Write about a cynical character realizing they do have something to celebrate after all.

Posted in Character on Dec 23, 2022

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✍️ 47 stories

“The Christmas Market” by Nicole Wilbur

Submitted to Contest #178

December 15th, 2007. Nuremburg, Germany. I’m walking down a row of wooden stalls with candy-cane striped roofs. The smell of roasted sugar, pine needles, and bratwurst is overwhelming. Around us, the air is filled with joyful shouts, children playing, and carols. But I feel removed from it, far away, my eyes locked on my phone screen. “Let’s see it.” Emmerich puts his arm around me, leaning in. I lower my phone. I know it’s not fair to Emmerich to be so distracted tonight, not when he was so excited to bring me to the Christmas market....

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“Like Father, Like Son” by Shannine O'Neill

Submitted to Contest #178

“Ever Since I was young, I couldn’t have been more than six or seven, I’ve lived in fear. You’re probably sitting there thinking how much of a liar I am. I couldn’t be living in fear when I barely showed any emotion ever since you’ve known me. But that’s the thing Maureen, that’s what I fear. I fear letting myself feel anything because if I let myself feel anything good, I know how quickly it can be taken away. So, I choose to see the negativity in everything. And I know that makes me cynical and you’re probably hearing this and thinking how...

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“Mr Grumpy” by Lisa Wentworth

Submitted to Contest #178

Mr Grumpy “Oh, it must be THAT time of year again!! Gus said, then flicked his tail twice in the direction of his humans moving about large boxes from the loft. These boxes always smelled funny…of mice he wasn’t able to chase, and moisture he didn’t run in. The boxes come down, and the humans start moving around brightly coloured ornaments…or that’s what the call them. Shiny things Gus used to like to play with when her was younger. The balls he was so found of batting around, until one broke and hurt his paw. The yards of tinsel he like...

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“Home for the Holidays” by Channa Brown

Submitted to Contest #178

Nothing feels quite the same as the familiarity of an outgrown hometown, memories strewn about like land mines. I glue my eyes to asphalt as my dad drives us past my first kiss, my last high school basketball game, my mother telling me I don’t have a mental illness in the same breath that she says she’s always felt the way I do. I know the stretch of road from my parent’s house to the airport like I know my social security number; I memorized it like a necessity. What I don’t know is when it became my parent’s house. All I know is it ...

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“Christmas at Grandpa's” by Danny Symington

Submitted to Contest #178

Macie Bergman’s long black hair stuck to her face as the sweat dripped from her forehead. It was a hot summer afternoon despite the rain, and Covid regulations still disallowed the use of air-conditioning. Some shops chose to disregard this rule entirely, but not this one. Furthermore, the store was packed with people like her, doing last minute shopping on this stormy Saturday afternoon, all contributing to the sweltering heat they found themselves in. &nbs...

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“Christian Haikus ” by Dylan Miner

Submitted to Contest #178

If I meet you for the first time and tell you my Dad died when I was twelve, I’m trying to rob you. Fermentation kills shit like me. Would this bottle of wine taste as good if he was still around? Who’s to say, but there’s definitely something romantic about sucking down a bottle of wine outside, meandering, whistling and taking swigs like I’m in some sad movie. I find drunken happiness can often turn a two-buck chuck into an elegant vintage. These old houses and their red and blue and yellow and green lights keep telling me so. They’re b...

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“Maria's Transformation: From Cynicism to Cheer” by Khadijah Jay

Submitted to Contest #178

*May have triggering content* As the sun began to rise over the city, Maria sat at her kitchen table, staring blankly at her half-empty cup of coffee. It was Christmas morning, and yet, she couldn't find it within herself to feel even the slightest bit of cheer. For as long as she could remember, Maria had always been a bit of a cynic. She had always found it difficult to get excited about holidays or celebrations, and this Christmas was no different. As she sat there, lost in thought, her phone began to buzz with a series of notificat...

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“Stand and Deliver” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #178

I collapse gratefully into my armchair in front of the fire. I can’t feel my feet. The missus hands me a mug of hot chocolate which I cradle in my frozen hands.“Bah, humbug to Christmas,” I say.“I think that’s already been said,” she says mildly. “The season is supposed be about peace and goodwill, not grumpiness.”“Really? When you are responsible for a delivery service, as I am, it’s your least favorite time of year. You’d be grumpy too. A small family-run business trying to compete with Amazon and the like. The warehouse is freezing cold, ...

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“The Crimson House Across Applewood” by Jace Evans

Submitted to Contest #178

Margaret Adams lived in the green townhouse on Applewood Lane in Clovis, California for what was her entire life. Sunlight would curiously peek through the oak trees in the young morning to wake her old heavy head that rested on the same cotton pillow her late grandmother tethered together in her youth. Her view of the distant Sierras was muddled with autumn’s oncoming fog, as November bled in the dwindling burn of an autumn bonfire from the night before. But outside her home was the new house labeled “in construction” across the street. Aft...

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“Just a Meteor Shower” by Koa Dowling

Submitted to Contest #178

He was disgusted, the world was ending and only six days before Christmas. It wasn’t like he had anything to be sad about, he had no family, no friends, just an annoying ghost that followed him everywhere he went. In the bathroom, in bed, while he did his taxes, the damn thing just wouldn’t leave him alone! But none of that mattered, the world was ending. Life as David knew it would be over in a matter of hours. The damage was irreversible. David walked in the middle of the road, hoping a car would hit him. And as always, that stupid ghost w...

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“A Christmas Carole's Closure” by Neil Rodriguez

Submitted to Contest #178

Ebenezer Scrooge sat at home in a regal chair pulled close to a lit fireplace. One year had passed since that fateful Christmas Eve. His mind was wandering as he held in his hands an envelope addressed from his former employee Bob Cratchit. Scrooge and Marley went out of business shortly after Scrooge hired an accountant to assist in repaying all who were harmed by the miser’s lending services. Although Scrooge had the funds to sustain the business, he no longer had the heart to maintain his former empire and wished to spend his time on more...

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“Invitation To Burn” by Ella Bleu

Submitted to Contest #178

The only Christmas that Cassie ever remembered feeling true, unbridled joy for was when she burned down her first Christmas tree. Seeing the searing orange flames that had charred the left corner of their small living room and incinerated the measly stack of presents beyond recognition was immensely satisfying. Even more satisfying, however, had been the look on her parent’s faces. Truly, it was a sight to see. Cassie had been eight. Old enough to tie her own shoes, to make her own bed, and to cook her own meals of macaroni and count...

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“Lonely Father Christmas” by Peter Sugiharto

Submitted to Contest #178

Knock..knock.. Ding..dong..ding..dong.. What is it? Why can't people let me sleep in peace? The man groggily got up from the sofa. David almost knocked over mountains of plates that hadn't been washed for two days. He wobbled towards the door while patting his costume. There's nothing wrong with being a little decent, especially after two days of wearing the same costume over and over. The salary was little, but at least it was enough to get by. The sweat didn't help, either. Who is actually enjoying a summer Christmas? Oh, I w...

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“Oakville Christmas” by Virginia Smith

Submitted to Contest #178

It was hot, I was hung over and I didn’t have time for all this shit. Why do I do this? Why don’t I just say that Christmas lunch at the club would be fine. I love lunching with a thousand randoms and their screaming offspring. So I offered our place, five acres of rather dusty grazing land on a hill far enough away that we could forget we worked in the city. I stayed up til god knows when the night before wrapping presents, weeping and singing along to Christmas carols on the TV. Generalised exhaustion and panic blending to a mix of I-d...

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“New Year's Birthday.” by AJ Eddy

Submitted to Contest #178

Every year the same thing happened. Nothing ever changed. On December 31st, Edgar Wallace would rise from his bed and walk the short distance to his bathroom. He would look into the mirror and see new lines had somehow, over the year, snuck their way onto his face. Edgar would stand there, frowning at a reflection of someone he didn't think he had ever really known.However, like clockwork, his phone would ring twenty minutes after his alarm went off. A generic tone he never felt compelled to change outside of this moment. On this day, it ann...

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Write about a cynical character realizing they do have something to celebrate after all.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 47 stories

“The Christmas Market” by Nicole Wilbur

“Like Father, Like Son” by Shannine O'Neill

“Mr Grumpy” by Lisa Wentworth

“Home for the Holidays” by Channa Brown

“Christmas at Grandpa's” by Danny Symington

“Christian Haikus ” by Dylan Miner

“Maria's Transformation: From Cynicism to Cheer” by Khadijah Jay

“Stand and Deliver” by Bettina Karpathian

“The Crimson House Across Applewood” by Jace Evans

“Just a Meteor Shower” by Koa Dowling

“A Christmas Carole's Closure” by Neil Rodriguez

“Invitation To Burn” by Ella Bleu

“Lonely Father Christmas” by Peter Sugiharto

“Oakville Christmas” by Virginia Smith

“New Year's Birthday.” by AJ Eddy

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a family (biological or found) coming together for Christmas.

Write a story that takes place over the eight nights of Hannukah.

Set your story at a work holiday party,

Write a story about an unconventional holiday tradition.

Contest #178

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

183

Contest entries

62

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: