‘The setting for our Christmas story today is a mountainous region far away, a land of hills and fields. There lived three men there…’

A small hand shot up, ‘Was one of them Santa?’

‘No, one of them was not Santa. As I was saying, there lived three men there who tended to their flock of…’

‘Reindeer!’

‘No, not reindeer, please out your hand down and sit quietly. Their flock of sheep. As the sun set behind the hills one night the shepherds lay sleeping. They awoke and saw a strange light in the sky…’

‘Santa’s sleigh!’

‘…It was an…’

‘Elf!’

‘…angel of the Lord, who said to them a Saviour had been born that day in…’

‘The North Pole!’

‘…a manger, wrapped in cloth. The shepherds decided to visit Bethlehem to see this child for themselves. They found him in a stable…’

‘Did they bring him presents?’

‘No, that was the three Wise Men who come next.’

‘Tsk,’ There was a collective shaking of heads from the class. ‘I’m not sure these shepherds know the true meaning of Christmas.’

This is a response to the #writephoto Prompt – Setting curated over at Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo. Click on the link to read other stories inspired by the image.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Great New Year to all, especially those who have read, liked and commented on my blog throughout the year, and have provided me with endless stories to enjoy in return. And a special mention to all those who have taken the time to buy and read my novel – thank you so much, it means so much to me. Here’s to the next year of blogging fun! Iain.

My new novel, ‘A Justified State,’ is now available in Paperback and on Amazon Kindle.

‘a first class read from start to finish’ – reader review
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