We are excited to share the story that won 2nd place in the 2022 BK Newspaper Holiday Writing Contest!
The Time Christmas Lit My Cat on Fire
By: Anonymous
It’s a rainy Wednesday several days before Christmas. You are nine years old, school is out, there’s no snow, and your mom said no more minecraft. So what do you do? Well you and your brother, in all your combined wisdom, chose to style your cat’s hair.
This is exactly the situation I found myself in during the Christmas season of my ninth year. Because my dad was at work and my mom was visiting the neighbors, my brother and I had full access to our parents’ bathroom and more importantly my mom’s hair spray. Our family cat had very long hair. So naturally me and my brother wanted to give it a wild mohawk. And that is exactly what happened. We also managed to get hairspray all over ourselves and the kitchen counter in the process. We were rather content and impressed with our work. The cat’s hair stood at least an inch and a half above his back. When my mom came home she was nowhere near as impressed, and we were told to clean up the cat and our mess immediately. The vibe was instantly ruined. Thankfully my mom had dinner ready quickly and my brother and I put off cleaning the cat until later. My dad got home, advent candles were lit, and dinner was served.
We all had forgotten about the cat until it chose to jump on to the table. Despite everyone yelling at it, “Gnocchi” was instantly attracted to the elk steak on the other side of the table. As my large hairy cat crossed the advent candle wreath his hair instantly ignited. This elicited screaming from the whole family, including Gnocchi. Fortunately my dad sprinted to the garage and grabbed a small fire extinguisher. He hosed the cat and our dinner in the process. My family and the cat were unharmed, but the house smelled slightly like burnt hairspray infused cat hair for the remainder of the Christmas season. This is certainly one of my most vivid and now nostalgic Christmas memories.
The Bishop Kelly Newspaper 
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