2560+ Holiday Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Whether you’re looking for a wintery cup of cheer or a ray of sunshine during a summertime festival, our holiday short stories will have you feeling the spirit in no time.

🏆 Winning stories

“Forthright Thursday” by Chris Campbell

🏆 Winner of Contest #226

8:45PM Thanksgiving Day – GLOVES OFF: My mother, Mary, and her sister Alice were engaged in a wrestling match on the dining room table. Aloysius – my father - and Alice’s plus one; Jack, attempted to pry them apart, but both women had locked themselves into each other’s hair with vice-like grips, despite both their hands being splattered with custard trifle remnants. All I could do as an observing teenager was sit with mouth agape while holding my new Super 8mm silent movie camera, recording the whole scene. It was typical behavio...

92 likes 76 comments 76

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“The Craving” by A.Dot Ram

🏆 Winner of Contest #71

cw: miscarriage  This could not wait till morning. The craving came on so sudden and intense that resisting never even crossed her mind. For some reason Claudia needed fudge. Maybe it was hormones. Maybe it was the fact that she finally had an appetite. But she needed fudge. Not the kind she usually made this time of year, melting chocolate chips in the microwave. Claudia needed the heavy, silky fudge her grandma used to make—the kind you made in a saucepan with a candy thermometer. Did you need a doubl...

353 likes 134 comments 134

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“10 Things To Do Instead of Writing New Year's Resolutions” by Emily Sperber

🏆 Winner of Contest #25

1. Hang out with friends Your friends are the kind of people that make New Year’s resolutions. The five of you, too broke to go anywhere, sit around your studio apartment. One has her legs hanging off the arm of the one chair you have. One is sitting next to you on the futon. The others are splayed, their bodies like starfish, on the ground. They use their fingers and each other to remember the resolutions they think of on the spot. Maybe they could actually eat breakfast instead of skipping it or...

97 likes 50 comments 50

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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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“Mrs. Jackson's Pumpkin Pie” by Hannah Lynn

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #226

“Come on, we’re going to be late,” she pulled his arm, dragging him along. Yanking his arm away from his sister’s grip, he scowled. “Don’t touch me.” “Whatever.” She rolled her eyes, her typical reaction. Luke hated it when people touched him, especially his arms or wrists, always commenting on how skinny he was. “You’re all skin and bones,” they said, making him feel less ...

30 likes 34 comments 34

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“Mac and Cheese and Muffin Mix” by Hannah Lynn

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #226

The line was already forming as Margaret pulled into the parking lot of the small, unmarked building tucked into the residential neighborhood. The usual characters were front and center waiting at the locked door.  “Good morning,” she called out, juggling several brown paper bags, careful to keep her keys on hand to unlock the pantry. “Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!” She was met with smiles...

28 likes 13 comments 13

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✍️ All stories

“Roll a Double” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #246

The drive to the coast was too much. He could feel the weight of it on his shoulders and another part of it pressed obscenely into his forehead. He would have cried, but that option was not open to him – it lay in a faraway place and the distance of it hurt him. There was no release here, which flew in the face of why they had come. A long weekend away from the stress of the day-to-day. An escape from the dumb humdrum. The peculiar price paid for such an adventure was beyond any that he was willing to pay, but he would pay it all the same. P...

11 likes 10 comments 10

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“...Blow Your Head Off ” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #246

...Blow Your Head Off Caution: Based on true story. Contains gore.It's all fun and games...until you blow your head off! Before the nineteen sixties, before I made this my home, our lovely town was known for stately elm trees canopying the main street north of the river. But a deadly elm tree disease raged through infecting them all. The ones not killed quickly succumbed to progress as the street was widened to four lanes instead of two for the thoroughfare through town. The men's garden club decided to beautify the landscape by planting a f...

40 likes 48 comments 48

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“Beachside Banter” by Marianne Knight

Submitted to Contest #246

Ropes snaked along the arrivals gate; a crumpled sign read Mr Hugh Jarse. Britt craned her neck, tiptoeing to see over the crowd.“Very funny,” Britt turned to see Max smiling in amusement.“My original version said I have herpes, and you might too,” she said shoving the crumpled paper into her pocket and throwing her arms around his shoulders.“Always a charmer.”“You love it. That’s why we’re friends.”Fighting through the crowd, they weaved their way through the airport. Britt stole a look at Max who’d filled out a little since the last time s...

14 likes 12 comments 12

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“ A Red Dress and An Easter Egg Hunt” by Joyce Schook

Submitted to Contest #244

You never know that one moment will alter your perspective on the life you had before. Once it happens, your in a state of limbo. Unable to move forward and not ready to revisit the past. A past that was merely an illusion in which you were nothing more than a naïve participant.On the Thursday before Easter, Emily had the entire house to herself. This was the weekend her family gathered together for a family reunion and holiday that she hosted each spring. It had turned into a tradition that she always looks forward to. Today Emily woke at s...

4 likes 2 comments 2

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“A Hot Day” by Leslie Kirc

Submitted to Contest #242

Waves of long green leaves tumbled down to the arbor path on both sides; leaving only enough room to walk single file. The blue flowers sticking up among them were the size of two fists put together waving on long stems. They gave the feel of a watery existence. The arbor was lushly covered with wisteria giving the day a cool feel. The pronounced smell of roses in my mind was turned into the smell of brine. It was joyful to walk down this path parting the waters like Mosses. The illusion and contrast momentarily took my mind off the extreme ...

10 likes 5 comments 5

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“choosing sides.” by Lara Deppe

Submitted to Contest #241

“That’s what you are bringing?” I was staring dumbfounded at my severely misguided, newlywedded husband who was standing in our kitchen showing me what he had decided to cook for Thursday’s festivities. “To my best friend’s first attempt at Friendsgiving? The meal she has been texting me about for weeks?” I looked at his phone one more time and shook my head. “The one event she insists is going to be “by-the-book” traditional? And by the book, I mean her mom’s cover-falling-off copy of the Joy of Cooking, that she left her in her will, trad...

8 likes 3 comments 3

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“Bagong Taon (New Year)” by Zephýr B

Submitted to Contest #240

December 27th, 1:09 PMWind PaperThe spirit of the windguides a piece ofpaper softly to awindow sill,where I am sitting.I feel the smoothlines in the paper,as though it hadbeen crumpledup several times,and then finallyreopened.On the paper wasa story, not with words,or sound, or atelevision screen,but a story of pictures.The first picture is of araven, soaringthrough the sky.It has a slick, blackbeak, and featheredwings. It lands on apapaya tree andsteals one of theseeds. The seedsare black andslippery, likea snake eye.In its beak,it takes it...

5 likes 4 comments 4

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“The Strongest Force” by Jennifer Luckett

Submitted to Contest #240

The Strongest Force     Shivering against an icy breeze stippling her skin with goosebumps, Joanna Wilson rewrapped her slender neck in her favorite red knit scarf. She usually avoided walks in temperatures below 30 degrees, but she needed a respite from home. The frigid air allowed her to breathe again, dialing down the boiling below the surface of her consciousness to restore peace within her. Remaining in the presence of Pauline, demanding she shop for additional items for dinner and giving unsolicited advice abou...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“In the Wind” by David Townsend

Submitted to Contest #240

       IN THE WIND The warm northerly breeze drifts across my skin rippling the hair of my body. I wriggle my toes in the dry soft sand and feel alive—a man on a lonely beech in comfortable sunlight. I lift my arms and twitch my shoulders in the magic air. The beech is lonely but I am not. My twin sons play wrestle in the sand, exploring the texture of the sand as much as the strength of their arms. They have exhausted themselves rolling down a sand dune and consume their remaining time at my feet. They ar...

5 likes 0 comments 0

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“A Row of Lights ” by Randal Mars

Submitted to Contest #239

"Don't step on the marigolds!" Sondra's warning was to Fina. The little girl was straddling the bright path of petals that led from the altar to the screen door. The colorful offerings of cakes, toys, and flowers had filled the ofrenda's shelves, and the votive candles were ready to be lit. Fina's older sister, Ari, pulled her away from trouble. In the dining room, their father Eddie was staring at the perfect vela. The b...

7 likes 1 comment 1

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“Just Big Brother Stuff” by Kerriann Murray

Submitted to Contest #238

Every year on Christmas Eve, I book a room in a hotel ten minutes from my parents’ house in suburban Maryland. It’s been my routine for a while now, which is why it was unusual that I forgot this year.Delilah and I were twenty minutes into our drive down I-95 when I realized it, so it became her job to frantically look online to see if any hotels had availability for that night.“I don’t get it,” she said as she scrolled and clicked. She was annoyed, I could tell; Delilah didn’t like doing anything at the last minute. “Is it so bad with your ...

41 likes 31 comments 31

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“Trace of Butterfly” by Eon Wenzel

Submitted to Contest #237

“This is Mabel Lee.” After twelve beeps, what I heard was a voice as clear as the wind on the beach. Before I knew it, I exhaled a sigh of relief. I was holding a piece of paper with an unrecognizable number on it. It took me several days from when I first received the note to finally muster the courage to call the number. I was hesitant. I was scared.The voice remained unchanged, and I marveled. Then I tried to count exactly how many years have passed since I saw your face or heard your voice. You asked me how I was doing in the same voice...

7 likes 1 comment 1

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“Talking in Code” by Autumn Kotsiuba

Submitted to Contest #237

I WANT YOU I NEED YOU I HAVE YOU I NECK YOU I FEED YOU I EDIT YOU I FORM YOU I HELP YOU I KICK YOU I GOAD YOU I FUCK YOU I HEAR YOU I MOCK YOU I RIDE YOU I OOZE YOU I RING YOU I TAME YOU I URGE YOU I PICK YOU I YANK YOU I SHED YOU. How am I meant to know which you 143 mean, leaving this pale green heart on my desk? Funny that all the words I can think of are present tense, other than I USED YOU, and even that is something that would bleed into the future present. There’s no future in 143, there’s no room for WILL.  I put the chalky cand...

7 likes 2 comments 2

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“When Love Becomes Apparent” by Jacob Cazier

Submitted to Contest #237

“Are you ready for this?” I looked over, putting the car into park. Lily gave a half nod as she held her purse on her lap like a shield. She smoothed out her coat and checked her makeup in the dim light as she pulled down the mirror. “Relax, it'll be fine, my older brother is bringing his new girlfriend to Valentine's dinner. So at least we will all be uncomfortable” I chuckled trying to lighten the mood and was rewarded with a pointed stare. I subtly checked my pocket for the ring and smiled knowing tonight was going to be a good night.&nbs...

7 likes 1 comment 1

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“Goodbye Kiss” by Grace Ann Brown

Submitted to Contest #237

"Well. Here we are." I look around the hotel room. It's bigger than where we stayed during our honeymoon, five years before. The expansive windows display a glassy, picture-perfect sea. Dots of surfers, their boards coral-pink or sunshine-yellow, dart across the waves. Their happiness mocks me. "I'm going to shower," I mutter, unable to untangle myself from the dark cloud hanging over my head. Jack nods b...

11 likes 2 comments 2

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