Simon’s Christmas
By Tori Miller
Vickery, Ohio
Age 8
Honorable Mention
“Mom, I’m going to bed,” said Sierra, yawning.
But before she went to bed, she looked at her calendar....
2009 Adult writing contest and youth art winners
The holidays have a special meaning to all of us. It could be the sights and sounds of the children sled riding down the...
The Stocking Surprise
Second place: Mark Llewellyn, of New Castle, Pa.
Doreen’s eyes, glassy in this state of reverie, wandered from one hand to the other. Arthritis found...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 Christmas tree
By Brandon Hozian
Kirtland, Ohio
Age 11
Winner
There once was an evergreen tree that got planted in a forest. It wanted to grow to be a...
