1210+ Christmas Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Grab your stocking and set out the milk and cookies! These Christmas short stories will warm your heart and have you whistling Christmas carols before you know it.

🏆 Winning stories

“Marie Antoinette” by Molly Kelash

🏆 Winner of Contest #178

Squat, beige and Soviet, the Marie Antoinette Apartments stood against the stale gray Minneapolis sky. Irony of the worst kind, he thought, blandly ugly and unconscious. He would take exquisitely self-aware irony any day over this three-story architectural monstrosity, “classed up” with tacked on ionic Greek columns, harsh blue LED Christmas lights wrapped inexpertly around them, canned Christmas classics pumping through the air.God, this place was only better than minimum security prison by a hair. But it was all he cou...

146 likes 128 comments 128

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“All I Want For Christmas is Fair Labor Practices” by Elizabeth Henkel

🏆 Winner of Contest #175

“I told you, Billy, I’m out of the game. Have been for a long time.” Gustmas Tinseltrolley took a long, slow sip of his hot cocoa as Billy “The Jingle” Bellringer stood in the living room of his cozy log cabin, deep in the Canadian Rockies. He knew the second the broad-shouldered elf had knocked on his door that, at the least, trouble was afoot. At the most? All of Christmas could be on the line. “The Big Guy ne...

104 likes 61 comments 61

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“Burt Brain” by Shawn Forno

🏆 Winner of Contest #73

There’s no sound on earth quite like a bird flying into a sliding glass door. Unlike the white noise of mass extinctions and vanishing rainforests, the singular thud of delicate avian bones against shatter-resistant Duraplex glass is impossible to ignore. It's the sound of the natural and man-made worlds colliding, like the off-key fervor of a bronze temple gong struck by a fresh-faced initiate. ...

320 likes 134 comments 134

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⭐️ Recommended stories

“Report on the Activities of the Chapman Family, December 2023” by Laura Jarosz

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #230

Sir,The following is my report on the Chapman family for week ending 12/2:JOSH: Kept his cool on a work call when a coworker tried to goad him into a political argument. Nice.MADDIE: You know that ‘One Margarita’ song from TikTok, boss? In an attempt to be ‘the cool mom’, she sang it in front of Mackenzie’s friends. …There was a dance, too. From what I hear, their parents are no longer letting them come over. Naughty.MACKENZIE: Broke up a fight betwe...

14 likes 12 comments 12

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“Stargazy Pie” by J. I. MumfoRD

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #229

With rumblings of war rolling along the coastline, the knock startled Cecil. His grip tightened on the pewter plates as a sense of foreboding took hold. Opening the door revealed a handsome stranger, with refined features as if carved from marble. He had jet black hair and eyes that glinted like cold steel.  “Good evening, and happy Christmas” said the stranger in a rich baritone. “My apologies for the intrusion, ...

20 likes 23 comments 23

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“Lovepugs” by Caro Robson

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #229

Montgomery's chubby little body trembles with excited grunts as Poppy pushes open the door. Noticing the stylish reception area, she shushes him, feeling foolish for bringing a pug to a lawyer’s office. Still - she needs him here. He is her only remaining family and she cannot face the reading of her mother’s will without him by her side. A famili...

18 likes 24 comments 24

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✍️ All stories

“Sunny Days” by Wendy Rappeport

Submitted to Contest #244

Sunny stared at the photo she didn't remember taking. Who was that stick-thin figure with no hair, no eyebrows, no eyelashes, white as a ghost. She gasped, goodness me, it was her! She dredged her brain and tried to think when the photo had been taken. Maybe Ashley took it. She tried to meditate to escape from her thoughts, but all she could do was to go over the past months. Usually she could focus on her young grandson with his cheery smile, blond wavy hair and deep brown eyes, but today she kept reminiscing, with interjections from that m...

4 likes 1 comment 1

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“The Ornament” by Adrienne Sharp

Submitted to Contest #243

A thin shaft of sunlight dances on the floor around me as I lay there waiting. I roll over to view my surroundings. The skylight far above me lets in just enough of the morning light to bring a magical glow to the room. The cobweb by the door glitters a warning to any flies venturing too close. The cool draft under the door brought the dust in the room to life. Specks of it float through the ray of light, winking as if to remind me that my wait was nearly over. The year has felt long. I have counted the light and dark through the skylight. I...

4 likes 3 comments 3

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“Amber Alert” by Jolanta Polk

Submitted to Contest #242

Two days before Christmas, Roman Kopman, a 48-year-old anthropologist, woke up at seven a.m. like he had done for the past twenty-five years. Just as he was about to shrug out of his boxer shorts on his way to the bathroom, his attention was captured by the voice of a newsreader. "We have an intriguing update on the cigar-shaped interstellar object known as Oumuamua. It seems that this celestial visitor, which made its way into our solar system in mid-December, is showing signs of acceleration. Oumuamua, which reaches speeds of up to 54...

6 likes 4 comments 4

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“Christmas at Kresge's” by Naomi Atwood

Submitted to Contest #240

 Trigger warning: This story deals with familial mental/emotional abuse. It was Christmastime again. That season of good will, giving, and joy. Jayne’s memories of Christmas, however, don’t all reflect such happy thoughts. Oh, yes, there were the delicious turkey dinners, which her mother served on Christmas Eve, to avoid the rush and excitement of Christmas Day. The sumptuous meal was enjoyed, and then mother and children would attend the Christmas Eve service at their church nearby.  Her mother’s turkey...

1 like 0 comments 0

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“Letter to Santa” by Paul Simpkin

Submitted to Contest #240

I will always remember Christmas Day a few years ago. I thought it was going to be a normal Christmas.The story really starts on Christmas Eve just before lunchtime. I did always hope it would be a white Christmas but today was just a typical December day, cold, wet and windy but no sign of snow. I stopped by the post box and dropped three late Christmas cards through the slot. I knew they would arrive late. But I would have felt guilty if I hadn’t sent them. As I turned round to head home a sudden gust of wind blew a piece of paper into my ...

7 likes 2 comments 2

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“AI” by Linda Kenah

Submitted to Contest #239

Prompt: Write a story where a regular household item becomes sentient.      (2578 Words) Title: AI Author: Linda Kenah Barry slowed as he turned onto his block. His face beamed as he pulled into the driveway, just as it had every day since they moved in three months ago. He and his wife were proud new homeowners...

8 likes 11 comments 11

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“Going to pieces?” by Paul Simpkin

Submitted to Contest #239

I woke early and came downstairs. The house was cold as the central heating had only just come on but I couldn’t be bothered to go back upstairs to get my new dressing gown. I looked for my old dressing gown. It was under the hoover in the utility room. I put it on but realised there was a half-eaten mince pie in one pocket. In the kitchen I made myself a cup of tea and then half-asleep I shuffled into the lounge and sta...

8 likes 3 comments 3

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“The solace of a man hides a litany of emotions. The heart of a woman lies all the love she will ever receive. ” by Kwasi Sike

Submitted to Contest #238

*Trigger Warning: Substance Abuse, Mental Health, Sexual Violence* When my father came down the hallway, his face burgeoning with excitement at the potential of the long-awaited day when he could finally exist differently. Three hundred and sixty-four days of a monotonous gait zapped away by the mere presence of… well, presents.  He is a simple man, five feet ten inches, with a beer belly ...

8 likes 1 comment 1

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“Atari Was My First PlayStation” by Regina Nonemaker

Submitted to Contest #236

I placed the last gift, a PlayStation 5, under our Christmas tree. Even though it was for my boyfriend, my fingers twitched with anticipation. Ever since I won my first gaming system, an Atari 400, I had been a vidiot and looked forward to the long winter nights of competition we had ahead of us. I plugged in the tree lights. Multicolored orbs enchanted my eyes, forcing them to rest on the brilli...

2 likes 3 comments 3

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“Too-Cute Magic” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #232

Too-Cute MagicChrissy Merriman stepped out onto the small balcony off her upstairs bedroom in the stately Victorian home she shared with her grandmother. She hugged her warm, cozy bathrobe around herself as she gazed into the dark winter sky searching for the peace eluding her this starless, cloudy night that held promise for more snow to grant a white Christmas. Chrissy felt lighter than air unsure if she would ever come down to earth again after the unexpected embrace and out of this world kiss from Mr. Kool himself.

31 likes 34 comments 34

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“ Last Letter to Santa” by Chris Mueller

Submitted to Contest #231

The door of the post office swung open. “Big news!” an eager little elf yelled.Charlie, one of the most senior elves and the postmaster at the North Pole, popped his head out from the back room. “What?” he shouted back. “Santa. He's got exciting news. Come on. We are meeting at the wrapping factory for the announcement.”“Yah, yah. I think I will skip it. I have work to do,” he said as he shooed him out, “The last big announcement was dairy-free milk would now be offered in the break room. Oh, and the one before t...

4 likes 1 comment 1

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“That Old Russian Rhyme” by A.A. Stitt

Submitted to Contest #231

Sensitive Content: Homophobia, SwearingOne, two, three, four, five,A hare went out for a walk.Suddenly a hunter appearedAnd shot the hare.Bang bang oh oh oh,My hare is going to die.Those were the words of an old Russian nursery rhyme that my 4 year old niece Zemfira insisted on singing to herself at the top of her lungs as she danced around the drab lounge. You will have...

4 likes 1 comment 1

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“Moving On” by Wendy M

Submitted to Contest #231

CW Mention of deathMy New Year's resolutions.Margery underlined the words, then went over them again with her black biro, as though making the words more dominant would make them harder to refute. She sat at the dining table, with a mat under her writing pad to not scratch the wood. You can't do anything important in a comfortable chair, or in slippers, she thought.1 Take down all the cards, before twelfth night.

22 likes 20 comments 20

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“The Last Day of the Worst Year of My Life” by Chris Riffle

Submitted to Contest #231

December 31st. Every year, the last day of the worst year of my life. A new chance to make the following rotation around the sun the one that turns things around. One single year marginally better than the last and I can tell – I know – the ones that follow will only get better and better until each year is the best year of my life.And so this year, rather than tell them to my mom on one of our maybe five phone calls for the year and then forgetting about them until the following December, I have decided to wr...

7 likes 4 comments 4

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“Report on the Activities of the Chapman Family, December 2023” by Laura Jarosz

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #230

Sir,The following is my report on the Chapman family for week ending 12/2:JOSH: Kept his cool on a work call when a coworker tried to goad him into a political argument. Nice.MADDIE: You know that ‘One Margarita’ song from TikTok, boss? In an attempt to be ‘the cool mom’, she sang it in front of Mackenzie’s friends. …There was a dance, too. From what I hear, their parents are no longer letting them come over. Naughty.MACKENZIE: Broke up a fight betwe...

14 likes 12 comments 12

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