For this year's Christmas Short Story Contest, The Royal Gazette was on the look out for stories that fit Bermuda's 400th Anniversary celebration.

And local writers came through with flying colours. Many of our winning stories this year reflected pride and interest in Bermuda's history and culture.

Under 18 winner, Jubilee Ann Edness, 17, wrote about Christmas from an older Bermudian's perspective.

She talked about a time period when getting the silver thrupence in the Christmas pudding was the highlight of Christmas for children. Jubilee didn't just make up her essay at random. She researched it, by interviewing both her grandmothers about their experiences as children, and then wrote a story that incorporated their memories.

Connor Anderson, 12, third place winner of the under 13s wrote about days gone by, when a young boy dreamed about being a fisherman instead of a farmer.

Both Connor and Jubilee did a good job of thinking beyond their own time and experiences.

The winner of the adult category, Alexandra Stewart, wrote a fairytale about a seemingly impossible love between a loquat tree and a young girl. There was something deliciously Bermudian about this story.

Jada Pearman, 12, winner of the Under 13 category, wrote about a little boy whose only gift for Queen Elizabeth is his own two dancing feet.

If you want evidence that it's never too late to enter a Christmas short story contest, consider that our oldest winner was Joan Gillian, aged 92.

Even at her age, she was able to email us a copy of her story. "My son insists that I keep up with these things," she told us.

This year, The Royal Gazette would like to thank former news editor Cathy Stovell for reading a large portion of the entries. Jennifer Hind of Newspapers in Education also deserves thanks for her tireless promotion of the competition.

For all those who feel they didn't have enough notice that there was going to be a Christmas Short Story Contest, the competition has been going on for at least 40 years. Some of our frequent writers now enter with their grandchildren. How much notice does anyone need?

Our Christmas Short Story Competition has gained such a following that we received entries from several people from countries such as Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. They were most disappointed when they learned that the competition is only open to Bermudians, and Bermuda residents.