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30 x December 15, 2016 - January 4, 2017 x www.SouthwestOrlandoBulletin.com AT THE FIRST ACADEMY, BIG DREAMS START EARLY. Open House Join us between 2pm and 4pm Sunday, November 13 Sunday, January 8 Sunday, February 12 Scan the QR code to RSVP for Open House and/or schedule your personal tour 181 Athletic Championships Blue Ribbon Lower & Middle Schools Students who attend TFA are four times more likely to be an AP scholar A Christ-Centered Birth to Grade 12 College Preparatory School Definitively Christ-Centered, Distinctly College-Prep 407.206.8602 | thefirstacademy.org CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 Something I really like about Christmas is to see what I get for presents. Sometimes I shake the box and try to guess what’s inside. My sister and I take turns opening gifts. It is hard to wait for my sister. She takes a long time opening each one. I like to open the big presents first, because the better presents are usually in the bigger boxes! I like to see the look on my sister’s face when she opens the gift from me. I try to get her something that will make her really happy. She always gives me the biggest hug after opening my gift, and, of course, my parents take pictures. We have family and friends come over on Christmas. I like to play games with them when they arrive. We play board games, or baseball or football outside. After we come in, we play games on the PS4 while my family puts together the gifts that we opened. One of my favorite games to play is Call of Duty, which took my parents forever to finally get for me. I start to smell the food, and this makes me hungry. After playing on my game for a while, I go downstairs to eat with my family. Some of my favorite things to eat are my mom’s famous macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and stuffing. “This is so good!” everyone says. “I want more!” We go around the table and say what we are thankful for. I always say, “family.” My mom always cries, because she is so happy, and every year, I tell her not to. After we are done eating, we go into the pool and hot tub until it is time for dessert. My sister makes the best cookies and brownies. Those are the reasons I like Christmas — for family, friends, presents and food. The next time Christmas comes, it will be even better! Honorable Mention Unbeliever by Gabrielle Urton Winter Garden Snow fell as softly as a feather from the heavens above. The air was filled with the sweet smells of gingerbread and peppermint. The sleepy town was painted with colors of delight. But of this delight, Charlotte had none. No one blamed her for this. After all, her season was probably anything but pleasant. Four hours was all the sleep she got. Eleven hours for school, and then it was off to work for the remaining nine. An extra hour or two of sleep was a luxury for her as she spent her days working and studying. This left her no time for the holidays, not that it would matter. Charlotte hadn’t celebrated Christmas since she was 15. Not only did she not believe in Christmas, she didn’t believe in the spirit of Christmas or the magic it produced. She hated being with her family and friends. She thought it was a waste of valuable time. But, all that changed one Friday night. It was a busy day, and Charlotte got home later than usual. As soon as she walked into her apartment, she was shocked. It was decorated with candy canes, cotton snow, a beautiful garland swirling around the railing, a giant wool stocking was hung neatly above the hearth, and in the center of the room stood a 5-foot-tall pine tree. The tree was exquisitely covered with ribbons, popcorn strings and gorgeous ornaments bursting with color. Charlotte determined not to investigate the mysterious decorations. She had more homework than usual and would have to get up extra early. The next day, she awoke only to find that breakfast was already prepared, but not the way she did it. Her breakfast was usually a simple cup of coffee. Today, there were freshly cooked omelets filled with cheese, tomatoes and onions. There was hot bacon sizzling in the frying pan. There were pumpkin-flavored pancakes dipped in maple syrup. And to top it off, there was hot cocoa covered in whipped cream and sprinkled with peppermint candies. Things were getting out of hand. Neighbors came over with plates of cookies. As for school, her teacher called and said she had the day off. She decided to go shopping and found herself looking for Christmas presents for her family. I don’t have the money to buy presents, Charlotte thought quietly to herself. Just then her boss called and gave her a promotion. It included a raise and Christmas bonus. These miracles continued for the remainder of the day. She came home, still trying to figure out everything, and that’s when she saw an elegantly decorated Christmas card on the mantle. She opened it and read. Dearest Charlotte, I know you are confused right now. Anyone would be, but you are someone who needs this the most. You are caught up
in all this chaos, and you don’t even notice. So all day I’ve been trying to make your life easier. Just remember, sometimes it’s OK to spend time with your family and friends. Sincerely, St. Nicholas In shock, Charlotte started thinking about the past few months. She never called her family, tried to make friends, or talked to anybody other than her boss. Now she wanted to change that. Quickly she wrapped the presents she had bought. A few short hours later she was on her family’s doorstep, carrying the presents and a huge plate of Christmas goodies. She nervously rang the doorbell. Her family came to the door, and a huge smile spread across her face as she whispered, “Merry Christmas!” and it was. Honorable Mention A Grand Resolution by Adam Griffiths Westfield It’s Dec. 30. Most people are snuggling up by a warm fire. Not me. I live in Florida, and it’s always hot here. So instead, I’m getting a start on my spring cleaning. I see boxes covered with dirt. Half-opened, www.SouthwestOrlandoBulletin.com x December 15, 2016 - January 4, 2017 x 31 untouched, they remind me of old times. I see old crates, old papers, pictures, shoes, jars — actually, I feel like I’ve seen this jar. Then it hits me like a truck. I remember that it’s filled with old New Year’s resolutions. “Too late for that,” I whisper to myself. Then my parents’ voices surge through my head. “When was the last time you went through with a plan?” I open the jar and take out a crumpled Post-it note. “2012. See Grand Canyon. Wow, was I optimistic that year.” I stand up, feeling OK with myself. Then I take a good look at my house. Unpainted walls, half-unpacked boxes, overgrown weeds. I inhale a pale, dusty breath of air and decide what I’m going to do. I’m going to see the Grand Canyon. I’ve always loved driving — big cities, large mountains, and, since I’m in Texas, long deserts. “Nothin’ for 150 miles,” I say to myself. Then I start speeding up, 50 mph, 70 mph, 90, 75 ... “Huh?” 50, 30, 20. “Oh, no.” My car comes to a complete stop, and I get a really bad feeling. I check my watch, and it reads 6:30. I turn to the road and put my thumb up. After some waiting, a car drives up. It’s a black street racer with gold rims and a bumper sticker that reads “Bad to the Bone.” It’s not ideal, but I don’t really have a choice. Then from the backseat of the car steps this guy. He has to be twice my size, tattooed from head to toe, and wearing the scariest leather jacket I’ve ever seen. “Hey,” he says. “I’m Jose. Where you headed?” “Grand Canyon,” I reply. “Niceee,” he says, making a hissing sound from his cracked, golden teeth. He stuffs me inside the small backseat, saying not to mind Pablo, another creepy guy sitting on the other side of me, and we’re off. After a very long time of uncomfortably driving, we arrive at a visitors center. “Money?” Jose asks. “What money?” I ask back. “We drove you here. You give us money,” Pablo explains. “Well, I don’t have any money on me so ...” I’m quickly thrown out of the car, and it hurts a lot. I brush myself off and check my watch. It reads 10:57, and I walk inside. I see people leaving, and a worker shouts, “Closing time 11 p.m.” I freak out and jump into a storage closet. I can hear security guards roaming the halls. After a while of waiting, I check my watch again. It reads 11:58 p.m. I’ve come all this way, so I sneak out. I go out into the hallway, trying to avoid the flashlights. I stand by one last corner, by a crackedopen door. Then I hear the guards counting down. This is my opportunity. They are looking at their watches, so I run through the hall to the door. I burst out the door, and half of my body flies off the railing. I’m thinking millions of things, but all I can hear is the guards yelling, “Happy New Year!” All I can see is a huge firework fly over the canyon and burst into a thousand tiny sparkles that float over a beautiful river, and I think to myself, It was all worth it. CONTINUED ON PAGE 32 JUMP-START YOUR JOB SEARCH The Job Search Navigator is a comprehensive guide to finding a new job in today’s evolving career marketplace. AVAILABLE AT : Matt Durfee Executive Advisor, Author, Executive Recruiter CALL NAVIGATOR EXECUTIVES AND ASK ABOUT OUR 90 MIN. SESSION SPECIAL WITH THIS AD. And all major book retailers. 407-581-6885
Page 3 and 4: www.SouthwestOrlandoBulletin.com x
Page 5 and 6: From lucky lentils to tempting tama
Page 9 and 10: December 15th, 17th, 31st & January
Page 13 and 14: Central Florida’s Largest Selecti
Page 19 and 20: 14 x October 20 - November 2, 2016
Page 23 and 24: the entire town was lit by more tha
Page 27 and 28: the scarecrow who celebrates Christ
Page 29: Honorable Mention Hanukkahistmas by
Page 33 and 34: wandered farther and heard somethin
Page 35 and 36: moving truck in front of the desert
Page 37 and 38: and Scrabble. My family loves to go
Page 39 and 40: “I will get ready as fast as I ca
Page 41 and 42: to them by Jesus, because they were
Page 45 and 46: BUSINESS BRIEFS West Orange Chamber
Page 47 and 48: n Charities/Fundraisers Through Dec
Page 49 and 50: $10, adult; $3, children K-12; and
Page 51 and 52: unwrap the Gift of Relaxation * unw

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