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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

“Single Again at Christmas” by Heather Thorne

Submitted to Contest #283

Single Again at ChristmasLast Christmas, I was a married woman looking forward to celebrating with my husband of thirty years and our three adult children. Preparations were underway: the six-foot fir tree was in pride of place in the lounge room, waiting for its decorations. Boxes of carefully packed, precious ornaments were on the dining room table. Some of the tree decorations and nick knacks had been passed down from my grandmother and mother. There was a delicate etched glass bell, six crystal icicle tree decorations and the two Victori...

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“The Light in the Silence” by VIKTORIJA ARSOVA

Submitted to Contest #283

Lina had always been fond of the principles of mathematics, which is why it wasn't just the numbers that made her enjoy math, but also the music, harmony, and rhythm that mathematics possessed. It wasn’t just a tool to help her navigate through life; it was a way to communicate, to discover the meaning of the universe. To Lina, solving problems wasn’t about coming up with the right answer; it was about the thrill of the search, about finding order out of chaos. But life, as it often does, had a way of introducing challenges that disrupt even...

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“Holiday Shopping” by Susan Grant

Submitted to Contest #283

I open the closet door, looking to see what I’ve stashed there the last couple of months. Christmas shopping has become an activity I do all year around. The downside is, I don’t always remember whom I have bought for and what I got them. Complicating it more are the birthdays sprinkled through the months, and I foolishly store these gifts here too. I sit hard on the floor and pulled two bags out so I can examine them. Opening the first one, I find my husband’s birthday gift and one for him for Christmas. The second bag holds two gifts for m...

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“The Flickering Joy of Frostwood” by Scarlett Jones

Submitted to Contest #283

The snow fell in slow, deliberate spirals, as if the universe itself were trying to gift-wrap the town of Frostwood. Holly wreaths clung to the windows of every shop on Main Street. Strands of golden lights adorned rooftops, and the sweet smell of roasted chestnuts drifted lazily through the crisp air. Children laughed as they skated on the frozen pond near the town square, their scarves trailing behind them like banners in a winter parade. For everyone else, it truly was the most wonderful time of the year. Except for Lilah Monroe. She sat ...

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“White Elephant” by Shane Strode

Submitted to Contest #283

For the first time in years Cleveland had a white Christmas - and thank God. I’ve always loved the holidays but frankly it has been miserable the last few years. Frozen rain, bad roads, that horrible icy mud that doesn’t really stick to your boots but clods and melts all over the floor. All the worst parts of winter without any of the beauty. But this year there’s snow, and I made the wise decision to take the overnight Amtrak so I didn’t even have to deal with driving the unplowed streets that come with the snow. Also, wow, it was a lot of ...

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“Kyle's Christmas” by Glenna Agnew

Submitted to Contest #283

KYLE’S CHRISTMAS Kyle slammed the car door and balanced a pile of gifts in his arms. He walked carefully up the snow-covered walkway. That’s strange, he thought. Dad was usually on top of chores like that. But Dad was getting older now and since his little stroke a few months ago he was a lot more fragile than he had been. I really should come by more often and do more things for the folks, thought Kyle. He was only across town, a ten or fifteen-minute drive at best and Mum had fallen last week on the ice. She had hit her head b...

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“Holiday Tensions” by Taylor W

Submitted to Contest #283

Each second was an eternity as Henry forced himself to sit still at his desk. Just fifteen more minutes and he’d be on his way home for the holidays; no more meetings, coffee chats, files, or spreadsheets for the two weeks he’d get to spend at home with his family. He eyed the clock above the watercooler as inconspicuously as possible. Tick tock, tick tock, it went, with the festive snowman plastered underneath staring upwards, seemingly watching along. A sour mood had set the tone for Henry’s day at work, as his anticipation for the day’s e...

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“An Eternal Statement” by Jerry Jamison

Submitted to Contest #283

An Eternal Statement “Fabric, Miss Collingsworth. It always comes down to fabric so the selection of the right one is paramount. All of my most influential and fashionable customers—the grande dames as I refer to them—appreciate our vast array of fabrics here at Haverly & Moss. Of course we search the world for only the finest textiles and textures so that our refined and demanding clientele are presented with only the most exclusive options. “We have been, after all, described by The New Yorker, as creating ‘the standard for all ...

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“The Ultimate Sentence” by Katherine Memoli

Submitted to Contest #283

Caroline walked out of the office, her body was completely racked with exhaustion but her mind was buzzing with excitement for the upcoming four day holiday weekend. Tonight, would start things off with a night all to herself. Her daughter, Dottie, was having a sleepover with her grandparents and her boyfriend Jackson was having a night out with the guys. She was thrilled to have a night all alone to just rest and relax. As soon as she got i...

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“Hannah and the Scotty Dogs” by Alexandra Lightfoot

Submitted to Contest #283

Hannah and her husband agreed a few weeks before Christmas to spend their holiday in Edinburgh, Scotland. Hannah was an avid reader and took a fancy to a few Scottish authors who she knew would have a memorial or two in the capital city. She had just finished a big work project and was eager for a break. Her husband would occasionally travel for research in England, and he thought that it would be an easy visit to go straight to Scotland after his latest trip. With few obstacles to their travel, they were soon in Scotland for the holidays. I...

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“Pog the Frog” by David Neumaier

Submitted to Contest #283

Once there was a frog, who said his name was Pog. Pog the frog did all the typical things that frogs do, of course: Pog the frog slept on a log in a bog among the fog and smog. Just simple frog things for frogs to do. Pog would hop and jump and leap and any other synonym of the word that you could imagine. Except perhaps fly, let’s not take that one literally. Then, one day, as Pog the frog sat on his bobbing log in the bog awaiting a quick snack that any frog would enjoy, a gnat or fly perhaps, he saw something strange See frogs in bogs hav...

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“LORDS, LADIES AND LIFEBOATS” by Chuck Suave

Submitted to Contest #283

“Quintin! Quintin! we have to be aboard that ship!” “Whatever are you on about Tristin old boy?” “The Titanic!” Tristin replied. The Titanic was built in Belfast, Northern Ireland by Harland & Wolff. It would sail from Southampton, England to New York City, United States Of America. As well as being the biggest and most luxurious ship then, it was also said to be unsinkable. She was due to leave Southampton on April 10th, 1912, for its maiden voyage. The Aristocracy and ‘well-to-do’ people would be on board. They all loved ‘getting one ...

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“From Santa” by Maddie McLeod

Submitted to Contest #283

I’m just not really sure what else you want from me. Haven’t you taken enough now? Haven’t I given enough–more than enough–to satisfy your urges? To appease the way your moods swing like blizzard winds blow through Christmas lights on the rooftop of childhood innocence and goodwill towards all? I couldn’t touch a present for years, always afraid of what attached ribbons and hidden clauses might be wrapped up and called love. Care. Cherishment. The saintly nature of those around me ever since taints all their plates of goodies, their stamped...

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“Sooner, or later?” by Priyanjali Bhattacharyya

Submitted to Contest #283

'Help me fix this,' Stan thought.Stan tried to unlock the lock with the rusty key.The hinges were rusty too.The trunk opened with a creaking sound.He uncovered a picture of him and Stephanie, taken 12 years ago. "Go get her, dad," Leah said, hushed. Stan walked to the graveyard, pausing for a while before he started walking with renewed vigour. Till he reached the hospital. The doctor was getting Stephanie ready for dialysis. End stage renal disease. But that was not all. Stephanie had Alzheimer's. "Ah, Stan," she said tearfully. "How co...

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“Pizza Tattoo ” by Lina West

Submitted to Contest #283

The summer had been hot. “The hottest one yet,” they said. Seattle was smoky. I’d wake up and check the air quality to see if I could go for my usual run along the Puget Sound. I was tired of feeling smothered.It was my first summer after coming out, and I had fallen into this classic lesbian group. The one where this one had dated that one, and were still friends. I was getting used to the whole thing. So were my parents. They’d ask careful questions, trying to catch up to my new language. I loved them for it. I had committed to being ...

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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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