Welcome to a showcase of imagination and creativity from the minds of budding young authors! We are thrilled to present the selected short stories/poems from the Mensa Youth Christmas Story Challenge. Each piece is a unique blend of youthful insight and festive spirit, capturing the essence of the holiday season through the eyes of children. These stories, chosen for their originality and narrative flair, represent the best of young literary talent. Get ready to dive into a world of wonder, crafted by the stars of tomorrow.
The captivating stories from our young authors will be presented in the sequence of their respective grade levels, showcasing the diverse range of talent across different age groups.
(Some of these students attend BNS Best in Business Private Schools. Take a look at these and other top ranked specialists on BNS-News.com )
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Everett O. in Grade 1
‘Twas the night before Christmas and the children were snug in their beds. They left milk and cookies for Santa. And they left their cards of what they wanted by the chimney for Santa.
When Santa came he turned on a light and thought where he should put the presents for the children. They didn’t have a tree to put the gifts under. They also didn’t have their stockings put up. They didn’t have these things because they didn’t have enough money.
Then Santa figured out what he would do. He would just make a gift hunt just like the Easter bunny! He hid some in the bathroom, the living room, under the couch, in their bedroom and everywhere! Also there was one surprising place he hid something. Can you guess? It was the attic of the house!
When the children woke up they were so happy because they saw Santa’s presents everywhere!
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Lucas Wilson in Grade 2
Twas the night before Christmas and there was no sign of a squirrel.
It was so dark that not even a rodent could see.
But upon the midnight star there was a shadow upon the sky.
And that shadow in the night was Santa's sleigh.
There were lots of bows sitting neatly in rows.
It was night and then there was Santa.
It was fun and Monday morning, the presents were delivered.
It was so dark that not even a rodent could see.
But upon the midnight star there was a shadow upon the sky.
And that shadow in the night was Santa's sleigh.
There were lots of bows sitting neatly in rows.
It was night and then there was Santa.
It was fun and Monday morning, the presents were delivered.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Kenneth O. in Grade 4
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,
When all through the house,
All creatures were stirring,
All but a pout mouse.
The mouse was so pouty
Because everyone was shouty.
He grumbled in thought
That he might have caught
The Christmas sickness,
Or somehow Christmas
Had packed its bag and
Left to Candyland.
The rabbits were all laughing
About presents and wrapping
The moles were all digging
And stomping and singing
But the mouse kept on pouting
With the weasels a-shouting.
When Santa came the rabbits stopped laughing
Knowing he was the best at all wrapping
The moles popped up and greeted Santa with a grin
But a young mole emerged and hurt him in the shin!
Santa then noticed the mouse
In the now very quiet house.
The mouse managed to squeak
And let his grievances leak.
So Santa then used a colourful drone
To give the mouse noise-cancelling headphones!
The mouse was filled with delight
And said Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,
When all through the house,
All creatures were stirring,
All but a pout mouse.
The mouse was so pouty
Because everyone was shouty.
He grumbled in thought
That he might have caught
The Christmas sickness,
Or somehow Christmas
Had packed its bag and
Left to Candyland.
The rabbits were all laughing
About presents and wrapping
The moles were all digging
And stomping and singing
But the mouse kept on pouting
With the weasels a-shouting.
When Santa came the rabbits stopped laughing
Knowing he was the best at all wrapping
The moles popped up and greeted Santa with a grin
But a young mole emerged and hurt him in the shin!
Santa then noticed the mouse
In the now very quiet house.
The mouse managed to squeak
And let his grievances leak.
So Santa then used a colourful drone
To give the mouse noise-cancelling headphones!
The mouse was filled with delight
And said Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Maya Kara in Grade 5
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all were asleep, for nothing could be heard, but two little squeaks. Two little mice peaked from their hole; not a cat was in sight, only its scratching pole. The two little mice sneaked and rolled, for this faithful night Saint Nicholas patrolled. They stumbled upon three chocolate-streaked sweets, and thought they would be perfect to eat. They crept, and they stepped slowly away, for they couldn’t risk any harmful delays. They waited, and waited, never agitated, for this Christmas Day they were to catch the one they awaited. Rumbling sounds echoed through the house, as Saint Nicholas came slowly tumbling down. He came out the fireplace with a grin on his face, for he had been on a wild cookie chase. He jumped and dumped his sack on the ground, carefully laying each present like he would something newfound. He nibbled the cookies and chugged the milk, then when the mice appeared, he stopped with a jilt. He gave them each a yummy snack, not even a bit unpacked. He then told them on his way, to never go astray. Then he left, leaving the mice without a need for theft. “Merry Christmas to all” Santa Claus said, and went off in a flash of red.
The End
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Ram Sahasrabudhe in Grade 5
Twas the night before Christmas, and nothing was astir. At least, so the Franks thought. While they were asleep, the chimney shook, and the stockings rattled. A rope was dropped through the chimney, and a figure rappelled down with not-so-perfect ease. Within moments, a pair of black boots, red pants, a black belt, and a jolly smile upon his bearded face. He looked around the room, trying to spot a Christmas tree. What he didn't spot was a tripwire, tied to a Lego contraption, connected to a cardboard lever that, when flipped, would push a button on a camera with a clear shot of the chimney. If Santa Claus had seen it, he would have avoided one of the greatest tasks: to find the camera, and remove the film, so the Franks' kid wouldn't see that Santa Claus was, indeed, real. With a flash and a snap, the camera took a picture. In a moment, he was searching for the camera, and found it in a flash. He took out the film, and said, "That was easy.” Then he realized that the child would know that he was real, because the film had been taken out. Thus began a great search for an empty camera film. Santa had heard from one of his elves that people got camera films from a place called a “Camera Shop”, and he raced to the nearest one. He quickly checked the time. It was 1:00, and Santa was behind schedule. He raced in, only to find multiple camera films, each a specific size. He raced back to the Franks' home, and found the camera. When he arrived at the store, a little breathless and tired, he read the camera. He quickly began looking at the films. He needed CR8088E2. Here were the CRs, here the CR80__s, here the CR8088s. Finally, he found the little placard saying CR8088E2, only to be greeted with a placard saying “Out of Order”. The time was 1:44. Santa raced to the store's other location, only to be greeted with a sign saying “Closed-Sorry”. He ran to the Franks' home, with a hope that they kept backup films. As he looked in the basement, the wall clock said 3:25. He found a box labelled “Electronics” and rummaged through it. All he could find was a box of “Double A Batteries”, and an assortment of screwdrivers and other tools. The time was 6:00. He had 45 minutes until sunrise. He raced to the garage, trying to find the backup film. At last he found it: CR8088E2. He raced to the camera's hiding place, and began to thread the film in. He heard voices upstairs, the Franks waking up. He threaded the film in, put the camera back, and rushed out of the chimney, thankful to have not been seen. When the Franks' kid went downstairs, he was disappointed that the camera was unchanged, and Santa Claus wasn't real. Far away, Santa Claus heaved a sigh of relief.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Sonya Kara in Grade 5
‘Twas the night before christmas when all were asleep. Not a sound was made, not even a peep. Lilly was up all night waiting for Santa Claus to come. As the night went by she started to cry. Santa Claus had not passed by, and Lilly was very worried. She then decided to go find Santa Claus. She put on her coat, scarf, and gloves, and headed out. She didn’t know that Santa was in the next-door neighbourhood. After many,many hours of looking she started to cry even more. She then took a break and stood by a tree. She wondered what to do, and found it was best to go back home. When she got home she heard a clatter coming from the roof. She then said to herself,”Could it be?! Is Saint Nick here? On my roof!” Excitedly, she ran outside and found Santa on her roof. She then saw him going down the chimney and ran back into the house. She saw Santa in her house! She was so excited and ran up to him. He got scared and accidentally touched his nose casting a spell on her. He turned her into a cat! He didn’t know what to do, then decided to go back to the North Pole and brought Lilly with him. He explained the situation to Mrs.Claus, and let’s just say she was not happy! She told him the only way to turn the Lilly back was to go on a quest. During the quest Santa needed to collect the three star amulets. Then he had to put them in a type of special water to dissolve, and Lilly must drink the concoction. Mrs.Claus decided to come with Santa on this magnificent journey. They then went on their way and collected all three stars. They dissolved it in special water and Lilly drank it. Then a sparkly mist swirled around Lilly and she turned back into her human form. She was very scared, but enjoyed the time she had with Santa. Santa then brought her home and gave her a cute cat snowglobe she had always wanted. Saint Nick sent Lilly on her way up to bed, and in the morning, gifts were all around the tree. Lilly had an amazing Christmas, and she kept that memory with her forever.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Kerry Chen in Grade 8
Twas the night before Christmas, and the streets were bustling and merry. Little Rose ran along the cobblestone pathway, pushing past the crowd and making her way to the merchant’s stall. In her enclosed hand, she clutched seven coppers—one for each of her birthdays. Rose slipped past worried mothers clasping their children's hand tightly in their own, and fathers hurriedly rushing back to their homes with gifts tucked under their arms, barely managing to stumble to the shop in time.
The merchant gave her a strange look, which immediately became a wide smile and kind eyes when Rose lay down the coppers. She gave a quick glance around the stall, before sliding the money forwards.
“I’d like a candle, and candies with the change.” The merchant took four coppers, which was surely an absurd amount for a simple candle. Rose refrained from commenting, knowing the merchant would turn her away at any sign of discontent. The man handed her one candle, already lit, and three candies.
Rose bowed in recognition, thanking the merchant. “Thank you, kind sir.” The merchant didn’t respond, busying himself with other matters not two seconds after the items were handed to Rose. She ran down the street, now with slowly dwindling numbers, everyone having headed back to their families. Rose took care to not extinguish the candle, covering the delicate flame with her gloved hand.
As the docks loomed closer and closer, the sky seemed to get darker, until the only light source was the small, flickering flame of the candle. Rose sat at the very edge of the dock, her legs dangling off of the old wood. She threw a piece of wood into the water, creating some sort of makeshift raft, before carefully placing the melting candle on top. The contraption wobbled a bit when it landed in the water, quickly regaining balance.
With the candles casting a gentle glow around the lake, Rose unwrapped the candies, placing the sugary confections down beside the candle. Tears sprang to her eyes as the candle floated away slowly.
“Merry Christmas mama,” She whispered. “I wish I could spend it with you.”
The merchant gave her a strange look, which immediately became a wide smile and kind eyes when Rose lay down the coppers. She gave a quick glance around the stall, before sliding the money forwards.
“I’d like a candle, and candies with the change.” The merchant took four coppers, which was surely an absurd amount for a simple candle. Rose refrained from commenting, knowing the merchant would turn her away at any sign of discontent. The man handed her one candle, already lit, and three candies.
Rose bowed in recognition, thanking the merchant. “Thank you, kind sir.” The merchant didn’t respond, busying himself with other matters not two seconds after the items were handed to Rose. She ran down the street, now with slowly dwindling numbers, everyone having headed back to their families. Rose took care to not extinguish the candle, covering the delicate flame with her gloved hand.
As the docks loomed closer and closer, the sky seemed to get darker, until the only light source was the small, flickering flame of the candle. Rose sat at the very edge of the dock, her legs dangling off of the old wood. She threw a piece of wood into the water, creating some sort of makeshift raft, before carefully placing the melting candle on top. The contraption wobbled a bit when it landed in the water, quickly regaining balance.
With the candles casting a gentle glow around the lake, Rose unwrapped the candies, placing the sugary confections down beside the candle. Tears sprang to her eyes as the candle floated away slowly.
“Merry Christmas mama,” She whispered. “I wish I could spend it with you.”
As we conclude this delightful journey through the imaginative worlds created by our talented young writers, we hope their stories have filled you with the joy and wonder of the holiday season. These narratives, brimming with creativity and youthful perspective, remind us of the endless possibilities that lie within the minds of children. We thank all participants for sharing their unique voices and congratulate the winners for their outstanding contributions. May their stories inspire readers of all ages to dream, imagine, and embrace the magic of storytelling.