A Thanksgiving Story

A Note from the Author

I first wrote this story in high school for an English class assignment in 1986-ish. The story was published in the local paper and had to be heavily edited to shorten it for publication. It had always bothered me that the original story was altered. I suppose that is a common complaint of writers.

Several years ago, I told my family about the story I had written so long ago and my distaste of the editing that was done. I told them the premise of the story and they encouraged me to rewrite it as it was originally intended. It took a few years to get started, but I finally finished. This time in its full length and just as I wanted to tell it. I am an adult now and can do what I want.

The story takes place in 1986 partly as a throwback to when the story was originally written. I also think that the setting adds a little depth to the story, especially for us Gen Xers.

In this version of the story, I tried to keep it in the spirit of the stories I grew up with: Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. I’m not fond of today’s high-tech holiday movies. Maybe I’m just getting too old and crotchety.

I decided to have the story take place on Thanksgiving, in part, in an attempt to bring back a little holiday spirit to the children in our lives. Even though Thanksgiving is a family gathering, it has become an adult-focused holiday with all-day football and the deep-frying of turkeys. Bringing a little focus back to the young people just feels right.

My hope is that this story can be read to the little ones before the Thanksgiving events begin. A time to gather the children around, sip hot apple cider, and have a little fun reading about a Halloween just for Santa.

Because this story covers three holidays, it’s appropriate to read any time during the fall. It is, however, best read at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning.

A special thank you to my family for encouraging me to write this story. I hope that you and your family enjoy this story as much as we have.

Happy Holidays!!!

Scott Henry Keith