Title: The Christmas List
Authors: Douglas Wimmer and L.B. Scott
Story
It's Winter, 1957. The snow is piling up, the days are getting shorter, and children all over the world are eagerly anticipating the night when Santa comes to visit. Except for the children at the Happy Heart Orphanage. No, the children there don't expect visits from the Man in Red. The Matrons who run the orphanage make sure each child there knows that they don't deserve such love from Jolly Ol' Saint Nick.
Santa or no, Johnny is determined to make this year's Christmas something special for the rest of the children. While executing his Christmas plan, he is caught by the Matrons and thrown in the scariest part of the house on Christmas Eve. Will Johnny escape? Will the orphans of the Happy Heart Orphanage ever have a true Christmas?
Find out in this heartwarming short story of friendship and the Holiday spirit by L.B. Scott and Douglas B. Wimmer.
About The Authors:
Douglas Wimmer
I have been writing extensively for only a few years, however my passion for the written word extends far back to my childhood, when I was stopped by a group of teenagers on my way to elementary school.
I was carrying the hardback of the Stephen King novel, IT in the crook of my arm because it was too enormous to put in my backpack with the rest of my things. If you've never read IT, it is a tome of nearly 1,200 pages in hardback form. For my slight frame it was particularly heavy at 4 pounds.
These teens were probably not a whole lot older than I was, maybe 2 or 3 years at the most, but to my adolescent mind that was enough so that I didn't object much when one of them asked me what I had in my hand. In a twist on the old "who's on first" routine, I answered that the book was "IT".
It was doubtful that he knew of the book, which is why he grabbed it from me to see if I was messing with him. He looked at it, opened the pages, glanced over the chapters, and the author before he looked up from the pages and said, "That's it? Freakin' IT by Stephen freakin' King?" (He pronounced the first name "Steffan")
I said "yep" and waited for him to give it back to me. I don't recall any feelings of fear or being scared of them for whatever reason, but there was some kind of emotional reaction within me since I still remember the incident from nearly thirty years ago.
In any case, he gave me back my comically over-sized book and I went on my way.
I did actually finish that book, and oddly enough it didn't give me nightmares, only more desire for good books that would cause me to feel fear, cause me to laugh, and feel sadness all within the power of their pages. That seed has caused me to delve into writing with that particular goal. To move people (myself included).
Why my parents allowed a 5th grader to read horror novelist Stephen King's opus about a psychopathic clown is a whole different topic.
L.B. Scott
Once upon a time...
There lived a young girl with a dream of creating books that kids of all ages would love. She grew up in the wine country, which while beautiful, was unavoidably dull. Nothing strange or exciting ever happened to her. There were blocks upon blocks of suburbs surrounding her house.
In order to entertain herself, the young girl would invite friends to play make-believe. With the help of her friends, this girl's imagination would run wild and the they would find themselves in the most dramatic of stories, filled with witches and pirates, mermaids and magic spells.
When the girl entered school, she was surrounded by those that didn't believe in the arts. She was told that she would never be able to be a writer, because writers never make money. So the girl shifted her focus away from her flights of fancy, and into a more stable direction.
When the girl was old enough, she made her way to the big city. While she did not realize that she was embodying a well-known cliché, she knew in her heart that she needed to be with all of the people. Surrounded by them. She needed to be where people were moving full speed ahead with their lives, not sitting back with a glass of wine in a hammock. She needed speed, efficiency and excitement. She needed bright lights and buildings that reached the sky.
But while she was there, she began to miss her childhood stories. The stories that were never repeated but slowly grew to become epics. She daydreamed of the majestic oak trees and rolling vineyards of her youth, and began to imagine what sort of world could have been hidden in those places, all along.
Thus began her journey of creating and building her first novel. A process that brings her both anger and joy. In order to break up the frustrations of editing a full novel and bring the fun back, she writes short stories of many different genres.
Where to find the book:
https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-List-Douglas-B-Wimmer-ebook/dp/B019G6DFVO/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481816686&sr=1-5&keywords=The+Christmas+List
Other Reviews:
Review
The Christmas List is a short story written by Douglas B. Wimmer and L.B. Scott. The Happy Heart Orphanage is not a cheerful place. Run by three tyrannical matrons who revel in the misery of the children in their charge, the orphanage's children are told on arrival that Santa never visits the children there due to the fact that he only visits children who are loved. As none of the children have parents, they are routinely told by the matrons that there is nobody in the world to love them, and therefore Christmas is not celebrated at the Happy Heart Orphanage. Outside in the freezing cold, a young boy, Johnny, trudges through the ice and snow to go to the outhouse, but the door has frozen shut and he has no way of getting it open. Desperate to relieve himself, he goes behind the outhouse and urinates in the snow. A matron witnesses the event and punishes him for such a disgusting act. Each Christmas is the same, with the matrons of the orphanage feasting on roast turkey with all of the trimmings while the orphans survive on bread, porridge, or scraps. When Johnny decides that the children deserve a happy Christmas just as much as the matrons do, he steals their turkey, but is punished in a most horrific way when caught doing so. Freezing and afraid, Johnny makes three wishes on behalf of the orphans who are so neglected ... with surprising and incredible results!
Oh my! As short as this story is, the emotion behind it is so powerful that it is very difficult for me to express. The actions of the matrons were absolutely cruel and shocking on a full time basis, and watching them rejoice in the misery and pain of the orphans was quite sickening, but the one child who seemed to draw the matrons' wrath the most was the one who always had the happiness and well-being of his fellow orphans in the forefront in his heart. Although darkness created the story's framework, love, happiness, and hope for a better tomorrow allowed the light shine into Douglas B. Wimmer and L.B. Scott's tale to such an extent that I found myself breathless and smiling, with tears in my eyes. I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed The Christmas List and I recommend this book to all readers, young or old, showing that tomorrow can bring exciting things, regardless of how bleak today might seem.
Oh my! As short as this story is, the emotion behind it is so powerful that it is very difficult for me to express. The actions of the matrons were absolutely cruel and shocking on a full time basis, and watching them rejoice in the misery and pain of the orphans was quite sickening, but the one child who seemed to draw the matrons' wrath the most was the one who always had the happiness and well-being of his fellow orphans in the forefront in his heart. Although darkness created the story's framework, love, happiness, and hope for a better tomorrow allowed the light shine into Douglas B. Wimmer and L.B. Scott's tale to such an extent that I found myself breathless and smiling, with tears in my eyes. I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed The Christmas List and I recommend this book to all readers, young or old, showing that tomorrow can bring exciting things, regardless of how bleak today might seem.
By JBM on December 21, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Authors Websites:
The Christmas List is a story full of heart, empathy, and nostalgia, set in the same time period as the beloved film classic, "A Christmas Story". The 50's setting really drives the narrative at the start of the story. The writing is solid and brings you to a time period much simpler, and accessible for anyone familiar with classic American Christmas stories. Johnny and Lola are kids that, through hardened experience, still want to make merry Christmas for all the children at the orphanage they reside in. The two protagonists embark on a mission to make merry the Christmas of 1957 and thus the story draws you in.
This story is highly recommended for those who understand the true meaning of Christmas. The selflessness, the care, and the thoughtfulness the authors weaved into this story in such a short amount of time speaks to their ability to compose compelling prose.
Give this story a chance and then put into action the message this story imbues
This story is highly recommended for those who understand the true meaning of Christmas. The selflessness, the care, and the thoughtfulness the authors weaved into this story in such a short amount of time speaks to their ability to compose compelling prose.
Give this story a chance and then put into action the message this story imbues
http://lbscottauthor.blogspot.com/2016/06/love-triangles-in-ya.html
http://www.douglasbwimmer.com/
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