The winning Christmas story
By Kim Villalva
Millington, Tenn.
First place
The phone call shocked Vernon Lee. He had won first place in the library’s Children’s Christmas Story Contest.
He shifted...
A question of faith
By Chet Cornman
Freeport, Pa.
Third place
The floorboard creaked and Amy froze. Someone was out there all right. Carefully, oh so carefully, she extended her neck...
Through the eyes of a child
By M. Merlin Acker
Wooster, Ohio
Honorable Mention
Farmer Jim awoke early one bright spring morning, traveling to the steep eastern slope on his farm overlooking a...
Of Christmas chores and country kindness
By Jennifer Bryan
Paris, Ohio
Honorable Mention
The frosty morning air stung my nose as I stepped out the door of our farmhouse. My parents’ boot prints...
Uncle Leonard
Third place: Maryann Lepovsky, 65, of Lucinda, Pa.
All the lights were out in town except for the bright orange Rexall sign on the corner...
An unexpected gift
By Michelle Starkey
Mechanicsburg, Ohio
Second place
The weather had turned cold and dreary with rain clouds hovering over the small town of Mechanicsburg when Jim Samuels...
The bootie
By Marie Walker
Leetonia, Ohio
Honorable mention
Tears flowed from my eyes while I hung the little red and white stuffed elf. It was Carol’s favorite Christmas...
The gift of remembrance
Winner: Alejandro Villalva, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army Reserve, 42, San Antonio, TX
Richard sat silently, transfixed, his entire attention riveted to the photo that...
