Jump to content

The Christmas Letter - A real downer


Recommended Posts

Whoa... I have NO editorial control over CodeysWorld.  Nor would I ever consider deleting anything from Colin's site. 

As I remember, Nick James' stories were once hosted at AwesomeDude.com but I believe he was asked to leave for picking fights with other authors.  Maybe it was criticism of a story like this that sparked it.  I only remember that -after he left- not a single reader wrote asking where he had gone.

We'll have to ask Colin about this but he's off for a couple of days with family.  The only reason I posted was that I was looking for something uplifting to read on Christmas Eve and found this in CW's update. 

By posting I had hoped to save others from severe disappointment at what should be a joyful time of year.  Since you all probably read it.. I guess I failed.

Sigh

Mike

Link to comment

For those of you who haven't worked out where the story is in the archive hopefully this link will work

http://www.codeysworld.com/nick-james/the-christmas-letter.html

 

2 hours ago, dude said:

.......The only reason I posted was that I was looking for something uplifting to read on Christmas Eve and found this in CW's update. 

By posting I had hoped to save others from severe disappointment at what should be a joyful time of year.  Since you all probably read it.. I guess I failed.

Sigh

Mike

No, you didn't fail Mike. You put us on guard without making a spoiler and drew attention to a story that is a reflection of the reality of Christmas for many families.

I read it as a story with a background of Christmas and not as a Christmas Story and found the ending in the right place, given the author is challenging us to think of what the boy has just discovered about life.

Joyous and uplifting, maybe not. Let's just say to read it is to take time-out from the surfeits of the materialistic way Christmas is celebrated in many countries these days.

Colin, thank you for furtling around in the archive and bringing it back for us to read.

Finally my own seasonal greetings to all who visit Codey's World & Awesome Dude.

Link to comment

Thank you, Pedro.

I posted this story on CW because not everyone has an uplifting experience during the holiday season. The 11-year-old protagonist who wrote the Christmas letter hopes that there might be a Santa Claus that will help his family, and discovers a reality when he didn't appear.

The story is complete. Our protagonist distributes the meager offerings that he was able to purchase, hoping that it will provide some small element of joy for his mother and sister. Then he cries himself to sleep because he's discovered that there is no Santa and that there are no miracles.

Think of those near where you live who are finding Christmas like this boy. Think of ways that you can help families that struggle to have enough food and shelter. This, in my opinion, is one of the real messages at Christmas. Doug and I volunteered at the Contra Costa and Solano Food Bank in our county this month, helping to hand bags of food and toys to the needy. The experience certainly opened our eyes to one of life's realities.

Colin :icon_geek:

 

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...