Susanna Hill’s 10th Annual Holiday Contest is a great opportunity to write a children’s story in under 250 words. This year’s theme is holiday helper.

Here’s my submission. Enjoy! And happy holidays! I hope it inspires you to help someone in your community.

My Holiday Helper

“It was almost Christmas Eve. The news was very, very sad,” I told my granddaughter, Riley, just six years old.

“What happened?” she asked.

“My friends lost everything in a fire at their home. No one knows how it got started. The mom, Shelly, worked in my office. She had two little girls, about your age, and they played with my two boys. I liked Shelly. She was fun to be around. Her family had had a hard time of it even before the fire struck their home. But Shelly was tough. Nothing stopped her.”

“And then what happened?” Riley said.

“My son, your dad, James, was about your age. We were sitting around the kitchen table talking about the fire. A mom, a dad, and two little girls with nothing. What would they do? How could we help them? Where to begin when you’ve lost everything? Thankfully, no one was home when the fire broke out. No one was hurt. We talked about the family for a while.”

“Then, your dad ran upstairs. ‘Where are you going?’” I asked. “’I’m going to help them,’ he said.”

“And then what happened?” Riley said, curious to know more.

“An hour later he came downstairs with a box filled with his toys, books, and clothing. No one had asked him to help. He chose to do it all on his own. He was my holiday helper.”

“My dad did a great thing that day,” she said smiling.