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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

“A Gift of Change” by Lawrence Cromwell

Submitted to Contest #281

I wasn’t expecting any gifts at all, which didn’t bother me. Why would it? I really didn’t fit into this group of mid-twenties elites. I was easily five years older than most of them, and I certainly didn’t fit into their glamorous lifestyle. So, what was I even doing there? Certainly, not thinking clearly. I was there against my better judgment because of my girlfriend, who was in their age group and income level and had wanted to meet and greet her friends, and I didn’t want her to reject me based on my greater age and lack of the amount o...

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“Beneath the Bitter Roots” by Laya Alix

Submitted to Contest #281

Nico stared in confusion at the small vial of black powder in his trembling hand, turning it over in the dim light. Then he looked at the crumpled sheet of paper shoved in his other hand. “It is the gift of life. You must keep it safe, especially from the doctor.” He nodded slowly as he looked up, meeting the Herbalist’s gaze. She smiled back at him with a hint of sadness on her face. “They will come for it. When the others need it, you will know what to do. Now go! There is no time.” With a final, lingering glance Nico slipped into the d...

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“DON'T TOUCH THAT BOX!” by Frances Goulart

Submitted to Contest #281

DON’T TOUCH THAT BOX! It just appeared there yesterday. That was the morning I got up and found “it” on my doorstep. Lets call it “it”. Let’s not allow “ it “ to get away with sounding innocuous or provocative or inviting or anything like that, by my calling it “the box”, or worse, “my box” ’. It is not my box! To my way of thinking, the Unknown is often synonymous with the unsavoryMaybe that is the case here. Okay, it isn’t like it is a corpse or a dead skunk or strewn garbage lhying there. No...

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“The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Cassandra Hohm

Submitted to Contest #281

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The music played over the loudspeaker as she ran her hand over the pre-packaged gift sets that lined the shelves of the retail shop. A few of her fingertips showed through her worn red and green patterned gloves. With the kids jingle-belling, and everyone telling you, “Be of good cheer!” She reached the end of the aisle and peered around the corner, letting her red and white striped scarf swing forward from her dark brown corduroy coat. Despite its worn appearance and the navy ...

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“What’s Your Type?” by Artemis Montgomary

Submitted to Contest #281

The following story makes references to drugs and alcohol use. It was the shiver that made her eyes focus on the woman. It was just before midnight, and the drinks had been flowing for hours. The harsh stench of alcohol permeated the room. Naomi was past the line of being buzzed. The warmth was coursing through her body. The majority of the party had moved into the garage, which doubled as a smoking area, and the few stragglers who remained in the living room were caught in circling stories about other nights o...

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“Ms. Elto the Christmas mouse” by Derrek Carman

Submitted to Contest #281

My name is Ms. Elto and this is the story of how I saved a family Christmas. It was the day of Christmas Eve. I went around and gathered the last of the cheese to give my kids. As I finished grabbing the cheese and other gifts I went towards the home I was living in. The house was well decorated. The humans that owned the house loved Christmas very much. They didn’t mind having mice live in the wall as long as we didn’t damage anything, make a mess, and help keep the bugs away. The humans would also leave little blocks of cheese for myself a...

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“Dog” by Marcus Wells

Submitted to Contest #281

I’ve been sitting on the floor, just waiting for them to make a move… I raise my head and look longingly as they shift in their seat. Is this going to be the time they get up? I rest my head back down on my front legs, slowly closing my eyes to make sure I have the energy I need in just a few moments when they finally get up. I hear their voice as they stare into that rectangle thing, as well as another voice that I’ve never smelled before. I can’t believe they are taking so long… I hear their feet shifting, is this the moment? I raise my he...

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“Angel's Eve” by Tiny Benjamin

Submitted to Contest #281

Chapter 1: An InvitationOn Christmas Eve, as snowflakes twirled gracefully against the glittering skyline of Hi-Town, Angel stood by the window of her creator's high-rise apartment. Her polished metallic surface reflected the twinkling city lights, but it was her synthetic, expressive eyes that held the most wonder. Her eyes conveyed a depth of emotion previously unimaginable for any machine. Tonight, they sparkled with curiosity and anticipation.Angel was a marvel of modern technology, the first AI robot designed not only to simulate human ...

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“I AM A WEREWOLF BUT I’M DIFFERENT” by Chuck Suave

Submitted to Contest #281

I am a werewolf, but I’m different.I am trapped between two worlds. A beast in the flesh and a man in memories. My very existence is a defiance of nature's order. An anomaly created by moonlight and torment. I vividly recall my transformation into the man-beast I have become.Beneath the light of a full moon, the change began. I had been camping and fishing at the lake. Doubling over in pain I thought I’d just got a tummy bug. The pain intensified and my veins were bulging under my skin. I could feel my muscles twisting and rippling in my bod...

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“The Breakup” by Tony Pavlov

Submitted to Contest #281

Has the time come to leave this body then? This comfortable, slightly rotund, and rosy vessel that is Harry’s substantial form. I am convinced now that something terrible and irreversible is happening. Like a terminal illness, it had been slouching towards us for a long time, installing itself into every cell cunningly, without so much as a skipped beat. Now it has started blossoming in brackish colours. I fear for what would become of us. I remember the fresh early days, the great pain of the beginning. Human birth is exceptionally traumati...

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“Santa's Little Un-Helper” by Julie Norman

Submitted to Contest #281

You ever felt like the people you associated with didn’t understand you? Like they desperately wanted to know your likes, quirks, personality, but they just… didn’t? Yeah, I get that a lot. This morning of mornings, though, was pretty special. You see, I had just finished my usual morning routine of a scalding hot bath, a steaming mug of joe, and a quick breakfast of smoked bacon and eggs. I took one step out of my room, ready to enjoy another day of fun in the sun, when on my doorstep I saw… Wait for it… A gift. Yes, a gift. A small box che...

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“Krampusnacht” by Noreia Rain

Submitted to Contest #281

The snow is carving a dull pain into my old bones, and I wish the stretching would hurry. Around me, crisp air and ice-encrusted pines. I breath through winter-numbed nostrils and try to ignore the biting chill, focusing on the distant smell of chimneys and herb-thickened soups bubbling over hearths. A silver sliver of moon hangs overhead. As my hair bristles and thickens, I focus on the far-off scent of sweet young sweat and milk, skin and pulsing blood. Deep in my chest, I feel a low rumbling, like glaciers shifting, an ancient beast stirr...

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“A Christmas Tree's Journey ” by Lyn Elkind

Submitted to Contest #281

The back corner of the parking lot was crowded, cold and dark. It was freezing out here! We are all shivering and there is this moron yelling “Ho, Ho, Ho” between coughing at the ever-present exhaust settling over us. I heard rumors about this place, nothing substantiated of course, but unsettling, nonetheless.The streetlight gave off a blueish glow. Since the town switched to sodium lamps to save money, everyplace had a Channukah glow, ironic in December when red, green, and gold were the colors du jour since Thanksgiving. “Dad, Dad, what a...

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“A Dog's Christmas” by Avicka Willis

Submitted to Contest #281

The lights are up again. I know what this means. She brought that tree inside and lit it up, decorated our den with bright colors and tinsel. The constant burning of the oven filled my nose with peppermint and my heart with dread. I remember this. I look up to the door again briefly, the evergreen wreath and blood red bow staining the memories of this home. I look down to the wooden hatching under the stairs, the darkness that fills the space under the house. I chased a raccoon down here once, and She had to call another human to get it out....

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“The China” by Abi Kemp

Submitted to Contest #281

The ChinaAbigale F. Kemp Here I am, sitting dusty and cold under three other plates that all look the same as me. I suppose we are approaching Christmas, as I heard Mama call out, “Can someone wash the china?” earlier this morning. We are the china, old antique dishes that have been passed down as an heirloom through several generations, with rich, red holly details, a few with chips but most of us sustaining little to no wear over our years of somewhat infrequent use. We have sat here for three-hundred and sixty-four days a year, so...

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$250

Prize money

309

Contest entries

153

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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