Outlets at Castle Rock today announced a holiday story writing contest: Holiday Toys & Treasures, for children ages 12 and under. All accepted stories will be included in a life-size storybook that will be on display in the Outlets at Castle Rock's brand new Santa House that will be unveiled to the public on November 18 during "Breakfast with Santa."

Stories will be accepted starting today through November 16. Submissions should be 400 words or less, and can be fact or fiction about a holiday-related memory or adventure. Stories should be submitted to events@outletsatcastlerock.com. All accepted story submissions will receive a reply email that serves as the child author's complimentary ticket to attend Breakfast with Santa on November 18 at 9:30 a.m. at Outlets at Castle Rock. During the breakfast, the two winning authors will be announced. Following the breakfast, at 11 a.m., attendees will be invited to parade with Santa to his new Santa House that will be located next to the Outlets at Castle Rock's 75-foot Christmas tree.

The two winning child authors will receive a $50 Outlets at Castle Rock gift certificate and a Santa photo prize package ($65 value). One of the winning stories will be read by LeAnn from Mix 100 on November 25 during the Christmas Tree Lighting Show that begins at 4:30 p.m. The other winning story will be read by Radio Disney at 11 a.m. on November 26 as part of the Family Holiday Show.

Outlets at Castle Rock has partnered with Reach Out and Read Colorado ( http://www.reachoutandreadco.org/) to host a book drive to promote literacy among children. Shoppers and community members are encouraged to drop off new and gently used books beginning November 18. Reach Out and Read is a national organization with a Colorado coalition of 78 sites providing 87,000 new books to 52,000 children. The organization is dedicated to making literacy promotion a standard part of the provision of pediatric primary care for low-income children ages 6 months to 5 years old. Participating doctors and nurses receive training to properly educate parents about the importance of reading with their children.

To further promote literacy among children, Outlets at Castle Rock will host guest readers every Tuesday at 11 a.m. from November 21 through December 19 in the Event Court at the Christmas Tree. In addition, all children who visit Santa will receive a free, new book.

For more information, visit www.outletsatcastlerock.com.