On the 23rd December on a dark snowy night, I went to pull over my curtains. I looked outside and the landscape was covered in a big fluffy blanket. The excitement then started to sink in because in only 2 days it would be Christmas.
Only two days it was to Christmas, I kept on thinking this to myself. I tried to drift back to sleep that night but it took sometime. Soon I was wakened up by a bang. At first I thought it was nothing, but then I heard footsteps on the roof so I sneaked into my parents’ room and took out a hand held mirror. I positioned it so I could see onto the roof and to my amazement I saw a big red sleigh. I thought I had been sleeping for two days but the calendar said it was the 23rd. I heard my name being called from my living room and I knew exactly who it was, so I sprinted there immediately. There I saw Santa. Santa said, “Ciaran can you help me? My elves have gone on strike and I need you to come and help me make and wrap toys.” I said, “ok.” I went to my bedroom and got dressed. Santa took me up the chimney and got me seated into the sleigh. Then I realised what Sionagh would think, but Santa said, “I have it all covered,” so he hit the reins and, whoosh, we were away like a witch on a broomstick.
While we were passing over Northern Ireland I saw glittering lights and the smoke puffing out of chimneys. When we came to the open sea I saw a big oilrig and a few fishing boats. As we entered the North Pole a big breath of frozen wind hit me and I shuddered. When we landed the place was covered in snow for miles around. Santa led me to his grotto which was crowded outside with protesting elves. We pushed our way through to the grotto where we talked about the situation over a cup of tea. After our cup of tea Santa led me to the workshop which looked small from the outside but it was gigantic inside. There was a big basket full of letters in front of a machine. I told him we would never get this done in time, but then something amazing happened. He took out a stopwatch which froze time completely. Santa told me to start up the machine behind the letters. When I did that I had to call out what was written on the letters. Santa worked the machine punching in numbers which made the toys come out the other end (there were around 30 of these machines but we only used one to save electricity.) After a day we had 1/3 of the letters done so Santa made us a fry, (Mrs. Claus couldn’t because she was frozen.) After the fry we went back to working. We finished everything in 72 hours and 11 minutes. Santa pressed the button which unfroze time and put everything back to normal. Suddenly a crowd of elves came running in and all asked for their jobs back. Santa said he would be glad to have them back. When they looked behind us they saw that all the letters were finished and they all asked Santa how he did it. He said to them it was a secret but I knew what had happened. After a long thank-you Santa left me home and I went to my pleasant bed.
Hello I’m Toxic the Ox and I’ve got big long legs. My horns are pointy and I live in a stable with another ox called Toxic Twin. An innkeeper owns me. I make milk for him and I eat hay. I scoop it up with my horns. Then I lie and sleep for four hours and the innkeeper brings us more hay and I go back to sleep again.
One day there was all this racket, like people shouting and soldiers keeping guard. Some people didn’t get a place to stay. The innkeeper brought some people into my stable. They were called Mary and Joseph. Mary was pregnant. Then I went to sleep again but when I woke up there was a baby in my trough and my hay was in the bottom.
Three kings came in and they gave gold, frankincense and myrrh. I was amazed because I knew that the baby was a king. Shepherds came with four sheep so I knew the baby was going was going to be a shepherd and because he rode on a donkey he came in peace. Then I went to sleep and when I awoke the next morning they were gone.
We made this rhyme by following Little Miss Muffet and changed it to make a rhyme for Halloween.
Our old Granda Mick
Sat on his broom stick
Eating his cold porridge
A long came a banshee
And sat on his big knee
And he went and hid under a bridge.
Ciaran and Ryan
October 2006