An Unexpected Gift for Grammie
BY SARAH BEAUREGARD AND JOHANNIE DUFOUR
Snowy Dell is home to a magnificent nature park where young and old alike can enjoy countless winter activities. The villagers can try out ice skating, skiing, snowshoeing and more. There’s something for everyone! One of the main attractions is the pretty chalet. Villagers use it to warm up, read, play and enjoy other indoor activities.
Little Sally has reserved the chalet for the day to run a pop-up boutique. She wants to raise enough money to buy a Christmas present for her grandmother, Francesca, whom she adores. She’s brought everything she needs to make hot chocolate and baked cookies to sell to park visitors.
The gift is rather expensive — it’s a snowmobile helmet. Francesca misplaced her old helmet the last time she moved. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have enough money to buy a new one. She’s sad she won’t be able to enjoy her favorite pastime this winter.
Sally knows she’ll have to sell a lot of cookies and hot chocolate to reach her goal. However, she’s highly motivated!
TRANSLATED BY JASMINE HEESAKER
She happily calls out to passers-by.
“Who wants to have a treat and do a good deed at the same time?” she asks with a big smile.
People approach her, their curiosity piqued. Sally explains why she opened her pop-up shop. Touched by her story, the visitors are generous. They also promise not to reveal her secret project to her grandmother. After all, everyone in Snowy Dell knows Francesca!
Sally’s pop-up boutique is a resounding success — it’s beyond her wildest dreams! At the end of the day, she counts all the money she made. It’s more than enough to buy the snowmobile helmet!
On Christmas Eve, Francesca unwraps the gift from her granddaughter.
“Oh, thank you, Sally, you’re going to make me cry!” she says, taking the helmet out of its box.
“Merry Christmas, Grammie! Think of me when you go snowmobiling,” she replies, giving her a BIG hug.
- The End -
Contest open to those ages 3 and up. Anyone under the age of 18 must obtain parent or guardian consent to enter. Previous winners of such contests are not eligible to win. Identification for winner may be required. Employees of the newspaper and sponsor employees are not eligible to win. Entry automatically enters individual’s name into contest. Contest entries will not be returned. Contest entries may be displayed or published in print and online by this newspaper; and become property of the newspaper. Winner will be awarded a movie basket from Zallie’s ShopRite of Medford. One entry per contest permitted. Entry form along with completed coloring panel should be mailed to Pine Barrens Tribune, Christmas Coloring Contest, P.O. Box 2402, Vincentown, NJ 08088 and postmarked by January 21, 2025 at 5 p.m. All entries must be received no later than 12 noon on January 24, 2025 and will not be returned. Incomplete entries will be disqualified. The decision of the judges is final. Winners will be notified by phone and/or email no later than January 31, 2025, and must appear in-person for award and agree to be photographed by the Pine Barrens Tribune and contest sponsor for publication.
Important Information:
• Postmarked by January 21, 2025 at 5 p.m.
• Must Be Received by 12 noon on January 24, 2025
• Christmas Coloring Contest form must be provided with each contest entry Mail coloring page with completed entry form to: Pine Barrens Tribune | P.O. Box 2402 | Vincentown, NJ 08088
Gifts Your Favorite Teachers Will Love
Christmas is the perfect time of year to extend your thanks to your children’s teachers. Instead of giving them another “world’s best teacher” mug, choose one of the following gifts that’s sure to please.
• Personalized pencils with their name printed right on them
• A tote bag that’s roomy enough to carry all their work to and from school
• A personal laminator to neatly display student’s work (don’t
Celebrate the Birth of Christ with Us
4:00pm 6:00pm Children’s Mass with Gospel Re-Enactment and Children’s Choir 8:00pm 10:00pm with Festival Choir and Brass Accompaniment Christmas Day 8:30am 10:00am Livestreamed to YouTube.com/SMLParish 11:30am
forget extra laminating sheets)
• A gift card to a local coffee shop to keep them caffeinated while they’re marking homework
• A membership to a local museum to inspire their lesson plans
• A scarf to keep them warm
• A gift basket filled with supplies like dry-erase markers, red correc ting pencils, glue sticks, grade-appropriate books and Christmas Eve
“...by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”
All Aboard the Smile Train!
BY SARAH BEAUREGARD AND
Every year, the village of Snowy Dell gives out gifts to children with a little help from Santa Claus. He distributes the gifts on a small electric train that meanders through the streets. However, the famous man with the beard has a jam-packed schedule as the holiday season approaches. He needs a helping hand to get the job done in record time. Clara, Marco, Theo and Nora have been chosen to help him this year.
The four friends are excited as they board the train with Santa. All day long, they knock on doors and hand out presents to their neighbors, cousins, classmates and more. They also meet children they don’t know, who seem very nice. Everyone is so happy to see them that they feel like they’re spreading smiles!
“Thank you so much for your help, children,” says Santa as he takes them back to the station.
“It was our pleasure, we had a great day,” replies Theo.
His three friends nod in agreement. Then, they wave goodbye to Santa.
“Ho, ho, ho, but you forgot your presents!” exclaims Santa.
The children can’t believe it. They’ve had so much fun, they haven’t even thought about their own gifts!
“Yippee! A science kit!” exclaims Clara as she opens hers. “I’ll be able to try lots of experiments!”
“I got the pencils I wanted for my comics!” rejoices Marco, grinning from ear to ear. “And you, Theo?”
“Candy and chocolate baking supplies,” replies the boy. “I’m in for a real treat!”
The three friends turn to Nora, who looks at her gift with tears in her eyes.
“Uh, don’t you like it?” asks Clara.
“Oh no,” says the little girl, “I LOVE it! It’s the figurine I’ve been missing to complete my dinosaur collection!”
The children are doubly pleased. They’ve spread joy and received wonderful gifts. They’ll be talking about this special day for a long time.
JOHANNIE DUFOUR
TRANSLATED BY JASMINE HEESAKER
Hostess Gift
If you get invited to someone’s home over the holidays, it’s best not to arrive empty handed. However, it can be hard to know what to bring, especially if the host or hostess is a relatively new friend or acquaintance.
Fortunately, there are number of things — wine, chocolate, coffee, tea, fancy hand soap and unscented candles, for example — that make great gifts when you don’t know the recipient very well. However, if you do know them, you
could offer your host or hostess something that you think they’ll appreciate. If they love to cook, for instance, a cookbook or an inexpensive kitchen gadget would be ideal. Whatever you bring, make sure it’s not something that makes your host or hostess work. For example, if you choose
to bring a bouquet of flowers, arrange them in a vase before arriving so they don’t have to.
Remember, this gift is meant for the hosts to enjoy after the guests have gone home. They’re not obliged to share it with you or anyone else, so don’t expect them to.
