It was the small town's snowmen competition. The townsfolk were out in force, armed with shovels, sledges, and decorations. The great green Christmas tree stood tall in the middle of the town. It was decorated from star to stand, the baubles jingled gently in the breeze as the cold winds whispered around. The streets were covered in thick cold snow, cars' wheels spun and whirred as they tried to get to the site where the snowman competition would take place.  It was an open field with a white picket fence, every family had a plot to themselves all the snow remained untouched to make it fair for everyone, no one had any more or any less than anyone else.  

"I didn't think we were going to get such a big turnout!" The mayor said. 

"Well it's more than last year," Mr Richardson said. "Hopefully my family will win for once." 

"Well if you build a good enough snowman this year or wish upon a shooting star you may," the Mayor mocked him, but this was nothing new he always did. Mr Richardson ignored him and joined his family in the corner near the fence, the same spot as every year. 

"Did you bring everything?" He asks his wife. She nods opening the bag and showing him everything. 

"I have the carrot now, top hat, coal and scarf," she says. 

"Are we making him smiley this time?" His daughter asks. 

"We can," her father smiles down at her. "We can make the snowman however you choose, and if we have extra we can make a dog for the snowman so he doesn't get lonely!" 

"Yay!" she smiles. Mr Richardson helps his family start rolling the base of the snowmen before rolling the snow for the rest of it. His wife watches him. 

"What's bothering you?" She asks quietly.  

"Just the Mayor, he was mocking me again," he said. 

"Ignore him," she says and kisses his cold cheek. 

"Yeah I know," he said. 

"Focus on enjoying the moments with your family, don't worry about the competition," she says and helps him roll the head perfectly round, once all three segments are placed on the snowman and melded together they begin to add to the finishing touches. They push the sticks into the centre of the snowman and place mittens on the end, they're blue and white with a little winter scene on them, mittens that their children had outgrown long ago.  

They put the coal on the snowmans face and made it smiling before adding the scarf and top hate, "very suave," Mr Richardson smiles looking at their creation. 

"Daddy, can I put the nose on the snowman please?" His daughter asks looking up at him. "Of course, you can," he smiles and picks up his little girl who had the carrot in her hand and pushes it into the face of the snowman, "look we even have extra snow!" 

"It means we can build a doggy!" His daughter exclaimed excitedly. 

"Yes, yes we can," he smiled back at his daughter and knelt to her level to help her start building the snowdog. Her father took a waltz around the competition, there were some creative snow figures, one had a unicorn accompanied by a knight snowman, another a polar bear and another a dog.  

"Time is up!" The mayor yelled. "Time to judge!" The town committee and the Mayor all walk around the creations casting a judgemental eye over them all. When it came to Mr Richardson the Mayor scoffed but the town committee lingered examining their creations. After half an hour of waiting the results were read out, and the Richardson family waited patiently and poised. "The winner is, the Richardson family!" 

They all jumped up and down and hugged each other, their efforts paid off. They put the medal on the chest of the snowman. Their Christmas was off to a great start.