I was delighted with the quality of the entries received for the 
Christmas story competition and for other submissions generally with a Christmas theme. It was a very difficult decision to make as any number of stories were worthy winners. But unfortunately I had committed to announcing one winner and putting them on the front page of the site, so in consultation with my co-judges (aged 8 and 11) we decided upon a winner.
But firstly there are a number of honorable mentions I would like to make.
Honorable Mentions
The Heart of Christmas by Brendan Farrell.
It’s Christmas-time, and Santa is tired – too tired to visit all the children of the world. Who can he possibly find to take his place? Can he find someone who understands what it takes to be Santa – who understands the heart of Christmas?
The Baby by Carol Bennett
The fictional story The Baby takes us back to the inn of Bethlehem. Leah and Naomi, two sisters living in a cruel world, come to the aid of strangers–and discover their Messiah.
The Seagull who couldn’t fly by Ann Lang
Flying was impossible for Sammy Seagull. His wings would just not open!
Last to leave his safe nest he had to find food and shelter before Christmas. Does he manage to do this?
A Child of Light by Jan Fenimore
A re-telling of the classic Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match-Seller set in modern times. It is the story of a child without a family who finds an older woman living on the streets and befriends her on Christmas Eve.
The Christmas Visitor by Sharon Krager
A family put up a stranded stranger and discover the true meaning of Christmas.
Non-competition mentions
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer by Dulce Rodrigues
Dulce’s explanation of the history of the famous story about Rudolph, the most famous reindeer of all and retells it in her own words. Not specifically a competition submission, but is proving very popular on the site this Christmas
The Santa Flower by Brian Martin
Everyone else was having such fun writing their Christmas stories, I had to get in on the act! Here’s a story I made up for my daughter, who kindly agreed to illustrate it. When the annual Santa Flower doesn’t bloom properly, everyone is worried. Then Annika gets a visit from a famous reindeer and takes a magical trip to the North Pole. Can she help Santa and save Christmas?
Santa’s Helpers and Santa and the Leprechauns by Jim McCarthy
These were not submitted specifically for the competition, however if you need a Christmas poem or two, check out Jim’s page.
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If you want to check out all of the Christmas content on Short Kid Stories, check out the full Christmas Stories Archive.
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Winning Entry
It’s hard to pick a winner when the submissions are of such quality. However I think you’ll all agree that the winning entry below is a worthy winner.
Naughty Noel by Nathan Oser.
It’s not easy for Noel being the son of Santa, especially when he’s the naughtiest kid in the North Pole.
A bit about the author:
Nathan Oser
After moving from Kentucky bluegrass to the deserts of Arizona, Nathan Oser has found a home with his wife and daughter on the Japanese oceanside where he spends his days teaching English as a second language, exploring the cuisine, restringing his shredded guitars, sketching the scenery, and scribbling out stories.
Visit him at nathanoser.com for more yarns and doodles.
Congratulations Nathan, your story will be featured on the front page of Short Kid Stories over Christmas.
Conclusion
Thanks to everyone who participated in the first ever Short Kid Stories story competition. I really enjoyed receiving and reading all the entries and the quality was extremely high. I look forward to running more competitions next year, so keep writing!
I don’t want to panic you, but it won’t be long before Christmas will be upon us!