The winter sun streams through her mother’s living room windows, the diffused light shining golden upon the January daffodils, a reflection of inner warmth below the star, the Christmas beacon’s final moments for the year, a click and its glow vanishes but not its significance; the yearly ritual practiced with precision and love, actions set deep within her mother’s being, the red star box battered by the years, one side telling its story through the varying coloured sellotape, her children’s eager hands to set up the Christmas Star all those years, a squelch of a step upon the cardboard, the squeal of sadness, now here the brown packing tape and scissors lay prepared for this year’s enshrining, a clean cloth ready to swaddle the bulbs, a bag to encompass the precious ornament, a Christmas light that witnessed her grandson’s first word ‘tar’, a star of light and hope, there it goes, eased from its resting place on the hook, over the curtain railing, lowered with solemnity to the table, the Christmas cloth adorning the surface, the brightness regaling the room, advent candles sparkling in the vast wall mirror, the cascade of light brightening the task at hand, the satisfying pull of tape, the snap of scissors and a brown strip is affixed with consideration upon the red box, just so, there and here, what about another on this side, finally they sit back and admire the handicraft, pause to absorb the memories, the love across generations.
The End
©Annika Perry, January 2024
word count: 246
The format of the above piece was inspired by a flash fiction winning entry in Mslexia magazine which was written in its entirety of 250 words in one single sentence.
Annika Perry 
Impressive! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, Melissa and it feels a privilege to share here.
This is such a beautiful story, Annika. It is so skillfully written that I didn’t even notice that it was all one sentence (and I usually ultrasensitive to punctuation). 😀
Donna, bless you! That is the best compliment and it means a lot to me! I didn’t think it jarred or seemed forced to stretch the length of a sentence but always good to hear other’s opinion. Thank you so much! 🙏😀
Such a beautiful and peaceful piece, Annika! ❤
Wonderful you thought so, Layla – thank you very much! ❤️
Beautifully done
Thank you!😀
Fine story. At first I didn’t even realize that it was one sentence in length!
Neil, thank you so much! 😀 It’s great you didn’t feel any jarring in this one-sentence story as I wanted it flow seamlessly!
Such a beautiful story woven with your words that bring such warmth and nostalgia which warm the heart. Your imagery is breathtaking and calming, Annika❣️
Aww … thank you so much, Cindy and your kind words mean a lot to me! That nostalgia is precious and is vital for us all! xx ❤️
It’s my absolute pleasure, my friend! It sure is. Have a blessed day.💗
There is nostalgia and memories wrapped up in Christmas, Annika, that take us back to our earliest childhood. And with memories of the times that were, there can be hope for the times that may be. Thanks for this lovely piece. –Curt
Curt, exactly! You see immediately what I feel as I help my mother pack this star away each year – a flood of warm memories and the hope and excitement what the next year will bring … and the next … So glad you enjoyed the one-sentence piece, Curt – thank you!😀
Peggy is a Christmas kind of girl, Annika. I get a lot of Christmas. 🙂
There is a lot of wonderful sensory detail woven into this short tale. Really captures the bittersweet experience of putting away special Christmas decorations and the attendant memories.
Pat, bless you for your wonderful comment and it touches me deeply how you see and feel all the aspects of this short piece – those attendant memories are so very precious!
I’m pleased you liked the comment. Well done.
I love it! Somewhere between prose and fiction, with such beautiful descriptions and imagery!
Yeah! That’s great and I love how you pick up on the mixture of prose and fiction – something I seem to have slipped into through my writing and loving this combination!
Wow, wow, wow! You provided vivid imagery and created the setting all in one sentence. Wonderful. Left me feeling warm and Christmasy🙂
Smitha, your joy in reading this has me beaming away – thank you so much! Just seeing this star and thinking of all the memories makes me immediately feel Christmassy as well! Only eleven months and a few days to go! 😀😀
Ha ha…I’m still watching Christmas movies on Netflix. As long as there’s winter and the tree’s put up, it feels like Christmas. And you wrapped it all up in a sentence. XXX
Oh Annika, what a story you’ve written. I can visualize that worn out box and the treasure being packed inside. I wish I knew what happened to our ornaments, but, unfortunately with the passing of my dad and stepmom, they’ve been lost. I’d give anything to see those ornaments my brother and I made in grade school. Thank you for the beautiful trip down memory lane, it made me smile and weep just a little inside, but in the good way. ❤️
Dear Tanya, first I was sad to have made you weep a little but then i read in a good way – I understand you, my friend . Those trips down memory are a way of reliving the warmth and joy of love and care, precious times albeit raw with grief and missing loved ones. Oh no, no wonder you miss those special handmade decorations- sometimes so much becomes lost along one’s life. Take care, hugs xx ❤️
Wow, 250 words in one single sentence! That’s a marathon. 🙂 But look at the beautifully crafted vignette you’ve created. Brilliant.
Awww … thank you so much, Khaya and your comment means a lot to me! ❤️ Thankfully a short marathon – I just checked on line and the longest single sentence was nearly 14,000 words! 😀
Just wow Annika! That was some evocative writing in one sentence! 🙂 ❤
Debby, it’s wonderful you felt that – thank you so much! Xx❤️
Hugs ❤ xx
A beautiful vignette Annika, full of atmosphere and very clever to get it all down in one sentence!
Andrea, thank you so much and your comment means a lot to me! I just couldn’t resist the challenge of the one sentence and enjoyed writing this piece!
This is wonderful!
Jennie, I’m so glad you thought so! 😀 Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Superb writing Annika. Have a wonderful year ahead 😊💖
Kamal, I appreciate your words and wishing you likewise a very Happy & Peaceful 2024!
Thanks a lot dear Annika. Have a wonderful Sunday 💝🤗💝
Thank you for sharing through your eyes, Annika, a multitude of Christmas memories…and in turn evoking priceless memories in my life. The ‘precious ornament’ symbolic of a precious time. You remind me and show me why objects can have sentimental value…exceptionally beautiful, poignant ending. Goosebumps, once again, Annika, reading your beautiful writing. xoxo ❤️ Erica
My dear friend, I’m deeply touched how my short story evoked such powerful and priceless memories in you. Some objects and ornaments are intrinsically endowed with so many memories and I am astonished that some people never seem to experience this! This was partly based on my mother as we took down her Christmas Star and I never fail to be astonished and moved by her care, precision and love while wrapping it up, ready for next December. Thank you so much, Erica! 🙏❤️
This is so beautiful, Annika, and so well done in this format. I love the vivid imagery. I feel a sense of nostalgia when reading your words. And I am reminded of our sentimental ornaments which are the only ones that adorn our tree each year. Lovely! xoxo
Lauren, bless you for your beautiful comment! I am so happy this brings to mind your own precious Christmas ornaments and the warm memories they evoke. Aww … yes, definitely a sense of nostalgia here, so many thoughts as my mother and I put away this beautiful star – one across generations! Hope you’re having a lovely Sunday, my friend and many thanks for your kind words! hugs xx ❤️
Beautifully written! I feel like I was there, the details are so absorbing. The seemingly little things are not so little at all. Our family traditions bind us together in wondrous ways!
Exactly, Linda! 😀 It warms my heart how this speaks to you and how well you can relate to the emotions behind that old-battered box, the treasure of those traditions. Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Linda. xx
A wonderful emotive post Annika. So well written and involving that I didn’t realise it was one sentance until the end.
Mike
Thank you so much, Mike and it’s great you hadn’t realised that it was written in just one sentence – the aim of the challenge I set myself!
Your beautifully written one-sentence story left me with such a warm feeling inside. The family traditions are so important. We must never take them for granted.
Liz, I know that you more than many appreciate and treasure those small moments in life that become the cornerstone of our lives! Aww … lovely to hear it left you feeling warm inside – we all want our writing to move our readers. Thank you so much! xx
My pleasure, Annika!
A lovely topic for your sentence. It is nice to reflect on and remember how other people teach us merely by showing us how they do things.
Ally, so true! 😀 The best lessons are taught and learned in this way. I am often rushing about and yes, even when packing away Xmas decorations, so it is always a revelation and reminder as I watch my mother’s reverence of memories and love in the act of taking down this star.
This is so beautiful, Annika! These precious moments unite us with the past (the memories and tangible touch of ornaments) and honour the love that carries on. I love these moments of grace and gratitude. Thanks so much for sharing, and Happy New Year greetings! xo
Natalie, your beautiful comments warms my heart and is a celebration to those precious tangible connection with our past and yes, the amazing love that unites them all! Thank you for your profound comment. Wishing you a year filled with peace and harmony and joy, Natalia! Hugs xx ❤️
Hi Annika, this is very poignant and beautiful 💝🌟
Robbie, thank you so much and this means a lot to me! Xx ❤️
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Such beautiful loving memories, Annika. Each one a part of the whole. ❤
So true, Carol and this was based upon the day my mother and I took down her decorations – her care and love for them taught me to slow down and appreciate my own precious ornaments of the season! Xx ❤️
A lovely memory box piece that resonates with me. Think I still have some old Christmas stuff but not the box! One sentence…. Reads well!
Georgina, every year when my mother brings the box down I think it will have collapsed – but not yet! Don’t think it wants to cause her the heartache! 😀 How lovely you’ve still got some of your old ornaments- in a big move one tends to give away/throw away so much so happy some remained with you! Thank you, I’m glad you feel it reads well in just the one sentence – I was wary to start with and it took a lot more concentration and editing than usual!
I love that ‘keeping hold’ of the box. So much more than a box. Am sentimental but like the way not just photos but objects can capture past moments in time. No I haven’t cast away much. My little Marple house became the Tardis!
Wow that was one long beautiful sentence filled with warmth and loving memories, and very poetic. I am deeply impressed.
Awww … thank you so much for your wonderful comment, Thomas and it is great you felt so much within the piece. 😀
Ahh, I love your one-sentence story. It left me with such a warm feeling.
Liz, I found this in spam and realise it was your first attempt to comment! Many thanks for your perseverance and your kind words!
You’re welcome, Annika! Thank you for checking your spam.
Whoa… wow wow wow. Amazing, Annika!
Thank you! 🙏😀
Dear Annika, so much love and warmth in ONE sentence. how do you do it? it reads like a whole story and I was too enchanted to notice the lack of full stops.
The love between you and your mother is so wonderfully portrayed and makes me feel the deep care between you.and the little grandson calling out a new important word ” TAR”.
Like so many here I also have deep and warm memories from childhood and believe the they are enriching , filling our hearts with love and smiles.
Hugs :))
Miriam, thank you so much for your warm and insightful comment. It is wonderful that you feel this is a story in itself, just what I was hoping for and oh, the grandson’s first word of ‘TAR’!
It was more challenging than normal short pieces and a lot of editing to create the fluid final sentence here.
You final sentence is a beautiful ode to families, traditions and the richness and gifts they give us all – thank you for the reminder and may we never forget, may we listen and always learn.
Hugs xx ❤️
That was a great sentence!!!
So glad you felt this, Ann – thank you! 🙏😀
That was a flow of motion and emotion. I loved it. Such a river of time. You have such a lovely way with words. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your poetic comment and I love the idea of ‘river of time’ – beautiful!
A pleasure.
What a sentence. I couldn’t stop.
Just what one hopes to hear from readers! 😀That’s great and thank you, Jacqui! xx
Beautiful, Annika…love across the generations.
Thank you! Jan, and it is so precious and should always be celebrated! xx
I have a similar box for Christmas ornaments, labelled by my mother, who died 5 years ago. Lovely story!
Audrey, that box is a treasure indeed and one carefully and loving looked after by you now. Bless. Hugs
Thanks, Annika!
What a beautiful story and tradition Annika. They both overflowing with love and reverence. Thank you.
Brad, reverence is just the word for this moment and I realised it when helping my mother take down her decorations – I’m often in a hurry while doing things but she puts so much love and care into everything and especially this! Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment!
I’m glad you could share that experience with your mom. 💖
How beautiful, Annika. I love the reverence in this and how the star is imbued with memories and love. Last year, I passed on most of my treasured ornaments to my daughter, and it was heartwarming to see them on her tree. Your story struck home. ❤ ❤ ❤
Diana, your sentence of ‘the star is imbued with memories and love’ sums up perfectly my piece and thank you for catching its very essence in your comment. It can’t have been easy to pass on your precious ornaments yet your joy at seeing them on your daughter’s tree is filled with love. I can never understand when some people see things merely as objects when some are so very much more. Much love xx ❤️
I was thrilled that my daughter wanted those ornaments, Annika. Just like the star in your story, they were filled with meaning to her and to me. I think energy sticks to things, so I completely agree that over decades of “sticking” things become more than what they were. ❤ ❤
Full of memories, the post Christmas rituals, aren’t they, Annika? Usually I lovingly inspect each ornament as it comes off the tree, but this year I was feeling so ill, I just wanted them away. Our box is very battered indeed, and we really do need a new one. But we say that every year 🤗🩷
Bless you, Jo, I hope you’re soon over this illness and it’s been a very grotty time for you. While packing up Christmas I usually don’t dawdle, as I’m a bit low at having to get everything down. However, when decorating the tree I will spend ages, looking at each and every item, talking about the memories etc! Oh, you just can’t get another box, can you – it wouldn’t be the same! Wishing you well, my friend! Xx ❤️
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Beautifully done Annika.
Im so glad you feel so, Bernadette! Thank you! Xx
Very well constructed
Thank you, Derrick! 😀