Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – December 2022

These 8 blog posts got people talking. Were you one of them? If not, join the conversations and share your thoughts.

  • There’s one last present under the Christmas tree, but who is it for and what does it contain?

Flash Fiction Friday – Christmas Present

  • Do sending or receiving Christmas cards give you any dilemmas? A brief, lighthearted look at the history of Christmas cards.

Christmas Cards: Do You Send Them? Do You Receive Them? How To Avoid The Dilemmas

  • Can you help me find my owner, please?

Lost At Christmas #WordlessWednesday #Photography

  • How and why these 7 methods help keep your blog and blogging healthy when it’s getting quiet in the blogging world.

7 Things You Can Do To Help Your Blogging During December

  • What’s on your Christmas tree?

Christmas Angel #WordlessWednesday #Photography

  • How will you be travelling this Christmas?

Sleigh Ride #WordlessWednesday #Photography

  • A Christmas message from Hugh.

Merry Christmas. Thank You For All Your Support This Year

  • Bonus: Guest Post on Judith Barrow’s blog.

Places in our Memories: With Hugh Roberts

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Flash Fiction Friday – Christmas Present

November 28, 2022, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story using the saying, “not my monkeys, not my circus”. What is the situation that would spawn that aphorism? Have fun with the setting and characters! Go where the prompt leads! Click here for details.

Christmas Present – by Hugh W. Roberts

Watching the happy couple unwrap their gifts bought so much joy and happiness. I love Christmas.

One last gift, but who’s the recipient?

“The tag says it’s for you; somebody from your past?” said Veronica.

“Me?” replied David.

He hesitated at first, but his face was a picture when he pulled out red fishnet stockings and suspenders.

The atmosphere changed before death arrived. But it would be the next Christmas before they joined me.

Not my monkeys, not my circus,” I laughed as I walked out of their lives unnoticed.

Nobody cheated on me, the ghost of Christmas past.


Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch.

Image of the word Circus on the doorway of a circus tent
Image Credit: Charli Mills

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Enjoyed this piece of flash fiction? Then you’ll love ‘More Glimpses.’

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32 short stories and flash fiction pieces take the reader to the edge of their imagination.

More Glimpses

Available on Amazon

Paperback – £4.99

Kindle – £0.99

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Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – November 2022

These 11 blog posts got people talking. Were you one of them? If not, join the conversations and share your thoughts.

  • Did you bring an umbrella?

Rain Shower Over Swansea #WordlessWednesday #Photography

  • Do you care to share your thoughts with me?

What Are You Thinking About Today? #WordlessWednesday #Photography

  • What makes you put your head in your hands or shake your head regarding blogging?

Is Blogging Causing You Stress Or Making You Feel Guilty? How To Fix It

  • Can Gemma identify where the squeaky noise is coming from?

Flash Fiction Friday – The Squeaky Husband

  • Can you spot the clues in this photo?

Day Or Night? #WordlessWednesday #Photography

  • How long have you been blogging? Is it all that you wanted? A look back at 8 years of blogging.

Throwback Thursday – Blogging – Is It All You Want It To Be?

  • A new job. More money. Worldwide travel. What could possibly go wrong?

Flash Fiction Friday – Jobs

  • There is a much safer way to share the blog posts of other bloggers without the possibility of copyright infringement. Read on for more details.

WordPress: Press This. What Is It? How To Use It And Why It’s Safer Than Reblogging

  • Would you like to join us?

Playtime #WordlessWednesday #Photography

  • What would you do if you found yourself in a situation like this?

Flash Fiction Friday – The Gift Wrapper

  • Have you spotted any first signs of the festive season yet?

First Signs #WordlessWednesday #Photography

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Flash Fiction Friday – The Gift Wrapper

November 21, 2022, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story using the phrase, “Oh, my.” It can be used in storytelling or dialogue. What is the cause for such a response? Have fun with this one! Go where the prompt leads! Click here for details.


The Gift Wrapper – by Hugh W. Roberts

Reggie always helped me with packing Christmas gifts.

He had an eye for matching tags and ribbons with the right paper. All the gifts looked terrific.

“Thanks for your help again, Reggie,” I said while putting away the remainder of the Christmas wrapping paper.

I always got the same reply when he looked at me with deep brown eyes.

But this year was different. No brown eyes were looking up at me.

“Reggie?”

Silence.

“Oh, my!”

There was no sign of Reggie. Surely my pet rat hadn’t crept into one of the fifty-wrapped boxes sitting under the Christmas tree?

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Photo of heavy snowfall in a street of houses
Image Credit: Charli Mills

Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch.

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Enjoyed this piece of flash fiction? Then you’ll love ‘Glimpses.’

***

Glimpses

28 short stories and pieces of flash fiction take the reader on a rollercoaster of twists and turns.

Available on Amazon

Paperback – £4.99

Kindle – £0.99

Follow Hugh on his social media platforms by clicking the buttons below.

Copyright © 2022 hughsviewsandnews.com – All rights reserved.

Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – December 2021

  • Have you seen the Littlest Christmas Goat? It may look festive but beware its legend.

Have You Seen The Christmas Goat?

  • Can you have as much fun as me? Answer: Show me by sharing your Christmas jumpers with me.

How Much Fun Can You Have In A Christmas Jumper? #WordlessWednesday #photography

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Have You Seen The Christmas Goat?

December 2, 2021, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story that includes the littlest Christmas goat. Who does the goat belong to? What is happening? Go where the prompt leads!


Have You Seen The Christmas Goat? – by Hugh W. Roberts

Many have admired the Littlest Christmas Goat. It shines as bright as the Northern Star on a dark, freezing December night.

Its sparkling eyes and inviting, warm interior help thaw out cold fingers and chilled bones. The surrounding Christmas illuminations fill the air with festivities, laughter and happy memories of Christmases’ past.

Legend says – ‘see the Littlest Christmas Goat on Christmas Eve, and all your Christmas wishes come true.’

True? Yes, but only the elf-like landlady of the Littest Christmas Goat alehouse knows the honest answer. In her world, all Christmas wishes come with a price. Your life.

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Image of a small white goat standing next to Christmas tree in the snow
Image credit: Charli Mills

Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch.

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Enjoyed this piece of flash fiction? Then you’ll love Glimpses

Glimpses

28 short stories and pieces of flash fiction take the reader on a rollercoaster of twists and turns.

Available on Amazon

Paperback – £4.99

Kindle – £0.99

***

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The Magic Of Christmas

The Magic Of Christmas

It always snowed at Christmas, and it was one thing Fiona detested.

A white Christmas was one of the remaining bits of magic the festive season had over her. This Christmas, she needed to get rid of it once and for all.

Witnessing the arrival of the angels every Christmas Eve had helped keep the magic alive. But last year the angels seemed different; different to how they had always appeared to Fiona. Last year, the first Christmas Fiona hadn’t believed in the magic, the angels had refused to show their faces to her.

“You’re too old to be hanging up Christmas stockings,” Fiona yelled at her daughters as they approached the fireplace. “And you can lay the table and cook tomorrow’s dinner if you want to celebrate. Christmas Day is now going to be like any other day. The magic of Christmas no longer exists.”

At the stroke of midnight that night, Fiona made her way out of the house. Would the angels show their face this year?

It wasn’t long before the warm globes of light appeared. The angels had come back and made their way to the only part of the garden where virgin snow lay. It hadn’t snowed for two days, yet the footprints Fiona had made in that part of the garden were no longer visible.

“You’re not real! Why don’t you show me your faces anymore? There’s no such thing as the magic of Christmas,” she shrieked, as all but one of the angels touched the undisturbed snow and melted into it. As the winter air chilled Fiona’s bones, the last angel turned around and beckoned her towards it.

Doing all she could to stop herself moving towards the creature, its ugly face made Fiona want to scream, but nothing but a silent screech came out of her mouth. She tried thinking about the magic of Christmas in the hope the creature would go away, but her body refused to stop moving. By the time she reached it, its terrifying face had melted away.

Fiona’s heart raced. Had they gone?

A noise from behind her forced her to turn around and look back at the house. Now, before her, the whole garden was full of untrodden, virgin, snow, yet it had not snowed.

As she made the first hesitant steps towards the house, Fiona’s journey abruptly stopped. From underneath the snow, a hand appeared and grabbed her ankle. Her screams went unheard as the warm hand pulled her into the world of non-believers.

Fiona’s last sight of the magical world she had once believed in was that of a stout figure, dressed in red with a long white beard, standing on the roof of the house.

“Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas,” laughed the figure, as the final remains of Fiona melted into the virgin snow.

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