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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

“A Christmas Memory” by Judith Jones-Ambrosini

Submitted to Contest #283

A Christmas Memory I began paging through my time worn Christmas Cookies notebook to decide on which cookies to make. That’s when I came across Signora Cinque’s pignoli cookie recipe. I smiled as I recalled the Christmas memory that always warms my heart. Although it occurred some forty years ago it will always seem like it happened yesterday. It was when I lived in Positano, an enchanting village on Italy’s Amalfi coast. At that time Positano was a quiet hamlet nestled along the coast. Neighbors knew each other and ve...

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“The Long Way Home” by Alex Marmalade

Submitted to Contest #283

The cardboard was damp. Not soaked—Tom had enough experience to know the difference—but it wouldn’t hold up through another frost. He ran his fingers over the uneven edges, the jagged tears where he’d ripped it from a larger box the week before. The letters, scrawled with a fading black marker, had bled slightly in the misty air: Homeless Veteran. God Bless.Tom sighed, tilting the sign toward the streetlights to check if it was still legible. Probably not. Not that anyone cared. People didn’t really read the signs. They looked at the person ...

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“A Homecoming Surprise ” by Ami Middleton

Submitted to Contest #283

"A new year signifies a new start. You should all be thinking about what you want to accomplish this year and how you want to be perceived. You only get so many chances in life to make a name for yourself, and this could be one of those times for you!" Mrs. Hanican told us. I sat and wondered what in the world she was trying to get across to us because I couldn't focus on what she was saying. I knew at one point she was talking directly to me, but I was lost in thought. I received a letter from my parents yesterday, and it was all I could t...

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“The Wavery Woods” by Natalie Meador

Submitted to Contest #283

The Wavery Woods My name is Samantha O’Bryan, and this is a collection of my notes and observations from living five years alone in the Wavery Woods. Influenced by my transcendental forefathers I have come to the woods to think, to live, and to write; I have come to avoid distraction from both people and technology. It has been five years since I have seen another human. You may wonder how I have lived so long without commerce, considering it would be relatively easy for me to trek into town and trade my vegetables for clothes, blankets and ...

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“It Will Never Happen” by Katie Sayers

Submitted to Contest #283

Anyone who says they like getting tours of other people's homes is a liar. Either they’ve been unwillingly forced to participate or, like me, were forced to willfully participate. So here I am, following my overly eager new coworker as she proudly showcases her kitschy souvenirs from forgettable trips and amateur DIY renovations. Unless there’s a stack of gold bars in the basement or an Elvis Presley clone lounging in the living room, I’m not interested. We flit from room to room until we end up at her office, her “pièce de résistance” as sh...

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“Steve's Bad Day” by Burton Sage

Submitted to Contest #283

“I’m sorry, Steve,” J.P. said. “It’s not going to happen. There’s no stomach for long term investments right now.” Steve’s eyes closed, and his head sagged. He had been pretty sure that this was the answer he was going to get, but now hearing it was even more deflating. Steve Morris was sitting with J.P. MacAllister of the venture capital firm MacAllister and Johnson at the Cattleman’s Steakhouse just off the I-5 Freeway in Carlsbad, CA. A pleasant dinner had ...

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“Ringing in The Holidays” by Maureen Hayes

Submitted to Contest #283

Becky bites her bottom lip, the dark red lipstick marking her minty white teeth like a bad omen. Tom, the love of her life, stares through the dual-paned window with a sense of awe: chestnut brown eyes open wide, and mouth slightly forming an “O.” He loves the cold, he said. And the promise of his brilliant career. It was only supposed to be a year before things took off, but here they are going on number three, and still no big break. Becky deliberately ignores him, turning away from the window lit with twinkling multi-colored mini bulbs. ...

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“A drink with friends” by Brian Carney

Submitted to Contest #283

Connor sipped his beer, doing his best to console his friend Keith, who had just had his divorce finalized today. He hadn’t planned on Keith getting so drunk so quickly. Tim and Bob were no help, they were getting just as trashed, sitting next to Keith at the bar. Connor nursed his beer, while he fingered the pill in his shirt pocket, he was a little frustrated, he had other plans for tonight when Bob called and begged him to come out with them. Just as he began to formulate a reason for an early exit, he felt someone fill the sea...

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“Snowed in for the Holidays” by Terry Horton

Submitted to Contest #283

Sophie had a simple plan. She set aside her day to finish the last details of an important work deadline. As she typed quickly on the keyboard, she stayed focused and determined to complete everything. She was energized by coffee and motivated by the thought of a much-deserved break. Meanwhile, Liam, with his perpetually unreliable car, had promised to fix whatever had been going wrong with it this time—its stubborn refusal to start and the odd clunking sound it made whenever it hit a bump. Both planned to arrive at the ski lodge, a beautifu...

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“Trickling Chance” by Jace Xen

Submitted to Contest #283

Cityscapes, The umbrella term consisting of the last settings many a souls aside from weathered locals would imagine, let alone recognize, as relaxing. The date was the dwindling days of a closing month of the calendar year. Which calendar/s? Fifty years prior, seasons as quantifiable was as alluring of an illusion as was the twist of manipulating aesthetics into a candy cane fantasy with a crucifix adorned athame. Nowadays, whenever that be, thanks to the delayed gratification of acknowledging Salvador Dal...

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“Unkindness Eve” by Travis LaPrairie

Submitted to Contest #283

High above the snow-covered city streets, in a tall and luxurious corporate building, inside a fancy office lined with bookshelves containing all matters of economic books, a rather uncomfortable conversation unfolded.“I’m sorry Elias, but we’ll have to let you go. I don’t mean to start your new year off like this, but the company just can’t handle the amount of personnel currently on staff,” the well-dressed businessman seated at the other end of the expensive table said. “Are you kidding me? It’s Christmas Eve! You couldn’t have at le...

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“Gotta Grow” by Kit Farley

Submitted to Contest #283

Lucie and I are growing old. In the mornings, we discussed what we hated about our lives, and in the evenings, we drew large black Xs in the empty boxes on our Gotta Do list. We liked to do our discussing on The Common Green. There was usually a buttload of people hurrying about, late for their activities for the day, or late-middle-aged individuals strolling with a small dog following closely behind, and that day was no different. On that particular day, Lucie and I were lying on The Common Green. A lot of the time, we sat on th...

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“What Really Happened” by Tempest Phoenix Smith

Submitted to Contest #283

I woke to the most delicious warmth so I kept my eyes closed at first. And the smell of, what was it? Oh, cinnamon, the best spice of all.I almost fell asleep again, but the cheery jangle of a bell woke me up. I opened my eyes as a draught of air came across me and the warmth ebbed away in a blur of movement and brightness.Then I was lifted up and put down again on a cool surface, as a woman said, “I’ll have that one, he looks jolly.”Fingers reached for me and the face of a young lass loomed over me, smiling and saying, “Yes, ...

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“And there she was...” by Noel Guru

Submitted to Contest #283

He pulled his car into an empty alleyway hoping in this heavy snow laden street parking was permitted on this busy Christmas eve. Before getting out of the car he pondered whether he would need his laptop or should just go in with a novel. He had about an hour to kill and didn’t know whether he wanted to get some work done or just spend some time catching up on his reading, which he knew was lacking a lot. At the end he decided on neither and just got out of the car with his airpods in his ears and played his favourite Christmas tunes. ...

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“Coming Together” by Emily M. Reiser

Submitted to Contest #283

Helene had trouble connecting to the joy that many were convinced possessed them during the holiday season. It was one of the many reasons she rejected the idea of attending any festive gathering. She had not celebrated a single holiday in ten years. A tradition she was proud to continue. Mostly, because it had become less of a tradition and more as a method of self-preservation. Her methods of crafting her best personas could come under scrutiny if she caught the attention of the wrong party guest. Unlike other events she crashed, she would...

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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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