In tonight's text matchup we have an 8-Way contest featuring capriccio, MollyCule, LadyMin, celticfrog, Kookaburra, torgar, Merbley and Nim. They have chosen 'A Christmas Story' as the theme for their match and the stakes are that the Loser celebrates the winner in the medium of their choice, posted in the sugarshack..

The rules for this contest are thus: This is part one of a 2-part contest, both parts will run simultaneously. Why simultaneously? To preserve anonymity! And to that end, we'll also forbid voting and commenting in the contest as well. You can comment after voting has ended.

In this contest you will write a short story with a holiday or winter theme. In the second contest, this story will be recorded by you in story-telling style. You can write for any age group and in any style, but keep in mind that it should fit the story-telling theme (i.e. you'll probably want detailed descriptions, different characters, some dialogue, etc. - but this is up to you). Word limit is 500 words (the recording limit will be 3 minutes).

All normal Worth text rules apply unless otherwise stated above.

The players will have until 11:59 pm Worth time on Monday, December 22nd to submit their entries, followed by a voting period of 3 days.

Competitors are reminded to maintain anonymity during the contest.

Good luck!