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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#173: Giving, Receiving, and Return Receipts

Yikes! The holidays are just around the corner, which means it’s almost time for me to panic-shop for gifts. Even if you aren’t a big fan of Black Friday (when mega discounts and hard-won bargains are up for grabs) you might still be thinking about what to give to your loved ones, or what you might ask for yourself.

This week’s prompts are in the spirit of gift-giving. Whether your characters know just what to get, are scrambling for ideas at the last minute, or are the lucky (or perhaps unlucky) recipient of their own gift, it’s time to gather those wishlists and prepare for the upcoming festive season.

This week's prompts

Coming up with a gift idea was the easy part — getting your hands on it is another thing entirely.

Adventure – 22 stories

End your story with a character receiving a deeply meaningful gift they weren’t expecting.

Adults – 66 stories

Write about a character going to great lengths to return an unwanted gift.

Funny – 22 stories

Write a story starring a store cashier, during the busy pre-holiday season.

Holiday – 27 stories

Write a story that includes the phrase “Thank you! It’s just what I wanted.”

Holiday – 31 stories

Stories

“Night Shift” by Claire Harding

Submitted to Contest #173

It was just after midnight, and not a soul was in the store. I tapped my foot nervously on the floor, thinking of the family dinner I had missed taking this shift. The store advertised online and had placed signage at kiosks and displays announcing discounts for tonight only. Sales were double commission. This shift paid time and a half, and I desperately needed the money. When I told my mother I would not be there for Thanksgiving, she blasted back at me with every blame she had in her. I hung up the phone and put it in the back of my mind...

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“Turkey Frustration or Love?” by Theresa Fox Turner

Submitted to Contest #173

Last year Mom wanted to change things up for Thanksgiving by cooking a prime rib rather than turkey. It seemed odd, and I remember complaining to Don, my husband, about this strange change in the menu. It felt as though turkey was a non-negotiable part of dinner because Thanksgiving was a source of turkey frustration for both my parents as far back as I can remember.Most years, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Twardowski's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Dad's job was turkey carver, but carving the turkey at our Thanksgiving wasn't the picture-...

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“Gift God” by Jim Firth

Submitted to Contest #173

‘Thank you! It’s just what I wanted’ is a commonly heard phrase at Christmas time. Families the world over use it to veil their disappointment. This creates all sorts of problems: it enshrines the gift giver in a bubble of Christmas hubris, adds to their obliviousness, and perpetuates the cycle of bad gifts. But do not fear: the cycle can be broken. You, my friend, can become a Gift God.If you’re not sure that you’re an inferior gift-giver, you most likely are one. Folk have been too polite to tell you. I’m telling you now because subpar gif...

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“Under the Indian Sun” by Laurel Hanson

Submitted to Contest #173

Lisa waited in the shade of the veranda, squinting down at the Untouchable village smothered in the hot gold of the Indian sun. The small huts of dung and mud formed a lonely outpost in the arid land, a scattering of impoverished cockeyed blocks. The metal signs and corrugated tin patchworked into the roofs threw splinters of light into her eyes. She turned away. The American missionary school her parents had sent her to was up in the mountains where the air was cool and moist, the forest thick and green, scented with eucalyptus.&...

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“You Will Never Know” by Bryanna Cooper

Submitted to Contest #173

There she was checking out the entire town as the chaos of black Friday approached. Her head was filled with the constant beeps that came from the endless scanning. Her cheeks had begun to ache as her fake smile grew tighter and tighter with every customer that filed into her line. If the store was to suddenly become quiet then you could hear her feet scream their protests of standing in the same spot for hours. Tasha finally tuned back into reality and stared at the man who was placing his garish items on her counter. His face was painted r...

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“It's Just a Coffeemaker!” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #173

Susan clutched the soggy box in her hands as the rain beat down from on high. The colors in the cheap packaging were beginning to run together, blurring the words and the empty smile of the model on the box—a vapid white guy who looked like his top priorities in life were being right about everything and hitting their mansplaining quota before breakfast. Or maybe she was reading into his sneering smile. After all, it was what was in the box, not on it, that was the important thing. Although that wasn’t quite true either. The box containe...

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“Angel Knows Best” by Joyce George-Knight

Submitted to Contest #173

While it wasn't the last day of shopping before Christmas, nor was it even a week before the day children dream about, the check-out lines' winding barriers controlled the impatient shoppers. Certainly, it's a hectic time for all Christmas shoppers, what with school events to attend, company parties, family gatherings to plan, not to mention the daily routines. Shoppers, I found, tend to be focused on their goals, wearing invisible blinders to those around them. During my years as a box store cashier, I witnessed numerous arguments, brawls...

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“The Cashier, the Bears, and Burger King ” by Roberta C.

Submitted to Contest #173

The line snakes through aisles four, five, and six, with half of the aisles’ contents on the floor. Some parents are haphazardly returning toys their screaming children were trying to sneak into their baskets. Other patrons are wipings shelves clean of wrapping paper and Christmas bags. As for me, a Dollar Tree floor sales associate with five shoplifters caught under my name, I just want to clock out and get my Double Whopper from Burger King. “Next in line to register three!” As I call the next person, I see an elderly lady with a silv...

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“A Tale of a Top Dude!” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #173

Somewhere, somewhen, Ronnie arrived in the world in the usual way. He was a shy, reticent, colonial boy. He was born and raised in his beachside town of "By-the-Sea." Ronnie was born to poor, but concerned, parents. This young lad toddled off to the education system, all the while hearing stories of the great whaling days of the old timers. He proceeded smoothly through his schooling, and often went down to the bays. There he swam and saw beached and stranded whales. Ronnie was learning then about the many theories why the whales were dyin...

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“The anchor of my life” by Antara Srikanth

Submitted to Contest #173

I have heard this phrase often that love makes you do impossible things. Whoever said this must have had a personal experience of doing something unfeasible for that special someone. When love enters our lives, we are not even aware of it. By the time we realise, it has already taken a course of its own to overpower all our senses. The heart behaves strangely, and the hormones never cease to fluctuate! Two decades back, when I was a fresher in college and had decided that love was not meant for me, I was brought face to face with this tall, ...

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“Gift for Grandma Tham” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #173

Lihn and I could not wait for the big day as we both thought about what Grandma Tham would put under the tree for us on Christmas. “Dai, what do you think she will bring?” My younger sister Lihn asked. She was into dolls and stuff like that, but I wanted a Schwinn ten speed bicycle. This summer, I was going to join the baseball team and I needed a bicycle to get me to and from practice. I shrugged my shoulders as I was watching SpongeBob and could not be bothered. Our mother, Xuan, had come from Vietnam when G...

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“A Locket” by Sarah Rich

Submitted to Contest #173

(This short story features characters from 'Missing' and is a partial continuation of the plot) CONTENT WARNING: References to mental health, physical abuse, and substance abuse. Ryker stared at me from the couch as I raveled my scarf around my neck. After everything settled down with the cops months ago, he’d condemned himself to our place full-time. I wasn’t sure if he’d done if for his safety, or if he’d done it out of fear. No one knew where the man who’d taken him had gone off to. Though his disappearance hit all the major news outlet...

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“The Bioluminescent Gift” by Cherie Woods

Submitted to Contest #173

“What are you working on?” “It’s a new potion idea I’ve come up with,” Janra said resting her hands on her hips as she frowned. She stared down at the cauldron, her nose wiggling a bit from the smoke rising up from the black pot. Did she miscalculate the ingredients? She was certain she’d checked beforehand to make sure she had everything. But it looked like she’d shorted herself as she glanced at the list. “Let’s see…a toad’s tongue, a crow’s brain, two lizard’s eye, three bioluminescent mushrooms, and a pinch of salt.” The frown deepen...

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“The Present” by Beverli Barnes

Submitted to Contest #173

The Present By Beverli Barnes A tadpole could swim circles in his dimples. His cuteness as a baby and young boy was rivalled by his astounding intelligence. There was something about my nephew Marcus, as a child that sparked intrigue and at times intimidation. My mother told me about the time she showed Marcus photographs of various types of mushrooms. He was maybe three or four. “Grandmother”, he asked. “What is this red one with the white polka dots?” “The Latin name is ‘amanita muscaria’. It is poisonous.” Mom explain...

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“Purple Rain” by Amy Curry

Submitted to Contest #173

To my dear loved ones: I am sorry for leaving you like this but would love nothing more than to tell you about my incredible journey. I am somewhere. Not near, neither far and nowhere you can drive, walk, or fly to; but I am here, nonetheless. It's beautiful and please fill your heart with joy for me, for I really do miss you. I'm writing from a place you've never been nor may visit. This is a permanent residence for I and others and someday you may see me here but in order to your human life will have to perish. Please do not be alarmed or...

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$250

Prize money

168

Contest entries

79

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 25, 2022 EST

Won by Jacob Brown 🏆

Title: How to Return a Book Titled "How to Improve Your Writing in Five Easy Steps" in Five Easy Steps

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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