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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#281: The Fright Before Christmas

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ReedsyHoliday to share your stories (and potentially get featured on our social accounts)!

With less than two weeks left until Christmas, I’ve been filling my days with cozy activities that are perfect for the festive season. While baking, caroling, and wrapping gifts are pretty standard for this time of the year, I also enjoy doing something a bit unexpected with my friends: holding creepy holiday movie marathons.

With that in mind, here are five prompts inspired by eerie holiday classics like Krampus and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Snuggle up with your thickest blanket and get started on a tale of regret, longing, love, horror, mystery — whatever you fancy! Good luck, and happy holidays to all those who celebrate!

This week's prompts

Write about a mysterious guest who arrives at a party — but no one knows who they are.

Dramatic – 60 stories

Start or end your story with someone receiving a strange — and possibly sinister — gift.

Dramatic – 54 stories

Write a story from the POV of a non-human character.

Short Story – 103 stories

Set your story during the coldest day of the year.

Short Story – 52 stories

Write a story that includes the line “Be careful what you wish for.”

Dramatic – 40 stories

Stories

“Dusty Echos” by Lou Jayne

Submitted to Contest #281

Dusty Echos Creeeeeaaak tap tap, groan creak, aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh, creak, scrape, whhhhhoooooooo, whhhhhhooooo.“Hello? Am I still alone?”whup, whup, whup, whup, tsp tsp, tsp tsp, whup whup, whup. “Everything is going a little foggy, please tell me I’m not alone In this dark cold place ?”Sniff sniff , scrape, tap tap ,tap, tap, scuttle, sniff. “Hahaha that tickles, now I know someone is here with me, who is it?” Squeak squeak, sniff sniff. Tsp tsp tsp. “Whoah whoah, helllllp whoah, oh Thank you for catching me, I hope you don’t mind me spinning ...

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“The HERS Cup” by Gali Sharon

Submitted to Contest #281

I was created as one of two, the “HERS” from a “HIS and HERS” white porcelain coffee cup set. Handmade by a young artist, I stood proud on the table, watching people go by. I wasn’t flawless. I knew my rim wasn’t a perfect circle, and the curve of the black “R” bent back, almost forming a “B”. Who would buy me? I craved to have warm liquid poured into me, to be held and owned, to go into someone’s home. At times, people touched me or picked me up, their soft, warm hands both comforting and freeing - only to put me down again and again. As th...

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“Where Souls Linger” by S. D. Vogt

Submitted to Contest #281

Where Souls Linger The end, when it came, was both sudden and agonizing. Nathan remembered only fragments: the crushing exhaustion behind his eyes after another endless day; the momentary lapse when he gave in and closed them, just for a second; the bend in the road, unseen until it was too late; and the way gravity pulled his car into a deadly descent. His life didn’t flash before his eyes. Instead, in those fleeting moments of consciousness, regret filled him like a weight he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying. At thirty-two, happiness see...

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“Santa’s Right-Hand Guy” by Ej Vizzard

Submitted to Contest #281

Ah, Christmas in Bavaria. For most folks here, it’s a time to lounge by the fire and watch snow gather on the mountains. For Santa and me, it’s the busiest day of the year. We tramp from house to house with our sacks, knocking on doors. He pulls gifts from his bag for the good kids; I stuff the naughty ones into mine. Their eyes widen the second they see my gnarled horns. By the time I bare my fangs, they’re usually bawling so hard I don’t need to show them my snakelike tongue—but I do anyway because it’s a howl. Then I jam them, beggin...

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“Holiday Time” by Ellen Talboom

Submitted to Contest #281

That time of year. The decorations start covering almost every part of open blank space on the ground floor of the office building. Humans climb up on ladders, attach green looking leaves along the walls. Odd, no one waters them, yet they stay the same color, bright and shiny. Then the leaves are taken down. Every year, same thing. Humans talk a different language from during the year. Interesting concept. "How ya doing Laura", a guest said, walking past the information desk? "Doing well, you, Mr. Jenkins"? "Great. I love the holi...

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“Prey” by Michael Rasmussen

Submitted to Contest #281

The first rays of dawn painted the sky in pale hues as he crouched at the water's edge, muscles aching from a night of prowling. Small birds had begun their morning songs, their calls marking the transition from his hunting time to theirs. The stars were fading, replaced by streaks of orange and pink that reminded him of fresh meat. Water lapped against his bloodied mouth, sending ripples across the river's surface, disturbing his reflection – the face of an old hunter, battle-scarred and graying around the muzzle. A wound in his hindquarter...

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“Joe (Peedoo)” by Deb Dobbins

Submitted to Contest #281

Joe / Peedoo"What the hell?" I realized my mouth was hanging open, but the words weren't coming out. "I mean, Uhm... So, this is your daughter?" The... girl standing in front of me was approximately three feet tall, with dark, kinky, hair looked like Joe must have pulled the ponytail up on top of her head in a hurry, it was slightly askew, with errant strands shooting out the sides at various angles. "Yes. Sandy..." he said touching the girl's shoulder slightly. "This is Kelsey, a friend from work."I had recovered slightly from the surprisin...

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“The Uninvited Guest” by Anthony Andrés

Submitted to Contest #281

No matter the holiday, I am the uninvited guest at every family gathering that everyone works so hard to ignore. No one offers me eggnog or a slice of pumpkin pie. There is never an official seat for me at any table. Nor is there a present with my name on it under the tree. I don’t take it personally. I get it. I make people uneasy. Granted, part of the fun is watching their discomfort as they twist themselves into a bow, trying to avoid me, the elephant in the room.There are so many reasons why I can show up at your party. One of my pe...

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“A Sniff on Christmas Night” by Elijshiah Becton

Submitted to Contest #281

We were known to like cold weather. Our coats were made for it. The snow falls right off of us. I could be a statue in this weather, unmoving as it falls, for hours, days even, and I would be alright. I'm built for this. I know this. She knows this. But regardless, she wants me to come inside. She's stopped yelling my name and only watches me from the door. But I'm not budging. If I fight my impulses a little longer, I might get away with it this time. I stare up at her from the spot I made on the ground. My frigid blue eyes almost blending ...

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“Her First Snow” by Mari Schneider

Submitted to Contest #281

“The weather guys said heavy snow overnight.” “I heard they’re closing down all the highways. How many cars do you think they’ll have to dig out tomorrow?” “Haha, I bet at least seven off of 50 alone. Those city folks always think they know better than -” There is a brief moment of static while the woman switches the station before some new pop song comes on. This is why she has never moved out of San Jose: everyone else is so mean. The sun slants lower to her left, and she moves the visor to block it again. She has already left the highway ...

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“To the Fire” by Sarah Horne

Submitted to Contest #281

“Today’s low is going to dip into the low teens and it’s shaping up to be the coldest day of the year, so bund-“ I groaned, and cut the engine; Thank God, I made it to my driveway before I had to endure more radio chatter. One day I would get my aux port fixed and have my control over my commute listening material again. I stepped out of my car and regretted not wearing a heavier coat. It was so cold my breath was a solid cloud. I ran as best as I could in the snow to my mailbox, grabbed my couple weeks’ worth of forgotten mail,...

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“The Curious Incident of the Child In The Nighttime” by Tess Ross-Callahan

Submitted to Contest #281

Putting your kids to bed just doesn’t happen the way it does in The Sound of Music. If you’ve never seen it, picture a bunch of stylish bilingual children peacefully walking themselves up the stairs, singing, leaving the grownups downstairs to finish their drinks and conversations. I mean, really. I only have the two kids, forget seven - which I’m pretty sure is the number of Von Trapp offspring - and bedtime is a whole ordeal. Even on a regular night. Even when it’s not the coldest goddamn day of the year, ev...

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“The Life” by Evangelist Wright

Submitted to Contest #281

THE LIFE If I would have known how my life would have turned out, I never would have done what I did. When I say “Be careful what you wish for,” that's one I wished I’d have listened to. It was a cold and thankless night when it all started, as I remembered it. The drapes were brand new and the clock was ticking. I remember thinking to myself– what is this thing called love? I opened my eyes and your face was the first thing I saw smiling at me. There was such an earnestness in your eyes. I could not tell you then, all I could do was lose ...

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“Blind Date” by Júlio Miranda

Submitted to Contest #281

The taxi driver, who had been driving for two and a half blocks at very low speed, turning and craning his head and neck, paying attention to the house numbers, finally signaled to the right and parked next to the curb, in front of a mansion worthy of a Hollywood movie, in the most upscale neighborhood in the city. He disengaged the car and pulled the handbrake. “We’re here?” he turned and asked. “I sure hope so…” the passenger muttered, dumbfounded, his mouth already open before the words had even begun to come out. He didn’t look at the dr...

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“The Rebirth of a Dreamer” by Elysian Aeonian

Submitted to Contest #281

Authors Note This story contains themes of:Emotional Abuse – Mention of past emotional manipulation and lack of support in relationships.Sexual Assault – References to past sexual trauma.Depression/Anxiety – Depiction of feelings of hopelessness, frustration, and emotional struggle.Financial Struggles – References to debt, financial insecurity, and difficulty making ends meet.Self-Harm (Implied) – Moments of self-destructive thoughts and behaviors (emotional distress that may be interpreted as emotional self-harm).Fa...

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$250

Prize money

309

Contest entries

154

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 20, 2024 EST

Won by Karissa W 🏆

Title: The Counter and the Coal

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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