Write about a character who won’t (or can’t) shop for the holidays.

Posted in Christmas on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 25 stories

“Reverend Bartlett” by Ruth Porritt

Submitted to Contest #122

Important content note: Hello everyone, this story contains my particular mix of horror, humor, and religious elements. Also, there are some sexual elements in this story, and the devil shows up.If any of the aforementioned things are triggering for you, you have my sincerest apologies, and I ask that you find a different story on Reedsy. (I know that there are many good stories on this platform, especially during the holiday season.)Sincerely yours,Ruth*****It was cold and snowy. The wind howled through the parking lot, and the Reverend Bar...

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“Was I Ever Really Here?” by Eric Falvey

Submitted to Contest #122

*TW Mental Health/ Substance Abuse.I held that plush in my hands for what seemed like a century. The line was so long it nearly wrapped around the store. My dirty fingers had begun to sweat, leaving ashy fingerprints across the white underbelly of the purple stuffed bear. The voices in my head had begun to swirl, whispering ice cold words into my ear."What's the point? She doesn't even know you exist, and even if she did, it's not like she could love you. Look at yourself, you're an embarrassment!" the first voice hissed."Shut Up!" I growled...

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“Shoot Past the Moon” by Jamie Gregory

Submitted to Contest #122

I rearranged the padfolio, stack of papers, and water bottle on the podium for the umpteenth time as more people continued to meander in and take a seat in front of me. Whew, ok, take some deep breaths. You’ve got this. I tried to distract myself and calm my nerves by gazing out of the bookshop’s windows which lined the city street. It was a chilly, early spring evening and there was a drizzle outside being illuminated by the streetlights. I was snapped out of my trance by the bookshop owner approaching the podium to greet the crowd. ...

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“Death and a Holiday” by Fatima Jawaid

Submitted to Contest #122

(Content Warning: death, mentions of death, strong language, and dark humor)It went against every fiber of his being (if you could call him a being that is), but GR really liked malls. He liked how wastefully bright the lights were, illuminating even the corners that no one could possibly get to. He liked the edge in people’s voices as they shopped for their holiday gifts, barely holding back the scorn as they addressed their families. He liked the loud, unnecessarily noises from random, inanimate, children’s toys that blared inane instructi...

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“The Philosopher's Café - Socrates” by Michael Regan

Submitted to Contest #122

David Hume had just arrived at LAX when he received news that his wife had been taken to the Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. He immediately cancelled his meetings and booked a flight back to Vancouver. He was somewhere over Oregon when she passed away.The doctors said it was a brain aneurysm, “there was nothing you could have done”. That didn’t ease the guilt of not being with her in her final moments.Struggling with his loss, his business of advising clients on social trends closed.After a year of ‘bouncing around’ his five bedroom ...

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“The Shelves are Laughing at me” by Livana Teagan

Submitted to Contest #122

"I know it's a weird fear to have Emmie. You don't understand," I told her in an angry voice. She was sitting in her green PT Cruiser at the edge of my driveway. The keys were still in the ignition. Her bright red nails tapped against the steering wheel in an impatient manner. Her blond hair twisted in perfect ringlets around her cheeks. Her blue eyes raged with fire. "If you don't want to go. That's all you have to say," her face scrunched with anger. I wanted to go with her. That wasn't the question. The question was how? Ho...

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“The Christmas With No Money” by Kimberly Larraine

Submitted to Contest #122

Our chimney was made of posterboard so Santa could magically enter our home. That hand drawn brick chimney had worked its magic for years. Popcorn garlands and handmade ornaments adorned our gifted tree. Glittered paper snowflakes were hung across every doorway. We all loved Christmas. Our six children, all under age eleven were anxiously counting the days until it came. What their little hearts did not know is that there was no money; no money for shopping, no money for toys. Their father was a painter and it had been a difficult and slow y...

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“The Perfect Christmas Present” by Ethan Horne

Submitted to Contest #122

The perfect Christmas present My Christmas pudding stood confidently upon her school stage, “I did it for Daddy” she explains as a microphone is presented in front of her face. A little girl, dressed as a Christmas pudding, singing with the sweetest voice, it was no wonder she won the Christmas talent contest. Katie’s performance of ‘Somewhere only we know’ was imperfectly perfect and reduced me to tears. Most of this imperfection, however, came from the audio from the recording of her performance that I watched after she returned home. A c...

2 comments 2

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“Ghosts in the Rain” by A. Potato

Submitted to Contest #122

CW: Depressive thoughts, implied miscarriage Like the past few days, it’s the cry of her phone that ends up waking her. Today, it only takes her five minutes to reach out and grab the shaking device, compared to the fifteen minutes she spent yesterday just numbly staring at it while it screamed at her. She slowly fumbles for it with a trembling hand, each finger closing around it like it’s a delicate piece of jewelry. Her eyelids still drooping, she swipes her thumb up to see the usual barrage of messages, bright and obnoxi...

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“The Holiday” by Angela Early

Submitted to Contest #122

So here it is again.It seems to arrive sooner every year. Didn't Halloween just exit? Now here we are again, she thought to herself. Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving where seemingly every human is bound and determined to show how much they care in material form. It was all a sham, a way to force people into more debt. The only way to show you care is with some newfangled product, a luxurious piece of jewelry, all of which an average person on a salary could ill afford. That is, if you believed the retailers and the advertisements tha...

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“A stolen pen” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #122

The last week of august was always an exciting time. The holidays were almost over, but it was still summer, and there even was a carnival in town. School was around the corner. The beginning of a new academic year and the prospect of new challenges and achievements filled me with energy and motivation. For me, the highlight of this exciting week was going to the city, to buy my new school supplies. Armed with a list, I started writing in July, I took the bus and headed to the city. That year, a new business had opened: a fancy store selling...

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“Agoraphobia” by Kendri Petersen

Submitted to Contest #122

This story contains intrusive thought mentions and detailing of panic attacks. My pills lay sprawling on my nightstand. I must have knocked them over in my sleep. I pick up the bottle and scoop in the white circular tablets. “Fluoxetine,” the label reads. I pick one off my nightstand and pop it into my mouth, swallowing hard. I place the transparent bottle back by my lamp. The gray cotton of my pajama pants pools at my ankles as I walk to the kitchen. I find the wooden chair at my kitchen table, the same one I have sat at for as lon...

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“As The Snow Falls” by The Self Sufficient Show

Submitted to Contest #122

As The Snow Falls By Travis Staring at the toys all displayed in their brightly colored boxes distinct designs. Hearing the children call out to their parents that they want this and that toy for Christmas. Laughter all around and an infectious holiday spirit in the air. I alone though am on an island of despair. Work was slow I could barely get enough money to put a roof above my family’s head and there was always little food to spare. Many nigh...

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“The Bureived Wife's First Christmas ” by Elizabeth Ann Moran

Submitted to Contest #122

Everyone has finished their Thanksgiving feast, that she just felt miserable through; she couldn't wait for it to be over. She never felt this way before; just a month ago she couldn't wait for it, family to be together. Now, a very important piece of her family is gone, her husband. Just a year and a half ago she loss her mom; now her husband is gone as well. When she needed to talk to someone, she'd call her mom. When her mom passed, her husband stepped up. He really listened to her and supported her more than he ever had before. They have...

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“Oh Bloody Hell!! Not shopping again!!” by Kathleen Carlson

Submitted to Contest #122

As we all know, Holiday shopping isn't for anyone. I should know. I cannot stand shopping. Especially for the holidays. You never know what to get or how much to spend. For example: Whenever I shop, I try to get cheap stuff. Simple, cheap slippers, Those cordial cherries, hickory sausage sets, etc. But, because I can't stand shopping, all those people, long lines, annoying Santa and the elves, etc, I'm getting gift cards. Plain and simple. But, being depressed doesn't help either. My marriage fell apart. I'm in an abusive relationship with a...

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Write about a character who won’t (or can’t) shop for the holidays.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 25 stories

“Reverend Bartlett” by Ruth Porritt

“Was I Ever Really Here?” by Eric Falvey

“Shoot Past the Moon” by Jamie Gregory

“Death and a Holiday” by Fatima Jawaid

“The Philosopher's Café - Socrates” by Michael Regan

“The Shelves are Laughing at me” by Livana Teagan

“The Christmas With No Money” by Kimberly Larraine

“The Perfect Christmas Present” by Ethan Horne

“Ghosts in the Rain” by A. Potato

“The Holiday” by Angela Early

“A stolen pen” by F.O. Morier

“Agoraphobia” by Kendri Petersen

“As The Snow Falls” by The Self Sufficient Show

“The Bureived Wife's First Christmas ” by Elizabeth Ann Moran

“Oh Bloody Hell!! Not shopping again!!” by Kathleen Carlson

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who’s stuck in a shopping mall.

Start your story in the middle of a traffic jam.

Write a story about a limited edition item going on sale.

A package arrives at your character’s house, but they didn’t order anything. Write about what happens next.

Contest #122

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

149

Contest entries

104

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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