Happy Jolabokaflod!
This collection of six Christmas-themed stories offers something for everyone. So I ask you, how do you like your Christmas?
Do you like a traditional Christmas?
a downpour becomes magical for one teenage girl when...
Do you like an uplifting Christmas?
a senior citizen celebrates the season in a retirement home.
Do you like a nostalgic Christmas?
Many people have stories about being stranded in the snow while travelling. This is mine...
Do you like to be a little mischievous at Christmas?
Think back. What was one of your most favourite childhood presents--of all time; ever. What happened to that present? Do you still have it? This is the story of one of mine.
Do you like to look at Christmas through the eyes of a child?
About an adventure that...um, well, I really wasn't supposed to go on. Maybe I wasn't alone. Did you also go on one of these adventures?
Do you like a dark Christmas?
Christmas from Mrs. Claus's point of view--it's not pretty.
Do you like an introspective Christmas?
For me, Christmas is a time of introspection. Every year, Christmas arrives with a message. As I contemplated the festive season this year, I was taken to three places...
If Christmas is painful...
And...
During this time of joy, of merriment... When we gather with friends and family, it's important to remember those who are socially isolated.
There must be some reason I'm estranged from everyone--why I'm left alone. I must be as horrible as everyone says I am.
My one love Morley is dead and buried. I grieve his absence. I miss him dearly. But to say his name would reveal my longing for him. It would make those around me uncomfortable. And so I must grieve him in silence.
My nephew ridicules me to my face and laughs about me with his friends behind my back when he thinks I can't hear him. And it hurts. I can't--. I won't reveal how much it hurts.
Living in pain, I build a wall between myself and the world. I become a grumpy old man. It's my armour.
Bah humbug, I say to keep all who would hurt me away.
Why is Christmas a Painful Time for so Many? by Susan Rako MD
photo by ldyck
About this story...
I've been a fan of Charles Dickens since I was old enough to read him. A Christmas Carol has been my favourite secular Christmas story for many years, and it inspired this piece of fan fiction.
Sunday, December 29
Holiday Office Party (short story)
Holiday parties can be challenging, especially for spouses.What do you say to people you barely know but who may be important to your husband's career?
Plus my year-end wind-up.
