holidays

Story·Emma Harwell, age 12 — A girl resentful of caring for her sister with cerebral palsy realizes during a Thanksgiving church service that her sister has never complained despite having far less.

Story·Alex Iyker, age 11 — A seven-year-old girl searches for her missing grandfather in a blizzard, guided by her dog to a cave where he lies injured, and brings him home on Christmas Eve.

Story·Scott Limbacher, age 10 — An orphan boy expecting wealthy adoptive parents on Christmas Eve discovers his new family is poor but learns they offer something more valuable than material gifts.

Story·Vanessa Coakley, age 12 — A grandmother tells her granddaughter about getting lost in a blizzard while buying a Christmas gift, finding shelter in their own barn, and mysteriously recovering the lost watch.

Poetry·Alice Baumgartner, age 12 — Sensory memories of a Mardi Gras dinner trigger vivid recollections of sounds, tastes, and a game of Truth or Dare on an unseasonably warm February evening.

Story·Zhang He, age 11 — A girl selling oranges at a Chinese market warns customers her fruit is sour, then runs after them to return their change, teaching a lesson about honesty.

Story·Melissa Smith, age 13 — A sixth-grader reluctantly rehearsing for his church's Christmas play gains new understanding of the shepherds' sacrifice when he postpones his birthday party to visit his injured elderly neighbor.

Story·Rachel Hellwig, age 13 — An aspiring ballerina practices relentlessly for a Nutcracker audition but isn't chosen, only to be called in as an understudy when another dancer falls ill.

Story·Molly Dektar, age 13 — A girl receives a mysterious package containing both an elf hat that once excluded her and her childhood Hanukkah hat, forcing her to reconsider identity and belonging.

Story·Brittany Newell, age 10 — A girl finds escape and identity through playing her dusty family piano, culminating in a Christmas Eve performance where she becomes one with the instrument.