Yes, I’ve taken the famous song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, and put a high-tech spin on it. Why? So glad you asked. Because The Twelve Days of Christmas is the theme behind Susanna Hill’s Holiday Contest.
Here are the rules:
Write a children’s holiday story (children here defined as approximately age 12 and under) using the basic format/concept of The Twelve Days Of Christmas! Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 300 words. (It can be as short as you like (the judges will be grateful
, you are welcome and encouraged to write shorter, but no more than 300 words! Title not included in word count.) The field is wide open! Have fun! The more creative the better!
Coming in at 286 words, here is my high-tech version of a classic Christmas song.
SANTA’S TWELVE HIGH-TECH DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
by
Leslie Leibhardt Goodman
On the first day of Christmas the elves surprised me with:
A high-speed, electric-powered sleigh.
On the second day of Christmas the elves pushed into view:
Two turbo launchers,
and a high-speed, electric-powered sleigh.
On the third day of Christmas the elves prepared a treat:
Three cocoa heaters,
two turbo launchers,
and a high-speed, electric-powered sleigh.
On the fourth day of Christmas the elves gave me a gift:
Four high-tech gizmos,
three cocoa heaters,
two turbo launchers,
and a high-speed, electric-powered sleigh.
On the fifth day of Christmas the elves amazed me with:
Five heated seats,
four high-tech gizmos,
three cocoa heaters,
two turbo launchers,
and a high-speed, electric-powered sleigh.
On the sixth day of Christmas the elves secured for me:
Six rooftop radar,
five heated seats,
four high-tech gizmos,
three cocoa heaters,
two turbo launchers,
and a high-speed, electric-powered sleigh.
On the seventh day of Christmas the elves attached for me:
Seven rocket boosters,
six rooftop radar,
five heated seats,
four high-tech gizmos,
three cocoa heaters,
two turbo launchers,
and a high-speed, electric-powered sleigh.
On the eighth day of Christmas, the elves caused me to shriek:
Eight robot reindeer,
seven rocket boosters,
six rooftop radar,
five heated seats,
four high-tech gizmos,
three cocoa heaters,
two turbo launchers,
and a high-speed, electric-powered sleigh.
On the next days of Christmas the elves outdid themselves:
Twelve gift dispensers,
eleven good kid sensors,
ten high beam headlights,
nine ice storm melters,
eight robot reindeer,
seven rocket boosters,
six rooftop radar,
five heated seats,
four high-tech gizmos,
three cocoa heaters,
two turbo launchers,
and a high-speed, electric-powered sleigh.
But on Christmas Eve at launch time,
with Rudolph in the lead,
I snuck off in my trusty, shiny sleigh.
I hope you enjoyed this little holiday tale. Good luck to everyone who enters Susanna Hills contest.
Leslie Leibhardt Goodman 
LOVE it!! Excellent take on the 12 days!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Beth! I’m glad you liked it. As always, Susanna Hill’s creative writing contest prompts are always extraordinarily fun to write. Happy holidays!
LikeLike
Nice twist! I want to know more about the robot reindeer, haha 🙂 Good luck!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, Jennifer, I imagine those robot reindeer don’t eat much hay, and they probably don’t leave little packages in the barn. I’m also pretty sure they’re super swift fliers. But my guess is that no matter how quick those motorized replacements are, Santa, most likely, prefers his real reindeer.I know I do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOVE your entry, Leslie, and especially love that Santa stuck with his tried & true non-tech methods. A good lesson for kids of all ages. Happy holidays!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, technology can replace many things, but it can never replace those tried and true reindeer or Santa’s trusty sleigh. Happy holidays to you, too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great story – loved the eleven good kid sensors! I think this would be a hit with kids, and what a great message!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I tried to write this piece as a surprise for my family, but my daughter looked up my blog at school yesterday and read it. It’s funny, but those good kid sensors were her favorites, too! Thank you for stopping by my blog. Happy holidays to you and your family, Amanda.
LikeLike
So much fun. I see Santa likes to go old-school.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, David, it’s just my tradition-loving heart that hopes jolly old Saint Nick would never ever accept a substitute for his faithful reindeer and trusty sleigh. I guess I’m a little old-school, too. Happy holidays, and thank you for visiting my blog!
LikeLike
I hope I get a cocoa heater for Christmas. Good luck and happy holidays!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you get a cocoa heater, too, Gregory. But if you want to find one in your stocking on Christmas morning, you’ll need to write a nice letter to Santa. Maybe he’ll tuck in some marshmallows, too! Happy holidays!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bravo! Great job, Leslie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Julie! This version was a whole lot of fun to write. Susanna’s contests always inspire me. Happy holidays!
LikeLike
Hahaha! I was a little worried about those robot reindeer. So glad Rudolph still has his job! Wonderful story, Leslie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes,Gabi, it’s comforting to know that Santa would never accept a replacement for his faithful reindeer. After all, what would that snowy Christmas Eve ride be like without Rudolph leading the way?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Santa is surely going to be taken care of on Christmas Eve! Loved your story, Leslie! Very clever idea!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, we’re going to leave extra cookies and milk out for Santa on Christmas Eve. My daughter also fills a bowl with nuts for the reindeer. And just a note on that… in Santa’s letter to my daughter, he noted that some of his reindeer prefer apples. I’m glad you liked my story. I had way too much fun writing this one. Happy holidays, Patricia!
LikeLike
Fantastic!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Marla. I’m so glad you liked my high-tech version.
LikeLike
Hahaha! Great ending, Leslie, and such a fun story! I love all the high tech, but given my ineptitude with it, I would have done exactly what Santa did! 🙂 Thanks so much for joining in the fun, and Happy Holidays!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Honestly, that ending didn’t come until I finished concockting the twelfth “gift” from the elves. Then, I tried to put myself in Santa’s big shoes and asked, “What would Santa do now?”
Happy Holidays to you, too, Susanna.
LikeLike
AWESOME! I love this, Leslie…heated seats! Robot reindeer! What a great idea! I think if Santa reads this he is going to want some upgrades. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have the feeling if Santa could only add one new upgrade, he’d be hard pressed to choose between the heated seats and those eleven good kid sensors. Vivian, thanks for visiting my blog. I’m always happy to see you here.
LikeLike