Discussion Thread December 2019 75 Word Writing Challenge.

[mosaix]

We do seem a little short this month.

I’ve just checked December 2018. We had nearly 50 entries. A lot of them were from relatively new members.

I don’t think we’re going to get anything like 50 this month.

 

[Danny McG]

Ursa.....groan button time......"present tense!"

 

[Ursa major]

The challenge has closed to new entries.

Voting is open at the link below:

POLL -- December 2019 75-Word Challenge -- READ FIRST POST!​

 

[Culhwch]

We do seem a little short this month.

I’m unfortunately an absentee this month. Life got super crazy over the last few weeks, and although I did start something I never managed to get back to it. Which is disappointing, because I’d started to get a good string of consecutive entries going again.

Here’s to January, hey?

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

My vote went to @DannMcGrew . A very nice story. I'll give you a shortlist if time permits.

 

[Hugh]

@Peter V gets my vote

with @Venusian Broon close runner-up

others on the shortlist:
@dannymcg
@johnnyjet
@Clockworkbot
@Starbeast

also particularly caught my eye:
@Ian Fortytwo
@Vince W
@M. Robert Gibson

Many thanks also to @DannMcGrew for the vote. It was wonderfully unexpected to take a look at the poll and see that red line with 100% of votes cast against my name.

 

[Peter V]

Thank you for the vote @ Hugh

A pleasant surprise, especially having read some of the entries. I think picking a single entry is going to be very tough for me.

 

[Vince W]

What a tough choice. There were so many good entries.

My shortlist includes @dannymcg, @Parson, @Perpetual Man, @Ian Fortytwo, and @nixie.
My vote went to @M. Robert Gibson.

 

[Parson]

@Starbeast .... Blackstone the Great .... Beast brings us a sweet tale of an unexpected gift to an unexpected audience.

@StilLearning .... An Austrian Christmas. .... S. Learning twists presents and a popular media franchise into a real mashup.

@TheDustyZebra .... Star-crossed Lovers .... Dusty writes us a new version of the gift of the Magi.

@Ursa major .... Doing the Right Thing .... Ursa leaves us grinning in the present tense.

 

[Danny McG]

I've just cast my vote good people, @Ursa major for the pun
It's exactly right for the season as it belongs in a Christmas cracker

 

[Ursa major]

Many thanks for the vote, Danny.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Shortlist
The Anodyne - @Victoria Silverwolf
To Boldly Give - @Margaret Note Spelling
Star-crossed Lovers - @TheDustyZebra

Vote
What you get for someone who has everything - @Clockworkbot

Well done chaps, keep it up

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

M. Robert Gibson gives us the gift of a unique myth.

Parson gives us the gift of random acts of kindness.

Peter V gives us the gift of a visitation from above.

Starbeast gives us the gift of divine gratitude.

StilLearning gives us the gift of a new look at a classic tale.

TheDustyZebra gives us the gift of the poignancy of missed connections.

Ursa major gives us the gift of a clever variation on an old story.

______________________________________________________________________

Vote goes to johnnyjet with Elckerlyc very close behind.

 

[nixie]

Favourites
@HoopyFrood
@dannymcg
@Venusian Broon
@LittleStar
@Elckerlyc

Vote @Peter V ( even if it does remind of an episode of Mrs Brown's Boys)

 

[Danny McG]

Oh hey! I've got a vote
Many many thanks @SamMayne

 

[elvet]

Long list:
@HoopyFrood
@Victoria Silverwolf
@Hugh
@Clockworkbot
@TheDustyZebra

Short list:
@dannymcg
@Venusian Broon
@DannMcGrew

Vote: @Peter V (or perhaps his father...... )

 

[Parson]

In a really odd development this month had perhaps the fewest entries ever, and I have perhaps my longest "short list' ever. I've separated the gifts in terms of my understanding of the kind of gift it was.

Gifts: Wow!
@HoopyFrood .... Of Christmas Yet to Come --- Those gifts just made me go Wow!

Gifts: Sad or Blue
@dannymcg .... Twas the Night Before --- A fantasy gift and a sad reality all intertwined.
@LittleStar .... The Only Rule --- A fantasy being intertwined with a gift for a wretched reality.

Gifts: Groan!
@Luiglin .... It's the Thought that Counts --- A gift which makes is both sweet and horrid at the same time.
@Clockworkbot .... What You Get for Someone Who Has Everything ---- The idea that the gods re-gift makes me grin and groan.

Gifts: Near Perfect
@Calliopenjo .... Gift Without a Price --- A gift which the least among us deserve the most: service.
@DannMcGrew .... The Most Wise --- The gift given with true love, even when it misses it's mark, engenders true love in the other.
@gtempel .... A Gift Gained and Freely Given --- A gift which is simple, profound, and very necessary in our world of few true hugs.

Gifts: Perfect
@Peter V .... A Spaceman Came Traveling ---- The gift which changes a race for good is the perfect gift.

I was really impressed with the quality of the stories this month. But the story which will stay with me for a very long time is the one I voted for: DannMcGrew: The Most Wise .... He took O Henry's utter classic story The Gift of the Magi and redeemed it from it's "hopelessly in love and therefore hopelessly stupid" sub-vibe and gave it the ending that such selfless love truly deserves. ---- Well done my friend! Well done!

 

[Karn's Return]

Utter classic? Well, I suppose that's one way to describe Gift of the Magi...but then again, even historic shits could be considered classic. XD Not that any entry here is such a thing, they were all good, I just didn't care for O'Henry's story.


I did go with clockworkbot myself because, as Parson just stated, the idea of gods gifting and re-gifting... And for some reason I could just see Lilith being the type to be rather ungrateful of receiving the entire realm of Heaven. XD

 

[Margaret Note Spelling]

And then there is, of course, the not-so-timeless-classic, Theft of the Magi, from the inimitable Randall Munroe:

 

[J.C. Scoberg]

A number of great entries this month, even if there were fewer entries than usual.

My shortlist *drum roll*:
@Venusian Broon
@LittleStar
@nixie

But my vote went to *Christmas drum roll please*
@dannymcg

Also, many thanks to @gtempel for the vote! A Christmas gift of its own!