This is meant to be a fun writers' challenge for those of us who just can't wait for Hades Lord of the Dead's Christmas Challenge: use elements from any two canon titles to create a new/remixed story idea. No set number, no set length, use any elements from the cases that you feel like, just try to stay true to the title! :) If you don't feel like writing a full story, share a brief synopsis in the reviews, or PM me to post it here.

The stories so far:

A Case of Soldiers. Holmes discovers that a smuggling ring is melting down stolen silver and recasting them as boxes of 'lead' soldiers in time for Christmas.

The Missing Foot. How was Holmes able to impersonate the old book collector from Church Street? Was it really him? Or was it his shorter brother Sherrinford? Did they make a quick substitution trick when Watson turned around to look at the gap on the second shelf? Was Sherrinford the real brain behind Sherlock's success? (John Sebastian Moran, Facebook)

The Man With the Twisted Coronet. What happened to George Burnwell and Mary Holder after Holmes's bribe was squandered?

The Copper Students. Will Holmes be able to unravel the secret society of alchemists, bent on creating a machine with the mind and soul of a person, before they sacrifice a plucky young governess to the machine to be its brain? (Madeline Wildish, Facebook)

The Creeping Grange. While on holiday in the country, a postman brings Holmes and Watson a wild tale about giant chicken footprints around a Russian family's farmhouse. "Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hen!"

The Gloria Orange Pips. Holmes investigates the cut-throat world of horticulture when a breeder of a delicious new orange has his hothouse filled with pheasants. A practical joke, or an act of sabotage?

The Dying Old Place. Elderly residents of a religious commune are mysteriously falling into comas. Holmes infiltrates in disguise as an old woman, but will he succumb himself before he discovers the truth? It may be up to Dr. Watson and Mrs. Hudson this time to solve the case.

The Black Carbuncle. Diamonds all over London are turning into coal and will continue to do so until the Mad Scientist is paid an enormous amount of money. Will Holmes discover him and destroy his laboratory in time? (Sandy Dreier Kozinn, Facebook)

The Lion's Box. A lion goes missing from a London menagerie, and a clandestine pair of lovers are found dead the next morning, apparently savaged. Was it the lion? And if it was, who let it out, and why? For the first time in his career, Holmes gets a four-legged client, whom he must find and prove innocent before it can be destroyed.

The Beryl Interpreter. A deaf woman is the only witness to a murder. Holmes has to learn sign language on the fly while keeping Beryl from becoming the murderer's next victim.

The Cardboard Mane. Mary Watson is helping out with the costumes for a Christmas pantomime, which includes a two-person horse. The theater is burgled the night before the opening performance, but why was Dobbin's papier-mâché head the only thing stolen?

Blue Peter. A sailor is found dead behind a tavern, the skin of his entire body a dark blue. Was it murder by asphyxiation, or merely a symptom of a deeper problem?

The Illustrious Carbuncle: Holmes must bring all his skill at disguise to bear when he impersonates the incapacitated Queen Victoria at the opening of the Royal Exposition, while Doctor Watson struggles to lance Her Royal Highness's boil! (William Treacy, Facebook)

The Hound of Bohemia. Is it the Hound? Or the Lady? (Gayle Puhl, Facebook)