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...
Marie’s Christmas miracle
Eileen Gress, 16, of Shreve, Ohio
It was Christmas Eve, and Marie sat in her rocking chair. She was thinking about Christmas and how her...
Santa’s wish
By Danielle Schumaker
Loudonville, Ohio
Age 9
Winner
The North Pole postman is as busy as can be as millions of children across the world send their...
Merry mischief
By Sharon Sweda
Huron, Ohio
Honorable Mention
“Doggone it!”
Janet hears Henry’s familiar bellow. She knows, without looking or hearing the stomp of his boots, that in an...
A Christmas Surprise
Abigail Langmeyer
Age: 7
Cortland, Ohio
There was a little girl named Jane who lived on a farm in Texas. She wanted a cat for Christmas, but...
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...
The believer
By Carlee Dunham
Castalia, Ohio
Age 11
Honorable Mention
Once upon a Christmas Eve, a young boy named Charlie did not believe in Santa Claus. He...
The meaning of Christmas
By Destini Smith
Vickery, Ohio
Age 12
Winner
De was in school. It was the end of the day, right before the bell rang, when her...
There is joy: A true story
By Anna Perkins
Westfield Township, Ohio
Age 16
Winner
Family. A Christmas tree. Singing carols on a neighbor’s doorstep. Watching her children’s delight at receiving the...
