Being rather pernickity, I've ruled out a lot of good stories this Challenge because for me they fell the wrong side of how I'm defining the genre of magic realism, which very loosely is strangeness (and preferably out-and-out weirdness) which is accepted as normal in an otherwise mundane world, so for me "ordinary" fantasy doesn't quite hit the mark, though there were some tales I really loved.
That being the case, a short shortlist from me this month:
emrosenagel -- Green Christmas
JS Wiig -- Winter Festival
nixie -- Sometimes wishes come true.
THX1138 -- The Snow Geese
Victoria Silverwolf -- Pilgrims
Yozh -- The Lantern
I was very taken with the upside-down weather conditions from
emrosenagel and
JS Wiig, who come in 2nd and 3rd respectively, but my vote goes to
THX1138 for the very lovely imagery of the snow-bringing geese.
And a special Judge's Prize for Cleverest Concept to
genelewis and the intriguing Invisible Holidays.
Many Primeval Holiday Thanks for the lovely shortlistings Parson and CC, and very many Snappy Crocodilian Thanks for the wonderful votes, Victoria and emrosenagel!
