supposed to be thinking about Shakespeare, and comapring and contrasting two of his dramas. She'd already filled half of her exam book, but she couldn't stop staring out at the snow. It was her own fault for sitting so close to the window. Forcing herself to look at the exam book again, she tried to put all thoughts of cookies, dinner, and presents out of her head and write.

WC:100

Day:18 Shopping

The little doll was sitting on the shelf, trying to be patient. She'd seen other toys flying off the shelves as the shoppers ran through the store. She hoped that one day it would be her turn to sit under the Christmas tree and make some child's wishes come true. Just yesterday, the action figure across the aisle was taken home, and she missed talking to him. She looked around, and noticed a lady walking toword her. She tried to make herself look as Christmassy as she could, and, smiling the lady reached out to take her off the shelf.

WC: 100

Day:19 Mistletoe

Emily was standing next to the punch bowl, staring across the room, trying not to be too obvious. Jake was talking to the DJ, and she didn't want him to see her staring. She was trying to think of a way to get him under the mistletoe without everyone seeing. Suddenly Jake looked up directly at her and smiled. Weaving through the crowd toword her, he beckoned for her to meet him next to the door. They both got to the door at the same time, and taking her hand, Jake looked up and smiled, "we're standing under the mistletoe."

WC: 100

Day:20 Moments of Peace

The fireplace crackled merrily as Suzie curled up on the couch next to her dog, Rebel. The cup of hot cocoa in her hands was warm and fragrant, and Rebel kept trying to stick her nose into it. Suzie grabbed her book off the end table and began reading. As she read, she began to hear carrollers outside her building. Suzie smiled as Rebel climbed up onto her lap; she had just finished wrapping presents and she could smell the cookies baking in the oven. She thought to herself that this was shaping up to be a very nice Christmas.

WC: 100

Day:21 Zoo Lights

Jessie couldn't contain her excitement as she walked into the zoo with her sister. Zoo lights were by far her favorite part of Christmas. She loved walking around the zoo at night and seeing all of the decorations and whatever animals were still awake. Their first stop was the monkeys, and Jessie giggled as the Christmas light monkeys jumped around and stole each other's bananas. She looked behind her sister and gasped as she saw the lake with all of the lights lining it. She could stay here all night, it was all of her Christmas fantasies brought to life.

WC: 100

Day:22 Mrs. Claus

Mrs. Claus was busily preparing food for the annual party. Every year, the night before Christmas Eve, the elves had a big bash in celebration of a year's work well done. It always took Mrs. Claus a whole week to prepare for the festivities. She hurried through the kitchen, tasting this, and adjusting the recipe of that; while at the same time, scooting away the little elves that tried to sneak into the kitchen and pilfer a treat.

"Mrs. Claus! The treacle is burning!" exclaimed one of the cooks.

"Mrs. Claus's job is never done," said Mrs. Claus, and smiled.

WC: 100

Day:23 Matthew's Gift

Matthew was sitting in the back of his parents van, staring out the window. He was turning 7 today, and he wasn't very excited because they were spending the holidays at his uncle's house. He wasn't sure Santa would know where to find him. Suddenly, he noticed snowflakes. As they turned the corner into the town where his uncle lived, before them stretched a winter wonderland covered in snow. Matthew couldn't believe his eyes! The car stopped, and as Matthew got out of the car, he heard sleigh bells. Lifting his face to the snow, he whispered, "thank you Santa."

WC: 100

Christmas Eve

"Come on Prancer, hold still," muttered Artie, as he struggled to get the harness on the reindeer. The countdown to Santa's departure called out over the loudspeaker every 15 minutes, and he only had 30 more minutes to get the animals ready. This was Artie's first Christmas Eve working unsupervised, and he didn't want to make any mistakes. Artie reached into his pocket and pulled out a cookie. As soon as Prancer smelled the treat, he held still, and Artie finally managed to slip the harness on. "Whew!" Artie exclaimed, and took out his checklist to see what was next.

WC: 100

Christmas Day

The little Christmas tree practically shook with anticipation as the morning light filled the room. She couldn't believe it was finally Christmas! As the children slowly crept into the living room, the little tree smiled to herself. She couldn't wait for the children to open their presents. The night before, she had had a delightful conversation with Santa as he placed the presents under her, and she knew the children would love them. The children's parents entered the room, and as the family settled into their holiday traditions, the little tree knew she had the best job in the world.

WC:100

Subject: Re: 24 Days Before Christmas Drabble Challenge Mon Dec 20 2010, 14:24

Day One: December First!
The start of December always meant the start of snow and hopefully snow days. December also meant the start of hot chocolate, snow ball fights, and cold nights to cuddle with the one you love. Or in the case of small children cold December nights meant hanging out in the living room in your pajamas and jumping on your parents laps every few seconds; getting kissed good night after being tucked tightly into a warm and comfy bed. The start of December meant the start of winter, and winter brought about all of those wonderful, dreamful, and simply fantastic things.

Word Count:100

Day Two: Snowball fight.
My breath fogged before me in puffs of visible air as I crouched behind my make shift fort listening for the sound of my enemy throwing the first snow ball. I fixed my hat with my snow covered gloves and I tried to look over my wall, without being seen. Slowly I sat up a little straighter and looked around my yard, it seemed to be empty, and that was never good. I took a deep breath and slowly turned to look around; it was then that I heard the familiar sounds of a snow ball racing through the air.

Word Count:100

Day Three: The Christmas Tree
Every year my family goes down to the storage unit and picks up our boxes and boxes of decorations. In one of those boxes sits our artificial Christmas tree. Some families don’t think fake trees can hold all the power as a real tree does, but I disagree. The magic of a Christmas tree comes from the magic of the family as they string together popcorn and hang up the ornaments. The magic of the tree comes from the memories of each Christmas passed. The power of a fake tree is the fact that my tree is always the same.

Word Count:100

Day Four: A Christmas lost
Every year the students in my class get excited around Christmas break. Every year the students come and go talking of their sledding plans and late night parties. I simply go from having something to distract myself to having to face the thoughts that come around every year; the thoughts of the fact that Christmas doesn’t mean the same to me anymore. Christmas hasn’t meant the same since I was about thirteen and that car slid of the bridge on our way back home. Not since I lost everything and was stranded all by myself. Certain of death, but lived.

Word Count:100

Day Five: Christmas cookies
“Mom, I think the cookies are done!” I yelled as I slowly pulled out another tray of Christmas cookies. They were warm and steamy. Every year my mother and I would make a ton of cookies for the Children's hospital. It was a tradition, a very sweet and delicious tradition. This year was different because I had made this batch of cookies all by myself. My mom watched in the background as our small kitchen warmed with the oven and smelled of cookies. She smiled at me and looked over the cookies I had just pulled out, “They are perfect!”

Word Count:100

Day Six: Santa's Suit
Santa was looking everywhere for his suit. Sometime over the course of the year he had lost it, but most likely it had just been moved. Santa didn’t really know where it was and Mrs. Clause claimed that she had not touched it. He sighed as he nervously stroked his beard, he wasn’t angry or anything he was just a little anxious. Without his suit the ride around the world would be really cold and he had a few weeks to find it, but then again he also needed to clean it. He sighed as he walked into another room.

Word Count:100

Day Seven: The unlucky elf
I sighed and set down my hammer. Testing toys wasn’t the best job in the shop, but it wasn’t the worst. At least I wasn’t cleaning out the reindeer stalls. I laughed to myself as I thought about my good friend that was doing exactly that, but at the same time I wanted to be making the toys. Sighing I picked my hammer back up and started pounding the pegs into their slots. The boss elves found me too clumsy to work in the main shop. I thought I was just a bit unlucky. Santa would hopefully save me soon.

Word Count:100

Day Eight: A lover's night
I walked along beside her; it was a cold and wet December night. I reached for her gloved hand, but stopped half way there and put my hand in my pocket instead. I sighed and she looked up at me, so I smiled down at her. I wasn’t a very brave man, but then again she was worth the risk of rejection. I took my hand out of my pocket and reached for hers again this time I wrapped my fingers around hers and smiled down at her. She looked up at me and smiled as she wrapped her fingers around mine.

Word Count:102

Day Nine: Snowed In
She rolled over in bed and looked at her clock; with a start she realized that she was late for school. Jumping out of bed she ran to her closet, but the floor beneath her was cooler than usual. Changing directions she walked to her window and pulled up her shades. What she saw made her gasp in excitement. Finally winter had arrived, and not only did it arrive, but overnight her world was turned into a snow cave. She clapped in excitement and slowly headed downstairs to see what her parents were up to. Seeing as the snow had trapped them all together.

Word Count:104

Day Ten: A green Christmas
She grabbed a towel from her bed and headed out to her pool. The rest of the world was white and cold, but where she lived it was green and hot. She didn’t think she would even like snow if she ever saw it. Nope, she was fully content with spending her Christmas vacation in her pool and on the beach. Her mom talked about how her Christmas used to be white and about how much she missed the snow. Mel on the other hand heard nothing appealing about that white stuff that feel from the sky. No she liked her Christmas green.

Word Count:103

Day Eleven: Christmas shopping
Christmas shopping is the one thing that Elizabeth looked forward to every year. She didn’t care about what other people gave her; she only cared about what she gave. To her shopping was an art, you had to get it just right or it wouldn’t be considered a master piece. Same with people you had to get them the right gift or the person just wouldn’t be all that happy. Elizabeth loved making other people happy, thus creating Christmas as her favorite holiday. Shopping for other people was almost an obsession for her, and she was quite good at it.

Word Count:100

Day Twelve: Decorations
Jimmy walked into the living room. First thing he saw were the boxes of decorations sitting everywhere, he smiled to himself as the excited little bubble built in his stomach. Finally his parents had decided that they would start decorating the house. Little Jimmy loved decorating the house and he loved the lights the most. He wasn’t allowed to touch the lights, but he could look at them all he wanted after they were up. Instead he was given the window clings and told that he knew what to do. Soon the house was a Christmas dream and little Jimmy was seeing his dream come true.

Word Count:106

Day Thirteen: Going Home
Sue tore through her dorm one last time to be sure that she wasn’t forgetting anything important. She knew that she had everything that she would need for homework over Christmas break, but she wasn’t so sure about everything else. She lost control of a lot of things when she was really excited, sadly her organization skills were the first to go. Sue was really excited to go home and see all of her family and friends that she had been missing. She didn’t really care what she got for Christmas, she was just happy that she was going to be home.

Word Count:102

Day Fourteen: Sledding
It was amazing how much enjoyment could come from one little piece of plastic thought Cindy as she smiled, grabbed her red circular sled from the shed, and walked to the car. Her family was going to go sledding and she just couldn’t wait. After what seemed like forever in the car the family pulled up to the sledding hill and everyone piled out. Cindy took her sled and walked right to the edge of the hill. She looked down and the familiar spark of fear spread through her. She set the sled down and sat on it, after a slight push off, she was flying.

Word Count:106

Day Fifteen: Road Trip
With the van packed full and my kids safely buckled and distracted in the back seat it was finally time to head out. Recently my mother had retired and moved to Florida, a total cliché old person thing to do; either way that meant that the whole of my family was heading south for Christmas. Seeing as I had the most kids and the most stuff I was to be down there first. First to take the road trip and first to see the disaster that would be my mother’s house, first to help my mother piece together everything that she had had back at home.

Word Count:106

Day Sixteen: A Winter Dream
Lizzie sat under her Christmas tree and looked up at the lights and decoration between all the branches. It was a rather pretty sight, not one that very many people saw, because laying under your Christmas tree wasn’t all that common. She figured that somewhere in between the branches, light, and ornaments the magic of Christmas was found. Preferring to hope the magic was held in a tree; something that couldn’t yell, scream, or fight. Winter nights never went well for Lizzie, but she didn’t care so much when she lay under her tree and dreamt of when Christmas would be peaceful.

Word Count:102

Day Seventeen: Hidden Love
Jon got out of bed and walked over to his dresser. Sitting on his dresser was a fake rose and chocolates. He was hoping to give these things as a gift to the girl of his dreams today at school. The only problem was that the girl just happened to be his best friend and he was worried that she wouldn’t feel the same way. He didn’t want to screw things up with her at all; actually he was contemplating not giving it to her. The fear of ruining their friendship would be the only thing to stop him.

Word Count:99

Day Eighteen: A Dog's Want
Sally ran through the house sniffing for the source of the magnificent smell. This was the first time she had ever smelt something so sweet and alluring. After a few minutes of running in circles in the living room she skidded into the kitchen and found the source. The lady of the house was pulling something out of the oven and as she did the smell wafted closer to her nose and she gave a longing whimper. The lady of the house shooed her away when she walked forward to try a bit of whatever it was. Hopefully one of the kids will drop some on the floor.

Word Count:108

Day Nineteen: Plane Ride
Lacy closed the blind on the plane window; it was amazing how bright the sky was above the clouds. This was her first time in a plane and thankfully this wasn’t going to her main way of travel. From what she had heard people loved flying, but she couldn’t stand it. Her ears were constantly popping, no matter how much gum she ate, and the baby in front of her kept crying, which she figured the poor baby was having issues with its ears as well. Tilting her head back she closed her eyes and silently prayed that her parents will enjoy her company.

Word Count:104

Day Twenty: A Man's Day
Yawning and stretching Jimmy finally rolled out of bed. It was roughly around noon and he had the joy of sleeping in due to the fact it was his first day of winter break. All of his friends were hanging out somewhere, but he decided to stay home and sleep. He got himself some cereal and started up his Play Station 3. As he ate his cereal he logged into his gaming stuff and waited for Black Ops to load. After a few hours of playing he got himself some lunch, and later on his mother got him dinner. The only thing accomplished that day was a personal best score.

Word Count:110

Day Twenty-One: Little Girl's Count Down
Ellie ran up to her mom and pulled on her dress. “Mommy there is only four days till Santa comes!” She exclaimed in excitement. She was just learning how to count and after cutting off another link from her chain she was able to learn this exciting news. He mom smiled down at her and patted her head in a way that meant she was proud of her, but couldn’t say it. Ellie didn’t understand why she didn’t speak, but everyone else could see her mother had a mouth full of Christmas Cookie. Ellie skipped off singing “four more days” to herself as she went.

Word Count:105

Day Twenty-Two: A Daughter's Gift
I pulled more cookies out of the oven and smiled as my last tray went in. I wasn’t one for baking, or even one for cooking, but my mom was in the hospital this holiday season so it was up to me; although hopefully my dad will be home with her soon, unless something bad happened. I set the timer again and went back to my book, needing the distraction more than ever before. My mom had gotten in a car accident a week ago, she had some major injuries, but all seemed to be going well. I did the baking, so she wouldn’t have to worry or feel bad.

Word Count:110

Day Twenty-Three: Last Minute Shopping
Darrin regretted not getting his shopping done as soon as he pulled into the parking lot of the mall. Of course it was jam packed with people as frantic as he was. It wasn’t like he was ill prepared, it was just that he had lost track of time. He had planned to have all his shopping done a week ago, but work happened and his wife happened and he just lost the time. Thankfully he didn’t have any kids yet, so he was just shopping for his wife and parents, but regardless he knew he had to break this habit.

Word Count:101

Day Twenty-Four: Nervous Elf
Twinkle the elf gave a squeak as Santa walked by her. Tonight was the big night and she was the one that had packed the sleigh. For the first time in her life she was very close to Santa and had just completed a very important job. Santa gave a chuckle and smiled down at his nervous little elf. “You did a great job Twink.” He said with another laugh and a puff of smoke from his pipe. Twinkle just bowed and ran from the room. Santa smiled as she left and got into his sleigh, Christmas Eve was short and he had to get going.

Word Count:106

Day Twenty-Five: Christmas Morning
Samantha sat in bed with a cup of coffee and a book waiting to hear the soft thumping of her daughter’s feet running across the room. Her husband and she had put out the presents, ate the cookies, drank the milk, and wrote a letter back signed Santa and now it was just waiting to hear the reaction of their only child. She didn’t have to wait too long before she heard Rachel get out of bed and run into the living room. The gasp and giggle the girl gave was worth more than anything in the world. Smiling at her husband, they decided it was time to start Christmas.

Word Count:110

Subject: Re: 24 Days Before Christmas Drabble Challenge Mon Dec 20 2010, 19:05

I

There was no cacophony of noise, no music, no panic. Not yet.

Atop the table, lined in the traditional red, was a large glass globe. It was blank, now, like a crystal ball out of a book – but this was something better. Something more magical that even that.

Seated at the table was a man in a red coat. His long white beard touched his rounded belly as he peered into the surface of the globe. He tapped it once, and an image shimmered into being inside.

The man smiled, and wrote in large letters “NICE” next to the name.
(100)

II

Margie had always loved the Christmas lights the best. Her friends all liked the presents, and the cookies – but Margie, she loved the lights.

Every year her mother took her to see all the lights – some were so bright, Margie had to squint to see without getting spots in her vision. Those were the best times she could remember. Seeing all the colours, all the different kinds of lights... they amazed her each and every time.

How she missed them.

The accident had been heartbreaking, but she thought she would not have minded so much... if she could still have seen the lights.
(103)

III

Mel crawled across the floor (some might say she looked a little like Smeagol, but she would deny it with passion!) in her search for the greatest prize of all.

She could see it, sitting on the table top, waiting, waiting for her!

“The preciousss...” she hissed. She inched closer. No one was around, so she was at her leisure – but you can never be too careful.

She scurried onto the table, and with a last look around, buried her face in the bowl. It was like coming home after a long time away. How she loved this Christmas treat.

“TRIFLE!” she cried out in absolute joy.
(107)

Last edited by stephy on Thu Dec 30 2010, 23:35; edited 13 times in total

Day One

Stephy looked outside at the few inches of snow that littered the ground. She sighed a little knowing that finals were coming soon and she still needed to find time to buy some presents for her relatives. She pictured the year before and the very little Christmas they had. Barely anyone was there and everyone was fighting. This year would be different for sure but Stephy hoped for the best. Her grandparents had passed on but they would still be there with her along with her uncles. Her aunt had just moved back and there was family drama. There was always family drama.
(103)

Day Two

December 2nd, it marked another day closer to finals and also to the holidays. Stephy tapped her pencil on her desk trying to study for her upcoming finals but they were a little over a week away. She would have plenty of time to study for them. However next week she had four exams to deal with. Why did the professors have to test her so close to finals. Not only did she have those tests to worry about but also these exams. She sighed, soon the Christmas break will be here and she’ll be home in her cozy house. The dorm was always freezing here.
(106)

Day Three
It was finally Friday which meant that Stephy could relax a little for the week before her two weeks of testing. The one thing she looked forward to was playing some xbox to help relieve some of the stress that she had been dealing with. College was getting harder for her but she was determined to finish. Just another two years and a semester and she would be out of there. Stephy just had to finish this semester first. Looking over at the calendar Stephy was surprised to see how quickly Christmas was arriving which meant break for a month.
(100)

Day Four
A day filled with gaming, something Stephy hadn’t done since the semester started. Exams followed exams and there were always mountains of homework to complete. Somehow Stephy was able to do it all and still have too much time on her hands. At times she thought about joining a club but that required her to do things. Stephy could be lazy at times. However, Christmas was coming sooner and sooner and Stephy had yet to get a gift for anyone in her family. She was planning on doing that next week. For now she was going to relax and enjoy her time before the big test weeks.
(106)

Day Five
Sunday has rolled around and Stephy was now faced with a week of exams followed by finals. She had been dreading these two weeks but they were followed by the month long break, something she had been looking forward to since the beginning of the semester. Now Stephy had the task of murdering her brain with numbers, complicated formulas and those dreaded letters. As she stared at her notes Stephy could feel her brain slowly start to die. Oh, how she loved her Calculus two exams and she loved how well she did on them. If only she could get an A on this exam it would make her happy.
(110)

Day Six
Math exam tomorrow and a short break before Stephy had to take her two Physics and Physiology exams. Her one Physic and Physiology would be easy and even if she failed the exams she would still end up with an A in that class. However her other Physic test worried her. She had to do well in order to maintain a B and that was without worrying about the final. Stephy was slowly starting to stress out but she wouldn’t let it get to her. Stephy just had to try. Everything would work out in the end and hopefully she would get good grades from college as a Christmas gift.
(110)

Day Seven
Tuesday, the day she had been dreading since the beginning of December. Stephy had to take her math exam. However by the end of the day she was happy to see she had received a 91 percent on her exam. Maybe there was hope that Stephy could receive an overall B in the class. If she could do that it would make her whole year. However she didn’t have time to worry about her math grade, she needed to focus on her Physics test that she would be taking in two days. Stephy looked at her calendar wishing that Christmas break would come sooner.
(105)

Day Eight
Tuesday afternoon was a nice break. Stephy had spent the afternoon looking for some Christmas presents but still had yet to buy anything. Now it was Wednesday which meant studying for her two Physic exams. One was a simple lab and the other was her lecture exam. She didn’t look forward to the lecture however in the end she receive a low B and decided to reward herself with a trip to the store to look at some presents. She bought her youngest sibling a gift but had yet to find that perfect gift for anyone else. Another day, she thought to herself.
(103)

Day Nine
Ah finally, Stephy had her final exam before taking the weeklong finals. However her weeklong finals would end after three days. Even though the pressure of finals was heavy on her mind she couldn’t help but think about Christmas and presents. Finally today she succeeded in getting presents for her whole family. It didn’t take very long for Stephy knew exactly what her sister, brothers and parents wanted for Christmas, also the university’s store was a very small one with not much to look around. At the end of the day, Stephy’s shopping was complete and she received an A on her exam. It was a good day.
(108)

Day Ten
The weekend had arrived, a day of gaming followed by a nothing but studying all weekend, however Stephy knew she wouldn’t start studying until Sunday. The day was filled with playing Mass Effect 2 with the occasional pause to look over her Calculus 2 notes. Even though her Math final was days away she couldn’t help but look over her notes. If only Christmas break was now Stephy wouldn’t have to worry final but of course they would have been the week before. Why couldn’t her college give her A’s for finals as a Christmas present? They just weren’t as generous.
(101)

Day Eleven
Saturday, another game filled day but no matter how hard Stephy tried to concentrate on playing her game her mind kept going to her Math final. She knew it wasn’t going to go well but a day filled with studying would help her surely. It was also the third day of the advent challenge and Stephy was at least having fun doing those along with all of the other Christmas events taking place. Soon she would be at home eating her candy canes and decorating the tree, the one thing she looked forward to the most. She just had a few more days until Stephy was home with her family.
(110)

Day Twelve
Ah Sunday, the day when everyone on campus started to go insane and their brains start to die. The day when no one is outside (not that there were many to begin with because of the cold weather) and are instead inside eyes glued to their books. As the day progresses the last thing on their mind is Christmas day. Even with Stephy she faintly thought about Christmas until her mother called her that night asking about how her search for presents went. Her mother was okay trying to figure out what she bought everyone but Stephy wasn’t telling…. Okay that was a lie.
(104)

Day Thriteen
Ah an unlucky day! Day Thirteen. At least it didn’t fall on a Friday or Stephy would be freaking out… or maybe not. It was the first day of finals only to be followed by two more days, well one more, Stephy didn’t have any finals tomorrow. A nice break for her only to spend it studying. At least the school was kind enough to prepare the students a Christmas dinner. It was nothing like the one at home but Stephy did enjoy it. Not only that afterwards Stephy was full all day, even when dinner rolled around. Why did they serve it during lunch time?
(106)

Day Fourteen
Finally a short break, an entire day of no tests but still a day filled with preparing for a test. Her Calculus final was tomorrow and there was no break for her. Stephy woke up to study, and only took a break to eat and do the HE advent challenge. There was no time for anything else. Her HE break did last an hour or so but it was well worth it. Stephy needed that break to get into the Christmas spirit even though she just used it as an excuse to rest her poor brain from numbers, letters and whatever it was her teacher went over.
(107)

Day Fifteen
The final came and went, a few weeks later Stephy will only learn that her whole day of studying was for a simple F but until than Stephy would live in constant stress wondering what her Math grade was. The University was kind enough that for her overall grade she received a C. What a wonderful Christmas present it would be. However Stephy was now heading home, heading home to finally enjoy the holidays to their fullest. To enjoy her month long break and best of all laugh at her brothers while they continue to go to school. One just has to love breaks!
(104)

Day Sixteen
Stephy’s first full day back from college. It was a great time. Stephy finally got to sleep in during a weekend, almost five hours more than usual. She awoke to her mother putting up Christmas lights inside the house. She was placing them throughout her drawers, around her doors and around anything else that looked a little too dark. When my brothers came home from school they were handed some lights and told to place them on the house. I helped but untangling the lights in the comfort of the house. I love putting up lights when I don’t have to go out in the cold.
(106)

Day Seventeen
As Stephy sits on the couch she notices that the tree before her didn’t look like it usually does. As she looks closer she notices that all that’s on the tree is lights and tinsel. Where were the decorations? Her mom didn’t want to put up the decorations, so like every year before Stephy had to hunt down their boxes and drag them to the tree. With the help of her youngest brother they together made the tree the most beautiful tree in the world! However we had no candy canes. The tree was beautiful but it lacked the candy canes.
(101)

Day Eighteen
It was a day off of work for Stephy’s sister and she decided that the two of them should make Christmas cupcakes. My brother whined wanting cookies instead but my sister claimed we didn’t have the mix. Later Stephy looked and found a few boxes of cookies, she just likes making cupcakes too much. During the process of making them Stephy’s sister just told her what to get and Stephy did as she was told but never got to actually make the cupcakes. In the end her sister did allow her to pour the mix into the cups. How nice of her to let Stephy do that.
(107)

Day Nineteen
Finally a trip to the store, an actual store, not the one right down the road from her dorm. It was the greatest store of them all- Walmart! Walking into the store Stephy could see it was ready for Christmas but then she thought back and realized that Walmart was ready for Christmas four months ago. Why stores put up Christmas items that early Stephy would never know. Finally Stephy was able to buy some candy canes and as soon as she got home the first thing Stephy did was empty five boxes of candy canes onto the many leaves of the tree.
(103)

Day Twenty
Just a few more days until Christmas! Stephy’s mom had her wrap her three siblings gifts from santa. Everyone in the house knew that Santa wasn’t the one putting the gifts under the tree but it didn’t stop her family from still participating in the tradition. Her two out of the three siblings just wanted to open their gifts as mom got them but Stephy’s youngest brother, dad and her all objected. Traditions are a great thing to have and breaking them, well Stephy would hate to get her Christmas presents before Christmas day. Not even Christmas Even would be good enough. What’s a few more days wait?
(108)

Day Twenty-one
The day was coming closer. Stephy felt like a child again. The days kept coming and coming and soon she would have her presents from Santa. During days like the last five ones before Christmas Stephy spent a lot of time thinking about her past Christmases. She loved having to go down to her grandparents’ house only to meet the rest of her giant family. However over the years things have changed and she saw less of her extended family. At least she still had her siblings and parents and the mountains of cupcakes! Stephy loved Cupcakes and their cupcake goodness!
(101)

Day Twenty-two
The days were starting to fly by and the candy canes on her trees were decreasing in numbers. The only ones that remained were the ones no one liked. Why did Stephy pick them up? She forgot that no one liked those certain candy canes. As the days drew closer to Christmas Stephy became more and more excited. Soon she would wake up to find presents under the tree! Unlike the year before Stephy didn’t know what she was getting except for the early present she received. Stephy only got the present early because it was a dragon table and her mom didn’t want to try to wrap it
(109)

Day Twenty-three
Christmas Eve Eve. The one day almost as good as Christmas Eve. You could feel the suspense of opening presents from each other the next day only to open up presents from santa the day after. These last few days were the most memorable and also were the ones where her family started to clean the house. They had to have a spotless house for Santa for he might slip and fall on our presents and Santa isn’t a small man. He will end up squishing it all! Stephy remembered hearing similar stories when she was younger about the toothfairy falling and never returning and the same with the Easter.
(110)

Day Twenty-four
Christmas Eve, the day we open presents to one another. Usually these gifts were lousy and one always learned not to expect much. However this year Stephy got to pick out her own gifts to herself from her two brothers and dad. Her sister did get her a very nice, very expensive dragon lamp. By far it was the best presents from each other so far, of course every year it gets better as your other siblings know what you do and don’t like. Also it helps when everyone gets their gifts from the store and not the so called store they have at the school.
(106)

Day Twenty-five

Christmas day has arrived finally for Stephy! The day before she and her sister spent the time dragging the wrapped gifts from her parents’ room to under the tree, something the parents should do but their mother decided she had dragged out and wrapped up enough presents until she got grandchildren. Now it was her own children’s turn to do the dirty work. However the next day it was well worth it to finally open up the gifts and see what one received. This year Stephy’s mom got her many collectable items and many HP items. It was a great Christmas all together.
(103)

Last edited by amberg93 on Mon Jan 31 2011, 14:06; edited 1 time in total

Day 1: First Snow
A small girl got up from her bed as her older sister yelled about snow, something she'd never seen. She had just moved this summer to Maine from Texas, snow was a mystery to her. Her little feet thudded against the step as she rain to the window in the living room, standing on tiptoe to get a look. As she saw the beautiful white blanket covering the ground, she gasped and clapped in excitement. Running over to the door, she flung it open and stepped out into the wonderland. So this is what snow felt like, it was amazing.

Word count: 100

Day 2: Radio Songs
Already the Christmas songs had taken over the radio, it was only the second day of December and yet every time she turned on the radio there were Christmas songs blaring out. And for the next twenty-five or so days, she would be hearing Christmas music all the time. Over and over again she'd hear about Frosty and Rudolph and girls lusting after Santa Claus. Honestly, couldn't they come up with something more original? For the next twenty-five or so days, she'd keep her radio off and avoid stores as much as possible because she really, really hated Christmas songs.

Word count: 100

Day 3: A Holiday's Worth
As the month of December started, navy officer Emerson grew a tad depressed. The idea of being here, on a base overseas far from his home, was not the idea situation for the holidays. He wouldn't even get to see snow in this hot, desert country. He longed for it, for falling snow, for his home and for his family, more than usual. Despite the distance, he'd keep those he loved in his thoughts during this month, remember why he was here and what he was defending. All of it had more worth than him being home for the holidays.

Word count: 100

Day 4: A Selfless Solo
Before this year, he would have never considered doing a solo of any sort. Yes, he had a nice singing voice and he was told very often that he should do a solo at a school concert, but his crippling shyness kept him from doing so. It wasn't he learned that the money raised from the concert would be going to the Christmas fund at the local children's home, that he changed his mind. He could certainly get over his shy nature if it meant that the kids without a real home could have some sort of good Christmas experience.

Word count: 100

Day 5: Snow Day
An alarm went off on the other side of the room, awaking the high school student with the loud, constant buzzing. Unenthusiastically, he pulled himself out of bed to shut the stupid thing off. After using the bathroom, he considered heading back to bed before he heard his phone play the tone for text messages. Flipping it open he wondered who could be texting this early, but forgot all about it as he saw the message. No way. Snatching up the remote, he turned on the T.V. and at the bottom was his school's name.

"Yes! A snow day!"

Word count: 100

Day 6: Headmaster Fluffybear Prepares
It was still a while before Christmas would be coming around, but Headmaster Fluffybear was already getting prepared. He wanted all of his students, and his professors, to have an amazing Christmas. So, he was started already on the preparation. As always, he wished to outdo every other past event and this Christmas celebration was no exception to that, the work just had to start now for it to work. So, he worked and worked on the experience and knew that it'd all be worth it for the warm, fuzzy feeling he'd get from knowing everyone had a great Christmas.

Word count: 100

Day 7: Writer's Block
The small boy frowned in unhappiness as he stared at the paper before him. At the top, his large letters indicated this was a letter to Santa. However, he couldn't quite seem to figure out what to say.

Turning to his mom, his small face fused in concentration, he asked her. "Mommy, what should I say to Santa?"

"Ask him nicely for the toys you'd like and say thank you again for last year."

He nodded, quickly filling the page with thanks and a list of toys. Signing his name at the bottom, he handed her the letter to send.

Word count: 100

Day 8: Family Party
Why the family holiday party was always so early in the month, he would never understand. They all saw each other on, Christmas Eve, Christmas or Boxing Day anyway, but every year they still had an early month gathering. They played games and gave each other small presents. When he was little, it used to be fun, but now it was just sort of lame. That was, until he noticed that this year his cousin had brought some of her friends. Some of her very pretty, single friends. Well, maybe there was still hope left for this party after all.

Word count: 100

Day 9: The Play
Every year the school held a Christmas play, every year since it had been established way back in the mid 1900s. It wasn't the same play every year, but it seemed that once one director got ahead of the play they directed every play from that year onward until they retired. And so was the case for Mrs. Foster, who sat and watched the play unfold during a rehearsal, they were to preform A Christmas Carol this year, and just as with every year before, she thought her students were going to put on the best show ever.

Word count: 100

Day 10: A Sledding Adventure
Sledding was certainly in the top three most fun winter activities, Brooke McAllister had often maintained. At sixteen, she still felt that way and though she might have been a bit older than the conventional sledding age by now, she wasn't about to let that stop her. Bundled up in her winter gear, she took her sled and made her way over to the local sledding hill. Standing at the top, she looked down and remembered all the fun times from previous years and knew that this year, despite her age, she'd still have just as much fun as ever.

Word count: 100

Day 11: Traci's Birthday
Amber always looked forward to December, it had lots of good points: Christmas, Christmas break, Christmas cookies, Christmas dinner, etc. Today however, today was Traci's birthday. And for Traci's birthday, being such a big and important birthday, she was more than willing to take her focus off of the upcoming Christmas. Yes, she would be buying her present for her friend late, again, but she would get her one. And she even knew what she'd get her, she'd get her something she loved. For now though, she'd hang out with her and eat tacos because that's what December 11 was about.

Word count: 100

Day 12: Shoveling
Shoveling. The worst chore in all of history, maybe because it is just so cold outside when the shoveling has to occur. Maybe because it's an entirely endless job. Though, there is always the slight thrill of victory to see the driveway completely clear. You'll stand at the door before going inside, lingering for a moment to check out your spectacular work. And then, a snowplow comes driving down the road and sends chunks of snow all into your nicely shoveled driveway. You'll yell, curse and glare at that big, mean, stupid snowplow before heading inside for much needed rest.

Word count: 100

Day 13: The Art of Snowpeople
Building a snowman is an art. An art that not many appreciate, I'm sorry to say. There is much consideration to be taken when deciding upon how to build the snowman. What color hat shall he have? What kind of nose shall he have? Is the snowman even a boy? Or, do you prefer to build the snowwoman? And then there are the trickier questions. Is your snowman in need of a family? Or does he, or she, prefer to have friends? See, it's just not that simple. In fact, snowman building is the most complex art that I know.

Word count: 100

Day 14: A Christmas Tree
Little Kyle wasn't sure what to get his mommy for Christmas. They didn't have much money, they didn't even have a real tree this year, but he wanted to make sure that she got something. So for one whole day he stayed inside during all of his recesses, working on a present for his mommy. And though it was for Christmas, he wanted to see her open it so badly that, when he got home, he handed her the present.

Watching her take it in, he looked proudly upon the hand painted picture. "Look Mommy, I made us a tree."

Word count: 100

Day 15: Santa Just Does
A young mother tried to figure out the answers to the questions that her oldest child kept asking about Santa Claus, desperately wishing that she remembered all of the stories that her parents used to tell her about Santa. She liked the previous year more, when her little son had shown a lot more acceptance and asked a lot less questions about the mechanics of Santa Claus and his reindeer. There was only so much a mother could take, so as her patience wore thin at the never ending questions, she finally came up with the answer; Santa just does.

Word count: 100

Day 16: Seeing Santa
Santa Claus always came to this mall, always, for as long as little Addison could remember. Why he chose to come here and spend weeks at a time meeting just the kids here, she had no idea, but she was happy about it. It meant that she'd get to meet Santa again this year. Waiting in line with all the other girls and boys, she finally got her turn to go up and meet Santa.

"Santa," she said, taking her place on his knee. "You must really like this mall, you come here every year just like the Easter Bunny."

Word count: 100

Day 17: Christmas Break Arrives
The last day of school before Christmas break was always the worst. Anticipation filling every student with the knowledge that after they got through this last, crappy day, they'd be free. Everyone chattered anxiously about leaving school and going to friend's houses or exotic places. Try as they might, teachers could never reign them in and by the time that five minutes were left until the end.. well most of them pretty much gave up. So was the case today, as everyone waited for the final a ring throughout the school, sending cheers throughout the halls. Christmas break was here!

Word count: 100

Day 18: Snow War
Hiding behind a handmade snow mount, she forced herself closer to the ground as a snowball went flying over her head. This was a war going on and she was determined to win. Peeking out from the top of her little 'fort', she saw the enemy looking over his fort. Unfortunately, the enemy saw her as well and she quickly had to duck back into hiding. No matter, she had a backup plan to use. Taking some of her perfectly made snowballs, she carefully inched around the side of her snow mound and fired. Oh yes, victory was sweet indeed.

Word count: 100

Day 19: The Giving Tree
The middle aged woman walked through the store, down about the fact that her family was grown up and spending the holiday away from home. She didn't feel any of the joy she usually did about now and she dragged along sadly. By chance she caught sight of one of those giving trees she'd heard about and made an impulsive decision. She grabbed the tags for a family off of the tree, going to find all the items on the tag. Checking out, she handed over the money and suddenly felt a whole lot better about herself and about Christmas.

Word count: 100

Day 20: Caroling Time
Mandy got ready to go out for the night with her family, winter coat on, hat pulled over her ears, gloves for her hands and boots that were comfortable. Yes, she was well prepared for tonight's activities. Christmas caroling was a tradition time honored in her family and every year on December 20th, they would go out around the neighborhood and sing carols to whomever wished to listen. There wasn't a specific reason behind it, other than the fact that it was just fun and family bonding. Stepping into the cold air, she knew this year would be no different.

Word count: 100

Day 21: Decorating the Tree
Decorating the Christmas tree was always her favorite part, always. She loved stringing the popcorn, evenly distributing the ornaments around the tree, just doing everything and anything that related to making the tree look beautiful. And every year, when she had finished, she'd stand back and tilt her head to the side to examine her work. After deciding it was good enough, she'd snap herself a picture and get it developed to add to her Christmas tree scrapbook. Sadly, if not for the dates underneath, one would never tell the difference in years because she had no originality at all.

Word count: 100

Day 22: Home for Christmas
The plane ride was taking forever. Every few moments, Isabelle would glance down at her watch to see what time it was. Going home for the holidays was something that she looked forward to most. What she hated about the trip was the flying though, on top of not particularly feeling comfortable on airplanes to begin with, time always seemed to pass slower during a flight. And after what felt like forever, she got off the plane. Even just stepping into the airport reminded her that she was home and being home was the best way to spend the holiday.

Word count: 100

Day 23: Christmas Cousins
Christmas had long since lost the magic in the Edwards' household. The only children in the house were twin girls who had now reached the ages of sixteen. And since Santa was out of the picture for them, there was no hurry to wake up early, no wonder. In the past few years even, they'd opened presents at ten or so on Christmas Eve night. This year though, cousins were staying over; cousins who possessed all the Christmas magic still and just from the little girls who believed in Santa, everything seemed different already. The Christmas spirit was alive in again.

Word count: 100

Day 24: Perfect Present
A perfect Christmas present required lots of thought, creativity, and a deep knowledge about the person. In this case, it also involved spending several months of practice and lessons to perfect his skill level. This would be worth it though, seeing the look on his wife's face the next morning. On Christmas Eve night, he snuck out and went to buy the giant block of ice it'd be needed and worked through the night making the perfect ice sculpture. It was a beautiful work of art for her to find first thing in the morning, just outside of her window.

Word count: 100

Day 25: Christmas is Here
The cookies had been eaten, the note had been signed with a thank you from the big man himself, full stockings sat under the tree and presents filled every space underneath as well. Colorful wrapping papers of all different sorts, a unique one for each person in the house, were covering boxes big and small. It was a beautiful sight to see early Christmas morning, the children squealing with delight as they took it all in. Yes, Santa had definitely stopped by this house last night and from the looks of things, everyone had been quite good the past year.

Word count: 100

Subject: Re: 24 Days Before Christmas Drabble Challenge Sat Jan 29 2011, 13:26

Day 1 - It's December

The clock stroke midnight. December had officially started.

"So the countdown begins."

Raistlin turned his back on the clock and went to sit behind his desk. A marvellous piece of artwork, made of the blackest of woods and topped by a polished stone. A thank you gift from the globins of the Black Forest in Germany.

"I must tread carefully. No one can know. No one can even suspect or everything will be ruined."

The HeadMaster faced a sheet of parchment in front of him. There were a series of names in it.

"This will be a Christmas to remember."

Day 3 - Amber

There was a knock on the door. Amber entered Raistlin's office.

"You called Flu... Rai?"

She stopped herself midsentence.

"Yes. Sit please. I have a matter to discuss with you.”

The Gryffindor's Head of House did so.

"I need a full report on what you plan to do for Christmas in your House by the end of the week. That's all. You're dismissed.”

A little confused, Amber got up and left. When she was gone Raistlin gave a smirk, got up, went to chair she had been sitting in, collected a single hair and put it in a small jar.

Subject: Re: 24 Days Before Christmas Drabble Challenge Mon Feb 07 2011, 08:20

DRABBLES CHALLENGE

Day 1

Samantha Granger - 300
amortentia773 - 275
amberg93 - 250
Traci=Ronlover102 - 225

stephy - 175
FaerieOfDoom - 175
Raistlin The Wizard - 175

Day 2

amortentia773 - 300
Traci=Ronlover102 - 275
Samantha Granger - 250
FaerieOfDoom - 225

amberg93 - 175
stephy - 175

Day 3

Samantha Granger - 300
FaerieOfDoom - 275
amberg93 - 250
Traci=Ronlover102 - 225

stephy - 175
Raistlin The Wizard - 175

Day 4 -

Samantha Granger - 300
amortentia773 - 275
amberg93 - 250
Traci=Ronlover102 - 225

stephy - 175

Day 5

Samantha Granger - 300
amortentia773 - 275
Traci=Ronlover102 - 250
amberg93 - 225

stephy - 175

Day 6

amortentia773 - 300
amberg93* - 275
Traci=Ronlover102 - 250
Samantha Granger - 225

stephy - 175

*OOC

Day 7

Samantha Granger - 300
amberg93 - 275
Traci=Ronlover102 - 250
amortentia773 - 225

stephy - 175

Day 8

amortentia773 - 300
amberg93 - 275
Samantha Granger - 250
Traci=Ronlover102 - 225

stephy - 175

Day 9

amortentia773 - 300
Traci=Ronlover102 - 275
Samantha Granger - 250
amberg93 - 225

stephy - 175

Day 10

amortentia773 - 300
Samantha Granger - 275
amberg93 - 250
Tracie=Ronlover102 - 225

stephy - 175

Day 11

Samantha Granger - 300
amberg93 - 275
Tracie=Ronlover12 - 250
amortentia773 - 225

stephy - 175

Day 12

Samantha Granger - 300
Traci=Ronlover102 - 275
amortentia773 - 250
amberg93 - 225

stephy - 175

Day 13

Samantha Granger - 300
amortentia773 - 275
amberg93 - 250
Traci=Ronlover102 - 225

stephy - 175

Day 14

amberg93 - 300
amortentia773* - 275
Samantha Granger - 250
Traci=Ronlover102 - 225

stephy - 175

*ANIMAL ABUSE ALERT!

Day 15

amberg93 - 300
amortentia773 - 275
Samantha Granger - 250
Traci=Ronlover102 - 225

stephy - 175

Day 16

Traci=Ronlover102 - 300
amberg93 - 275
Samantha Granger - 250
stephy - 225

amortentia773 - 175

Day 17

amortentia773 - 300
stephy - 275
Samantha Granger - 250
amberg93 - 225

Traci=Ronlover102 - 175

Day 18

Samantha Granger - 300
amortentia773 - 275
amberg93 - 250
Traci=Ronlover102 - 225

stephy - 175

Day 19

amortentia773 - 300
Samantha Granger - 275
amberg93 - 250
stephy - 225

Traci=Ronlover102 - 175

Day 20

amortentia773 - 300
Samantha Granger - 275
amberg93 - 250
stephy - 225

Traci=Ronlover102 - 175

Day 21

amortentia773 - 300
Samantha Granger - 275
Traci=Ronlover102 - 250
amberg93 - 225

stephy - 175

Day 22

Samantha Granger - 300
amortentia773 - 275
amberg93 - 250
stephy - 225

Traci=Ronlover102 - 175

Day 23

stephy - 300
amortentia773 - 275
Samantha Granger - 250
amberg93 - 225

Traci=Ronlover102 - 175

Day 24

Traci=Ronlover102 - 300
Samantha Granger - 275
amberg93 - 250
amortentia773 - 225

stephy - 175

Day 25

Samantha Granger - 300
amortentia773 - 275
Traci=Ronlover102 - 250
amberg93 - 225

stephy - 175

BONUS

amortentia773 - 1000
Samamtha Granger - 1000
Traci=Ronlover102 - 1000
stephy - 1000
amberg93 - 1000

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