Meet Our Final $250 James Avery Christmas Stories Winner
We've been asking you to submit your favorite Christmas memories and heartwarming James Avery Christmas Stories to spread the warmth and joy of the holidays with James Avery Artisan Jewelry and KVKI and you've delivered!
Every weekday during the contest, we shared one of the James Avery Christmas Stories submitted through our website and our app. The person who submitsx the story won a $50 James Avery gift card. Then, at the end of each week, we let you vote on your favorite and the winner received and additional $250 James Avery gift card! So, without further ado, here are the results of our final online poll!
Congrats Michelle Spence! Michelle is our final $250 weekly James Avery gift card winner. We hope you enjoy spending your James Avery gift card, Michelle! Enjoy all five James Avery Christmas Stories, including Michelle's, below!
James Avery Artisan Jewelry can be found locally in the Shoppes at Bellemeade on Youree Drive in Shreveport, Dillard’s at Pierre Bossier Mall and Mall St. Vincent and online at JamesAvery.com.
See complete KVKI contest rules here.
- 1
Denise McInnis
One of my favorite Christmas memories was when I was about 12. My grandmother and I were doing some holiday baking. We made cookies, fudge, brownies, cupcakes and other goodies. When we were done we sat down and looked at all we had made. Then Grandma went to the other room and came back with several decorated tins. We decided to go around to some of our Church shut-ins and leave them a surprise. We would park a couple of houses down from each stop we made. We would get out and creep around to the front door, ring the doorbell and run and hide behind a shrub or around the side of the house so as not to be seen. It was so delightful to watch the people open the door, find the tin and look inside. The looks on their faces were priceless. We would wait until we were sure they could not see us and then go back to the car and do it all over again. That was one of the best evenings I had with my Grandma. She passed away in 2004 but that memory will stay with me always.
- 2
Christina Weber
In 1976, my great grandparent's bought a home in the country. Every year, our families would load up the cars and make the not so short trip to spend not only Christmas with Nanny and Papa, but most holidays and special celebrations. Papa passed away in 2004 and Nanny stayed in their home as long as possible before moving into town with her daughter. In 2012, the family was contacted by a neighbor’s friend about renting the home. I had spent 34 Christmases in this home and most of my childhood memories were made there, so naturally I was upset. God’s plan was so much bigger than mine and on December 14th my husband (the neighbor’s friend) and I will be closing on the purchase of this beloved home and I will be spending my 40th Christmas there. I hope to have many more family gatherings here with our family and continue to make lasting memories.
- 3
Michelle Spence
Really this is a funny story. But too good not to share. One Christmas my oldest daughter Heather wanted nothing more than a My Size Barbie. I finally broke down and got her one. On Christmas Eve we went to open the box and set out the My Size Barbie, I was so excited because I just knew how much joy this would bring to my Heather. I felt like I was the best Mom ever! Well the very large life like Barbie was missing a leg! Honestly I was a bit shocked. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. I was like why would someone just take the leg?!? So I was confused, do I still give it to her? How do I explain why she is missing a leg? Well I decided to put her back in the box and store her away to be returned. I always felt so bad that I wasn't able to give her what she really wanted that year. I just had to hope that she would grow up to be alright. She did! And guess what? She has children of her own... And this year her daughter asked for a My Size Barbie! You can be sure we will be checking the boxes though! Merry Christmas!
- 4
Ken Woolley
This is from a few years ago when I drove from Texarkana to Barksdale every day.
Driving home tonight, for some reason I thought of Christmas memories of the past. The winters in Prescott Arkansas when I was seven and eight.We lived a few miles out of town and way off the highway in a little bitty house which since has been made into a horse barn. It was as my Mom used to say "a quarter mile down the little lane off the main dirt road". What she called a lane wouldn't pass for a logging trail. I had to hike up this lane to the main dirt road to catch the school bus. About half way up there was a creek I had to cross. On rainy days when the creek was up I couldn't get across. I would be so happy that I didn't have to go to school. That is until dad built a little foot bridge.
There were thick woods behind the little house and my brother and I could take ether of two pig trails we called the the short way or the long way, a half mile or so across the woods to Uncle Imam's and Aunt Bess's house every Sunday night to watch "The Wonderful World of Disney" and "Car 54" because they had a TV!
Anyway I remember every year, going out in the woods and looking for a perfect Christmas tree to cut down. There were hundreds of em out through the woods. Red Cedars what they were. It was years later that I learned that they were called the poor man's Christmas Tree. But to me back then they were the best Christmas Trees anywhere.
On Christmas morning I, my brother and three sisters would each get a mesh stocking filled with candy, exotic nuts, one orange and one RED apple. We thought that was special since all we had seen was green apples with some red on em that we picked in the summer. And sometimes Santa brought one toy that we had picked out earlier from the Sears catalog.
I miss those days.
I miss my mama. - 5
Angela Harrison
My favorite Christmas story happened when my son was little. He's almost 30 now, but it's still my favorite. His elementary school was making Christmas cards for the troops. Both of his grandfathers were military and so was his Uncle Will, who was deployed that year so he knew all about the troops and was excited to color a picture for one of them. He wanted his to go to his Uncle Will, but I explained to him that thousands and thousands of children all over the United States would be sending letters to thousands and thousands of troops and you never know who will get yours. It was to brighten their spirits and let them know we were thinking about them and that they weren't forgotten over in the Middle East.
He understood. It was the nineties before Skype and computer access was available to talk to your loved ones. Basically you waited for them to be able to call you to talk for a few minutes at a time. On Christmas day I showed up to my Mom's and my sister was ecstatic. Will had called her for Christmas. He said they were opening their cards and the guy next to him asked if he knew a kid named Andrew. On the bottom of the card he had made, right where he had colored a Christmas tree, he had written, 'if you know my Uncle Will, tell him we all miss him and love him.'
I still have a copy of that card and all these years later it reminds me that Christmas miracles aren't just in the movies.