Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and your kin from all of us at the Creekbank. This new short story, “Midnight Chicken”, is our gift to you. May its theme of It is more blessed to give than to receive resonate and bless your Christmas. Curt and DeDe Iles Midnight Chicken   Dec. 23, 1943 Bundick, Louisiana   Elizabeth Miller awoke to …

A Gift from DQ   Christmas is a time for gifts and there are all types of gifts. The best gifts come from hands, hearts and are created from love and skill. As Christmas 2011 approaches, I’m obsessed with a gift I saw last week.  I call it a gift from DQ. DQ. I’m not referring to Dairy Queen. I’m …

First Christmas in Dry Creek J.J. Miller had set up camp where he had a good view of the surrounding area. There were no signs of any settlers in the last mile he’d come, and he had scouted down to the nearby creek and seen no recent signs of human habitation. It was December 24, 1853 and he didn’t expect …

  It’s Christmas and time for a full helping of Christmas Jelly, our popular holiday short story collection. From now until Christmas, you can order copies for $10.00 each. In addition, we’re giving additional discounts for bulk stocking stuffers. (5 copies for $40 and 10 copies for $80). Shipping is $5.00 per order.  We’re making it super easy to order …

A word from Curt           This story is taken from a chapter in As the Crow Flies and adapted for an illustrated children’s book.   Curt Iles/MY GRANDPAS’ BOOTS Copyright 2017 by Creekbank Stories and Curt Iles                                                           1 My name is Abe, and this is the story of my scuffed boots.  This pair of boots are …

This is chapter 20 from Christmas Jelly. It’s written by one of my favourite people, Erik Pederson.  Mr. Erik touched all of us with his love, humour, and smile. He’ll always be missed in Dry Creek.   I encouraged him to write this story and had the privilege of editing it. A Danish Christmas    By Erik Pederson     One of …

    Tractor Time     When this old world starts getting me down And people are just too much for me to face. I climb way up to the top of the stairs And all my cares just drift right into space. On the roof, it’s peaceful as can be And there the world below can’t bother me. -On …

                                                           The Heavenly Choir   Christmas season—The Dry Creek Church choir sings beautifully in a way beyond description. It’s much more than a musical . . . it’s a production . . …

My short story collection, Christmas Jelly, was written in 32 chapters.  This allows you (the reader) to enjoy one chapter per day beginning on December 1 and ending on January 1. Here’s today’s serving of Christmas Jelly! Enjoy! Santa Claus is Coming . . . to School   I’ve learned this: life is always better than fiction. You cannot make up a …

A word from Curt Tomorrow,December 1, begins a daily blog of chapters from our short story collection, Christmas Jelly. The foreword below shares how you and your family can use these stories to brighten the Christmas season. Enjoy. DeDe and I and the Creekbank family wish you a Merry and Remarkable Christmas. Curt Order your copy(s) of Christmas Jelly at Amazon or www.creekbank.net …

    Tractor Time     When this old world starts getting me down And people are just too much for me to face. I climb way up to the top of the stairs And all my cares just drift right into space. On the roof, it’s peaceful as can be And there the world below can’t bother me -On …

  The following story comes from chapter 22 of our short story collection,  Christmas Jelly. A Gift from DQ     Christmas is a time for gifts, and there are all types of gifts. The best gifts come from our hands and hearts. They are created through a strong combination of love and skill. I’m obsessed with a gift I …

Scroll down to read today’s story from Christmas Jelly. Meeting Nelson Mandela on the Damascus Road   It’s big news all over Africa. Nelson Mandela has died. “Mandiba” (his African name) was loved by Africans and rightfully respected by the world. When I heard of his death, I returned to a lonely windswept section of highway in South Africa’s Zulu …

What it Means to Believe   This excerpt from my recent novel, A Spent Bullet, is a conversation between Harry Miller, a young soldier and Levon Reed, the father of the girl he plans to marry. It’s a conversation between two men about belief. A ninety-two-year-old cousin of mine wrote,  “I’ve taken college religion classes and lived nearly a century. …