December 14, 2025
A visually rich and celebratory image with a joyful and festive tone against a deep, vibrant blue background. In the foreground, there is a white plate holding three golden-brown latkes (potato pancakes) topped with a dollop of white sour cream or applesauce. To the upper right, there is a partial view of another white plate holding a sufganiyah (jelly donut) dusted with powdered sugar. Scattered around the latkes are several gold-wrapped chocolate coins (gelt) and, in the upper center, a small wooden dreidel. The text is white and orange, reading: Latkes -Text: EVIE GROCH / Hannukah Poerty / EATING LATKES IN GLADNESS
Published by Evie Groch at December 14, 2025
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Eating Latkes in Gladness

“A single perfectly-browned latke slid onto his plate…” I stop reading, cannot go further, until I digest this. A devout Catholic feeding a Vietnamese teenager a latke she prepared for him in the town of Gladness, Connecticut?
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December 13, 2025
Published by MD Bier at December 13, 2025
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Dressed for Company

I am majestic and glorious. Those lovely evergreen candles add a nice Christmassy touch when people walk in the door. Yet, you spend all your time with that puny, insignificant tree in the other room. You ignore me and all my splendor…”
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December 12, 2025
Tattered black background with tablet front and center. Tablet shows the promo image for Maid, the TV show, with a woman sitting at a large window, a vacuum beside her to one side, holding her daughter in the other arm. TEXT: Karrie Ann Wortner, TV Review
Published by Karrie Wortner at December 12, 2025
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Maid: A Memoir of Motherhood and Survival

She is reduced to a label, a role, a service. But this series shows us what happens when a woman refuses to stay small. When she dares to write her own name back into the story. When survival becomes a kind of authorship.
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December 11, 2025
A warm, nostalgic, and festive image, suggesting a holiday or Christmastime theme. The main subject is a thick slice of a classic fruitcake, or perhaps a Stollen, resting on a light wooden cutting board. The cake is dusted heavily with powdered sugar, and its cross-section reveals dried fruits, nuts, and a light-colored dough. The background is softly blurred with warm, glowing lights and a dark red, star-shaped ornament, emphasizing the holiday setting. To the right, there is a circular, black-and-white portrait of an older woman, presumably Sara Etgen-Baker, smiling in a kitchen setting. The MockingOwl Roost logo is also present next to the portrait. The text is white and dark brown. fruitcake -Text: It's Fruitcake Weather / Sara Etgen-Baker
Published by Sara Etgen-Baker at December 11, 2025
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It’s Fruitcake Weather

Holiday traditions create feelings of nostalgia in all of us, young and old. Twinkling lights on a Christmas tree, the smell of baked goods floating through the air, and freshly-fallen powdery snow — all evoke the warm feeling of tradition, family, and love during the holiday season.
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December 9, 2025
A square image with a festive, modern, and slightly blurred aesthetic, suitable for a piece of Christmas flash fiction. The background is a slightly blurred, wide-angle photograph taken inside a large, multi-story shopping mall, decorated with holiday lights and a central column wrapped in red and green festive colors. The scene is empty and well-lit, suggesting late hours. The text is overlaid in a contrasting bright white and red. The MockingOwl Roost logo is positioned in the bottom right corner. tough time Text: Christmas Flash Fiction, Nearly Caught in the Act, Brenda Cox
Published by Brenda Cox at December 9, 2025
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Nearly Caught in the Act

I suppose waiting until Christmas Eve was not the best of ideas. But this is when people are the most desperate and least festive, trying to make the season jolly for their loved ones while feeling inadequate to do so. That makes it the best time to find a target.
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