Holiday Stories and Gift Guide 2024 - Pine Barrens Tribune

Kid’s

Corn

202 4

er

Heartwarming Stories of

Holiday Cheer

& Great Gift Ideas to Wrap Up the Year!

A Special Section from the

Page S2 ♦ Kid's Corner& Corner& Gift Guide

An

Unexpected Gift for Grammie

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Saturday, December 14, 2024

BY SARAH BEAUREGARD AND JOHANNIE DUFOUR

TRANSLATED BY JASMINE HEESAKER

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!

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 -

Saturday, December 14, 2024

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Kid's Corner& Corner& Gift Guide ♦ Page S3

Spo n Sho sored b pRit e of y Zallie’s Med ford

ENTER NOW: Name:_____________________________________________________ Age:_______________________________________________________ Parent’s Name:_________________________________________________________ Home Address:_________________________________________________________ City:__________________________________ State:________________ Zip:________________________________________ Contact Phone:_________________________________________________________ Email:_________________________________________________________________ All fields required. Include entry form with each entry.

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

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Page S4 ♦ Kid's Corner& Corner& Gift Guide

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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

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 even classroom decor

•

A nice bottle of wine to help them relax over the vacation

•

A box of artisanal chocolates, because everyone deserves a treat

In addition, few teachers can resist handmade gifts, so anything your kids make is sure to be appreciated. No matter what you choose, don’t forget to have your child make a card that expresses thanks to the teacher for every­thing they do.

Celebrate the Birth of Christ with Us Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

Children’s Mass with Gospel Re-Enactment and Children’s Choir

Livestreamed to YouTube.com/SMLParish

4:00pm 6:00pm

8:00pm 10:00pm

with Festival Choir and Brass Accompaniment

8:30am 10:00am 11:30am

“...by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”

Saturday, December 14, 2024

Saturday, December 14, 2024

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All Aboard the

Smile Train!

BY SARAH BEAUREGARD AND JOHANNIE DUFOUR

TRANSLATED BY JASMINE HEESAKER

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.

- The End REG. $39.99

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Kid's Corner& Corner& Gift Guide ♦ Page S5

Page S6 ♦ Kid's Corner& Corner& Gift Guide

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Silly Stories by

Santa Claus

BY SARAH BEAUREGARD AND JOHANNIE DUFOUR

TRANSLATED BY JASMINE HEESAKER

The Snowy Dell Christmas Festival is held every year on December 23. In keeping with tradition, Santa Claus opens the festivities by ringing a bell. He then strolls around to hand out surprises and have his photo taken with the children.

This year, though, there’s something new. He’ll be telling stories around a bonfire. Josie and Anthony have been looking forward to the festival for weeks.

They have a million questions about his work because they want to write a Christmas story for the school writing competition.

As soon as the festival starts, they take part in all kinds of activities. First, they try outdoor bingo. Then, they participate in a treasure hunt. Next, there’s a play performed by students from the school and a snowboarding demonstration.

Finally, the long-awaited moment arrives. The two friends grab a hot chocolate from a kiosk and head for the bonfire. They arrive at the same time as Santa Claus!

“Ho, ho, ho! Hello, children! says Santa.

“Would you like to sit beside me?”

Saturday, December 14, 2024

“Oh yes!” Josie and Anthony exclaim.

Delighted, they take their seats beside him. The friendly bearded man tells them about the time he had all kinds of problems while delivering presents around the world. One of the sled’s skis broke. A gift went flying out upon landing and was hard to find in the snow. A cat hid in his big red sack. Everyone laughs out loud!

Josie and Anthony have a wonderful time.

At the end, they get a chance to ask Santa a few questions. He kindly answers each one. Now, his work holds almost no secrets for the two friends!

“It’s great, we’re going to be able to write a very realistic story!” enthuses Josie after the jolly old man has gone.

“And with everything we’ve learned, it’s going to be the best Christmas story ever!” adds Anthony.

Excited and confident, they find a quiet corner and begin to write the story they hope will win them the competition.

- The End -

Saturday, December 14, 2024

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Kid's Corner& Corner& Gift Guide ♦ Page S7

Perfect

How to Choose the Host or 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

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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.

Page S8 ♦ Kid's Corner& Corner& Gift Guide

The

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Saturday, December 14, 2024

Pesky Assistant

BY SARAH BEAUREGARD AND JOHANNIE DUFOUR

TRANSLATED BY JASMINE HEESAKER

Artie’s parents own a popular catering service in Snowy Dell. They’ve been extra busy lately with tons of holiday orders. They even had to wait until Christmas Eve before finally putting up their outdoor decorations. Artie offered to give them a hand by decorating the tree by himself. As they’re putting up the lights on the house, the boy takes a good look at the tree.

“What do you think, Whiskers?” he asks his cat. “We could hang the big red garland this way and the little green one the other way around. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Meow,” replies the cat.

Artie goes around the tree to put up the red garland. Whiskers follows him playfully, jumping up to try and hit the end as it flutters in the wind. The boy gently nudges him away to avoid tripping. He finishes his task and turns to pick up the green garland.

“Oh, Whiskers!” he exclaims, seeing the cat all tangled up in it.

After untangling the garland, Artie adds it to the tree. Then, he opens the box containing the unbreakable baubles.

Whiskers immediately knocks it over by pressing on the edge with his paws. The baubles scatter in the snow.

“No, Whiskers! They’re not playthings, they’re for decorating! Look,” says Artie.

He picks up a few decorations and arranges them on the tree under the watchful eye of his little companion.

Whiskers pushes a bauble toward Artie with his nose.

“Yes, good job, Whiskers!” praises the boy.

Reaching into his pocket, Artie retrieves a cat treat and hands it to his feline assistant. It works.

Motivated by his greed, Whiskers brings all the baubles to Artie’s feet. All Artie has to do is hang them up. With a shining star on top for the finishing touch, the result is magnificent!

“Wow, good team effort!” says Artie.

“Whiskers, you deserve a big hug!”

The two partners then go inside to warm up. Artie settles on the couch with a large blanket. His cat rolls into a ball on his lap. He immediately falls asleep, purring.

Feeling tired but proud to have helped his parents, the boy soon follows suit.

&

- The End -

Happy Holidays Best Wishes

Please know how much we appreciate your patronage at Christmastime and all year. We are truly grateful to have customers like you!

P.O. Box 2402 Vincentown, NJ 08088 609-801-2392 www.pinebarrenstribune.com

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