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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#283: Seasonal Twists

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

It’s Christmas week, and if you’re celebrating, I hope you’re surrounded by everything that brings about festive cheer: twinkling lights and decorations, catchy holiday pop songs, the aroma of family recipes passed down through generations…

The familiarity of tradition grounds us in a world that’s always on the move. But as every storyteller knows, change is what makes narratives interesting. This week, let’s shake up some cozy Christmas traditions and add a little surprise to them. What will your characters do when the unexpected takes center stage?

This week's prompts

Write a story that ends with a huge twist.

Dramatic – 84 stories

Write a story about two characters who surprisingly end up spending a holiday or event together.

Short Story – 53 stories

Write a story about someone’s first Christmas after a major life change.

Short Story – 54 stories

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — except your character can’t shake the feeling that something’s off.

Short Story – 37 stories

Write a story with the line “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Dramatic – 65 stories

Stories

“The Fag That Saved You. ” by Veronica Hues

Submitted to Contest #283

“Hey Sis, it’s Christmas. You can cross me off of your wish list. Call Santa Claus and the Missus. We gon’ have the best Christmas that ever existed.” RuPaul’s Christmas Party album -the censored version- blasts through the speakers as drag queens dance around the stage. It’s the first annual family friendly Christmas Extravaganza sponsored by the LGBTQIA+ alliance. A few dollar bills float down like snowflakes through spins, kicks, hip pops, and death drops. The queens took extra care to tone it down for this show, fake boobs and padded ass...

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“Zinfandel 2019” by Ashlen Wilder

Submitted to Contest #283

Mateo de Luca1960-2022Father, Brother, Son, and Vintner38.530176, -122.843896 A young woman was using a rag to wipe out dust and grime from the “V”. She worked her way along the remaining letters, using her breath to blow waves of silky chocolate brown hair out of her eyes. She didn’t have to do this often in winter – normally the rain would wash the headstone clean every few days, but it had been dry for nearly two weeks now. She finished cleaning the engraved coordinates, which led to a vineyard not far from here. There, the rows of ...

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“Double Booked” by L. M. Grimes

Submitted to Contest #283

“I hate snow.” AnnaSophia mumbled to herself. She watched it fall from her spot, curled up on the seat of the bay window. The bay window overlooked the front yard that belonged to the little cottage she rented every year for the holidays. This was supposed to be her home away from home. Her little retreat. Her way of getting away from the overwhelming hustle and bustle of the city. That, and the constant calls from her editor asking about her next novel. To which she always replied, “I’m typing as we speak.” She wasn’t. &nb...

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“Of Christmas Past” by M. Seshan

Submitted to Contest #283

Sensitive themes: grief, loss. Kieran almost didn’t notice the new Christmas lights beneath the pallor of snow, but they twinkled all the same from where they adorned the bookshop sign. The previous shift manager must have strung them up. The thought slightly irritated him. Kieran was no Scrooge, but there certainly was something as too much holiday spirit, too much insistence that this be the most wonderful time of the year. Decorating the soggy, shivering streets as if it could distract from the cold. Searching for joy in a joyless season....

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“Christmas after 4 long years but ..... ” by Zhou Wx

Submitted to Contest #283

it goes .... .... there was a guy who wanted to get married , so he slogged long hours at work , searching for the next profitable chance to chalk up more savings ..... ... but in the end it went up in clouds .... he could not save any cash after working for 8 straight years , his loved ones was at his sight . The final straw came when he could not make any sales , he stopped working . Slowly his loved ones left him 1 by 1 , he ended up distraught .He was placed in a shelter for the homeless eventually . He spent 2 years at the shelter somet...

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“The First Christmas” by Juliana Comstock

Submitted to Contest #283

**Trigger Warning**Mentions moments of child S/AThe story is based on my PTSD. I was sitting on the carpeted floor of my grandmother’s house and I could see all the joy on everyone’s faces. People were smiling, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. There was wrapping paper and boxes scattered across the floor. The TV was playing soft Christmas music. Snacks were set up nicely on the kitchen table, the seals had already been broken. Vanilla-scented candles were lit. Everyone was happy. Even though everyone was happy, there was still a ...

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“Almost Perfect” by Michell Conroy

Submitted to Contest #283

Almost PerfectBy: Michell C. The engine of her hand-me-down SUV shuttered to silence as she cranked the ignition to the off position and removed the key with a deep sigh. The holiday season had taken over the shopping mall parking lot and she knew the inside would be twice as bad. "I can do this." She whispered to herself. Elbowing the door open, she slid out into the chill, afternoon air, tugging her coat tight around her. She cursed the cold breeze al...

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“And Then There Were Three” by Cynethea Cunningham

Submitted to Contest #283

That tragic November morning changed everything. The storm that struck was unimaginable. Eight-year-old Brandon was killed while walking to school, hit by a speeding car driven by an underage driver. The loss was devastating and unforeseen.The loss left a huge hole in their hearts, making the idea of celebrating Christmas without him unbearable. When Ward Cunningham, Brandon’s father, saw only three stockings hung by the fireplace instead of four, it painfully reminded him of the missing family member. Where there was laughter from four voic...

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“Whispers of the Alps: A Christmas Renewal” by Vera N

Submitted to Contest #283

Sophia stepped off the train and into the crisp December air of Cortina d’Ampezzo, a picturesque town nestled in the Italian Alps. The Dolomite peaks towered above, their jagged edges softened by a fresh blanket of snow. Her breath formed small clouds that dissolved into the endless expanse of pristine white. The station was quaint, with stone walls and a roof dusted in powder, blending seamlessly into the alpine surroundings. This was her first Christmas since the life she once knew had been turned upside down, and the quiet isolation of Co...

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“Christmas Without Dad” by Emma Quist

Submitted to Contest #283

This story contains mentions of familial death. I was twenty three when my dad died. It came as a shock to us all when he had his heart attack. We were all living in different parts of the country, or in my sister’s case the continent, going about our daily activities. My sister in Canada was taking care of her daughter, my brother in Minnesota had just gotten home from work, my sister in Illinois was working a babysitting gig, and my little brother at home was in school. I was driving to a park to read a book when my older brother called ...

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“Being reborn on Christmas” by Vadim Albukh

Submitted to Contest #283

A criminal had broken into a bank with his gun and had ordered everyone to give him the money in the volt and all of this was happening on Christmas of all days. But as he had gotten his money and went out the front door the police were there waiting for him demanding that he put his hands in the air and drop the money. He tries to make a run for it why are you saying “You will never take me alive.” Then the police shoot him and he begins to die. As he lay down on the floor dying he coul...

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“Carl and Catherine's First Christmas Together” by Tina Truelove

Submitted to Contest #283

Carl and Catherine stood outside the store window. The Christmas display was mesmerizing. The twinkling lights and the bright red, green, gold, and blue ornaments sparkled such that Carl and Catherine couldn't take their eyes off them. "Someday, our Christmas decorations will look like this," Catherine sighed. "Someday," Carl agreed, "but we don't need fancy decorations to have a great Christmas, you know." "I know, but still, it would be nice someday." Catherine thought of their tiny little tree back at their apartment.&...

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“Left Behind” by Anuva Suresh

Submitted to Contest #283

It was there, just like you said – I knew you would get it done, you always got it done. Always put up too early, always lit up with the same lights, the same colors – you did it just like you promised. The music just started playing outside, unavoidable, but comforting - it never really bothered me, and I know it didn't bother you either. I guess it isn't really the season that bothers me now, it's that you got that damn tree done like you said. I know, I know, you hate it when I say "damn," but, damnit you got it done. I didn't even hear t...

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“...and we danced...” by Elizabeth Rich

Submitted to Contest #283

"Jesus, Joseph, and Mary," she muttered as she stood in front of the ticket agent on Christmas Eve morning. Meredith knew she was tempting the fates, but it couldn't be helped. Her youngest daughter didn't get home from her most recent gymnastics meet until late the night before, with an injury to boot. "I'm sorry, ma'am. With this flight being delayed, there's no way you're going to be able to make your connection in Chicago," the ticket agent said, wildly tapping the keys on her computer." "Are you absolutely sure? Can you put us on any ot...

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“Gone” by Christina Marie

Submitted to Contest #283

The final splashes of pastel recede to the west as the harvest moon rises in the east. Its glowering face emerges over the old railroad tracks, flanked by silhouettes of the crooked barn and creaky windmill. In the brief moment that it’s tethered to the horizon, I can almost reach out and pluck it from the sky. Closer to home, mewling kittens tumble over each other in their soft nest of hay at the foot of the bales. Their mother stalks the shadows in search of her own dinner. Horses whicker, soft snorts hanging like wispy ghosts in the cool ...

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$250

Prize money

293

Contest entries

123

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 03, 2025 EST

Won by Maisie Sutton 🏆

Title: Can You See Me Now?

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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