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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#122: Spree Season

What comes after Thanksgiving? Black Friday, of course! Though this massive shopping occasion originated in America, it’s since become normal practice in many parts of the world. And did you know the reason why this jolly season has such a bleak name? (Hint: it’s got nothing to do with sales and discounts!) Apparently, the police once used “Black Friday” to refer to the bumper-to-bumper traffic and crowds congesting streets as people rushed through their holiday shopping.

With this origin story in mind, here’s our gift to you this week: five prompts inspired by this strange and exciting intermission in the end-of-year holiday season. (And if you’re looking for actual gifts with a writerly flair, we’ve got 60 gift suggestions for you.)

This week's prompts

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

Christmas – 27 stories

Start your story in the middle of a traffic jam.

Thriller and Suspense – 27 stories

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

Thriller and Suspense – 11 stories

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

Thriller and Suspense – 59 stories

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

Christmas – 25 stories

Stories

“On My Doorstep” by Mary Fitzgerald

Submitted to Contest #122

My doorbell rang, as I opened the front door, I expected to see the Amazon delivery guy scurrying back to his truck. There was no one there, but they left a small parcel on my doorstep. I picked it up and looked at the name and address, it was indeed addressed to me. It was in an unfamiliar hand and someone had taken great care in wrapping it and addressing it. I unwrapped it carefully and found small leather-bound volume of Shakespeare's&...

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“The Wine Grinch Almost Steals Christmas ” by Ash Greene

Submitted to Contest #122

I won’t do it, not this year. There is absolutely no way in hell that I will do it. F*** those kids. Their snotty little remarks, the punches thrown, the endless – and I mean ENDLESS – calls from the school office. I will not do it. Sure, the kids will be upset. When they bounce down the stairs on Christmas morning, sugarplums from their dreams forgotten in the excitement, they will all stop mid stride and stare at the tree. “Why?” Joey will ask, excitement replaced by nervousness. “Where did you hide them?” Trinity will shriek as she sta...

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“THE CHRISTMAS ENVELOPE” by Margaret Peirson

Submitted to Contest #122

Now that Jenny's retired, and living on a fixed income, she can't shop for the holidays, like she used to. So, after much thought, she came up with a solution. "Why not write a special poem for each grandchild." Although it's been years, since she's written one, there was a time, when Jenny performed her own poems, at local fairs and schools. Not that she was an Emily Dickinson or Maya Angelo, but her poetry was well received, by the audience. And Jenny's husband, always encouraged her to keep writing. He would say, "you're writing i...

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“The Unassuming Gift” by Donna Conley

Submitted to Contest #122

Lying in bed staring into the darkness, every tick from the clock pounds louder and louder in her head. It is that time of year again. The time to frolic and give of good cheer. This time of year, it always robs her of sleep because she has never known a holiday full of merriment, at least not that she can recall. There are people who see her as cold and uncaring, while others as an extreme minimalist for not wanting to give or receive gifts during the holiday season. One thing the world never lacks at any time of the year is opinions. She d...

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“How To Keep Your Heart For Christmas” by Jarrel Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #122

“Grandma, do you know where Mommy and Daddy is?” asked Susie over chocolate-chip pancakes. It was after 8 pm, when usually her younger brother, Noah, and her are watching cartoons together on the living room floor of their home. But this time, Grandma picked up Susie from school instead of their mother. At Grandma’s house, they get to eat pancakes or cereal for dinner, which Noah enjoyed without much else going through his little head. Susie, however, felt uneased the absence of her parents this December evening. “They’re getting their Chr...

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“Radio” by D.a. Marullo

Submitted to Contest #122

Prisella knew Matt didn’t want to go shopping. She gave him all the typical excuses why they needed to go; it was Black Friday and everything was 50-80% off, they needed stuff, they didn’t have much money {so best to take advantage of these sales} and Everyone shopped on Black Friday. He did not agree with any of this. He wanted to stay home, sleep and then watch a few black and white old noir movies on TCM. They would never agree, so they got into the car at 6am for the Mall. They sat in bumper to bumper traffic. Twenty minutes had already ...

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“On Sale: A memory” by Alicia P

Submitted to Contest #122

As the Fall trotted a brisk steady pace into the Winter, there he was and the time was right. He was Platinum Blonde, with a little tan nose and a cute butt. All on sale for only $4500. Ok, rewind. French Bulldogs have been the chosen companions of my family for generations. I had decided that it was time to make the short journey back to Sweet Home Alabama to visit a family friend and coincidently a trusted breeder for pickup this season. I slowly coasted to a stop at the decision over breakfast. Thoughtfully, I sipped my ca...

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“Winter Ember” by Allicyn Herringdine

Submitted to Contest #122

The holidays... ugh. The whole season came crashing down on me like a mountain of clothes in a packed up inherited storage unit, leaving me helpless and trapped. Struggling under a mass of responsibility and inability. Life had been that way for a while now, I guess that's not a feeling i can blame solely on the holidays. I lay here, helpless, motionless, watching. My daughter was turning two, I was watching her spin circles around me and blossom into a curly headed toddler. There was a missing ring on the curtain rod letting just a ray of ...

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“Unexpected Gifts From Unexpected Places” by Kristen Wraback

Submitted to Contest #122

Sandy pressed her nose against the cold, hard window and gazed in at all the colorful toys and cheerful faces in the shop. Children's eyes lit up like stars as they bounced through the isles, tinkering with toys and buzzing with glee. Sandy didn't want to go inside with empty pockets so she began to do what she did best: imagine. Her imagination was as vivid and real as most anything else you could touch. She imagined her parents happy and laughing with her as they sipped hot cocoa and shared cheerful stories. She imagined giving her mother ...

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“Eddie is Worried” by Maria Dios

Submitted to Contest #122

Eddie is Worried Ben waited until Marie had gone downstairs to start the coffee. He got up and opened her jewelry box and started to look through the necklaces and bracelets “What are you doing Dad?” a loud, groggy voice came from the doorway. It was his son Eddie, on his way to breakfast in his pajamas, his hair sticking up. “Oh nothing, son. Go on downstairs.” “Are you gonna sell Mom’s jewelry like in a prawn shop?” said Eddie. “I saw that in a movie.” “Pawn shop, you mean,” said Ben, “and it’s nothing like that. I...

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“Tea Time” by Maria Dios

Submitted to Contest #122

Tea Time Rosa had never wanted anything so much. By the end of the day the signed, limited Edition copy of Moira Hennessey’s book entitled All of Us would be reduced to 50%. Since Monday the price had been reduced 10% each day. If no one came to buy it, she, as an employee of Bright’s Books, was allowed to purchase it. It had been advertised in the newspaper. She could hear her boss, (and owner of the shop) Claude, upstairs opening and closing file drawers as he brought his business accounts up to date. Though the shop wa...

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“Bookless In Seattle” by Tom Moser

Submitted to Contest #122

"I'm here to get my book," Melissa Watson said as the man opened the front door to his home. The man stood in the darkened entryway of the house in the Greenwood neighborhood in north Seattle, holding the door as Melissa started to push the door open. He stopped the door with his foot and looked at the intruder moving out of the diffused daylight and closer to the threshold. He reached for a light switch with his free hand and seemed to recognize the woman pushing the door was not a stranger. "Maybe you should stop right there," he said as...

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“A Christmas Carol, Recycled” by Clair Whitmer

Submitted to Contest #122

(Some strong language) Cornelia’s roommate had just gotten back from Trader Joe’s. Cornelia could hear the wheeze of the refrigerator door opening and closing, punctuated by cheerful slams of cupboard doors in an uneven rhythm, accompanied by the staccato and rustle of emptied paper bags being snapped through the air and then carefully folded and tossed into their place in the stack of paper bags under the sink.Cornelia’s roommate Sally was always careful to insist on paper bags at checkout and insisted again on preserving them for next time...

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“Around the World” by Muddle Puddle

Submitted to Contest #122

Upon crossing the threshold, I let the bag fall off my shoulder as I squirmed out of my worn-out leather boots and green winter jacket. Of course, such torturous, unalluring stripping was only to be finished with a gentle, yet dramatic toss of the coat onto the chair in the corner. There was no need for etiquette, only a repeated internal joke was an acceptable greeting at this point: “Hakuna!” I yelled from the corridor. “Matata!”[1] – followed a response from the illuminated kitchen. With that, the phrase was complete. I stumbled through...

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$250

Prize money

149

Contest entries

104

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 03, 2021 EST

Won by Laura Jarosz 🏆

Title: No Forwarding Address

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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