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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#73: My True Love Gave to Me

In years past, we’ve themed our seasonal prompts around a favorite Christmas movie… This year, we’re going to mix things up and base them off a Christmas song! And since this week’s contest runs through December 25th, what better song to pick than The 12 Days of Christmas?

If you need a little inspiration to get you in the holiday spirit, check out the Christmas and Holiday sections in our Stories directory to see what members of your community have come up with! With all these marvelously festive tales to choose from, we know you’ll find something to get you feeling jolly in no time.

And despite the Christmas origins, our prompts work for any holiday, so feel free to celebrate in a way that's true to you! We can't wait to see your character's traditions.

This week's prompts

Write about someone who is given a bird for the holidays but doesn’t know how to take care of it.

Holiday – 200 stories

Write about someone who gets proposed to five times on Christmas Eve.

Romance – 170 stories

Write about a drummer going to a Halloween party for musicians.

Halloween – 54 stories

Write about a young nobleman whose greatest wish is to become an Olympic long jumper.

Middle School – 20 stories

Write about a backup dancer who’s on tour and just wants some peace and quiet for the holidays.

Winter – 54 stories

Stories

“MY CHRISTMAS BIRD ” by Vickie Culbertson

Submitted to Contest #73

MY. CHRISTMAS BIRD Initially, when you hear in reference to a Christmas bird, you might think of turkey or goose for a festive dinner. Instead, I was given a parakeet, when my grandmother died, and I was asked to pack her belongings and clean out her furnishings. I guess you could say I inherited a parakeet of lovely blue ...

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“Aunt Corn's Gift” by Ben Reynoso

Submitted to Contest #73

Our winters were wet, not white. The sky would remain a tumultuous soup of gray, stirring and churning until it unleashed its fury upon us like water balloons on concrete. Perfect weather for one to stew in a mood. I ignored the lurch in my stomach as my mother yanked the wheel, taking a particularly sharp turn. “Damn it, Eliza!” she yelled in between transmission whines, “We’re late! If you hadn’t spent so much time in the bath...” I stared out the window, at moss and ferns, tuning her out. Overhead and on either side, everg...

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“Romania's Proposals” by Carolyn Philip

Submitted to Contest #73

ROMANIA’S PROPOSALSRomania had wished for a proposal this Christmas. All her high school friends were already married and had started their families, and she was tired of being the professional bridesmaid or wedding arranger. She dreamed of the day she would walk up the aisle with Sam Rogers, but somehow, he seemed to see her as a good friend. They had spent countless special times together but, he seemed unaware of her love for him. Romania had dated a few men over the past two years, but none of the relationships seem destined for the alta...

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“Must've Been The Mistletoe” by Savannah Borizov

Submitted to Contest #73

Clarice exited the alcohol-infested house, taking a smoke break on the porch. She exhaled deeply, seeing her own frosty breath in the biting air. “You know you’ll kill yourself if you keep on smoking that.” Annie pointed out, rocking back and forth on the porch swing. Annie was huddled up in a hefty red snow jacket. Her face was a brighter red than usual. “You know you’ll turn into a frozen tomato if you’re out here any longer.” Clarice fought back. She slouched up against the brick wall close to Annie. Annie choked out a little coug...

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“Merry Wedding Bells??” by Mel Kheios

Submitted to Contest #73

"We should do a green card wedding." Lucio just about chokes on his drink; he spits half of it out ― fortunately back into his cup rather than his computer ― and barely manages to swallow the rest. "Say what now?" "We should get married so I get a green card," Hana says, just as casually the second time around. "Hana, I'm not even an American citizen," Lucio reminds, wiping his chin. "Would it give us both citizenship or whatever if we got married in the states?" Hana muses, tipping her head back to look at him upside down. "I do...

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“Five Times a Charm” by Alisa Burdick

Submitted to Contest #73

"Is she here yet, Paula?" Jenna asks."I don't know. Chel is her own person. I don't even know if she decided to show up for Christmas." Paula replied."She's been in the news a lot. Maybe, her laying low is what's best. If I just broke up with a Bachelor contestant, I wouldn't leave the house." Carol said.Cheyenne walked through the door of the coffee shop with her daughter, Natia, wrapped in a baby sling."What's going on, ladies?" Chey asked."Paula's little sister's s'posed to be comin' for Christmas." Jenna said."I see. How're you feeling, ...

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“Magiloca Christmas Eve Couple” by Roymakaay Jeffrey

Submitted to Contest #73

Blue eyes, blonde hair with cute dimples on the cheeks.Who is she? She is Emily Flareston, the daintest lady in the Magiloca Town, a town of powers and magic.Heritaging the power of flame, Emily is obligated to light up the Magicandle on the top of the Great Magiloca christmas tree located in the peak of Mag Mountain.Years over years, the Magiloca Christmas Nights were dark and serene because there's no 18 year old flame ladies who has the courage to walk through the Soula Forest, walking in the path along the Fairy River and the Creepy Magi...

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“Best Dishes To You This Holiday Season” by S. C. Shelby

Submitted to Contest #73

“Do you want to come to dinner with me tonight?” Michelle sighed theatrically from her nest on the couch. The family's old Maine Coon asleep in her lap, a mug of marshmallow-filled hot chocolate for breakfast, the old Grinch cartoon on cable – this was the perfect way to spend her winter break. Was a mere meal truly worth getting out of her fuzzy slippers for? Her mom grinned. “You know the board goes over the top on holidays. Remember the last dinner party you came to, a couple Easters ago? This is at the same swanky hotel. The food is goin...

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“My True Love” by Sunshine Charlie

Submitted to Contest #73

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me, A Partridge in a Pear Tree The beginnings of the widely known Christmas carol drifted over the sounds of the bustling café. It never failed to remind me of my staunch catholic grandma who made sure that I knew the real meaning behind the song. The 12 days of Christmas where the liturgical season of Christmas and “my true love” was Jesus. So was the partridge, a kind of bird that sacrifice its life to save its children. The song was a mnemonic device for catholic children to sing and re...

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“Nesting Failure” by Vanessa Waltz

Submitted to Contest #73

Leda is getting ready, brushing her hair, fretting over which shoes she’ll wear. The green dress will bring out the color of her eyes – and would look best in the photos that will undoubtedly be taken – but she doesn’t have a nice pair of pumps to match. A black dress seems too somber for such a festive occasion. She imagines Brant will be wearing plaid, the Cobham family tartan, so her floral dress would clash.She smiles, thinking of Brant. Tonight will be the night, she thinks, it has to be. She’d thought it might happen on her birthday – ...

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“Maybe” by Estelle Westley

Submitted to Contest #73

Leila's office was stifling hot and it was only eleven in the morning. She hated the air conditioner but it was time to switch it on again for some relief from the heat. If I leave at twelve I'll be there by six thirty and everyone will be so busy with dinner preparation, I will just be able to blend in without too much of an ado. She was looking forward to having some time away from all the paperwork and clients that keeps her busy throughout the year but not sure about this trip back to her tiny hometown in the Karoo. It has been ten yea...

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“Worthless Love” by K Lewis

Submitted to Contest #73

It starts with Eirlys buttoning up the final button on her dress and saying, “There is a visitor without.”“Without what?” Eirlys huffs. “Sorry. Who is it?”“My lord Iwan.”“Iwan?” Eirlys steps back and she turns. “Up here? That’s … odd.”“My lady-”“Aneira.”“My lady,” Eirlys says firmly. “Haven’t your parents permitted any male suitor to call on you?”“Only at the Christmas feast, and Iwan is hardly… Oh, never mind. Let’s find out.”So, Eirlys opens the door and Aneira lets her, having lost this fight long ago. True enough, her childhood friend is...

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“Change of Heart” by Wren C. Arden

Submitted to Contest #73

By the night of Christmas Eve, Miska had been proposed to five times. And as the clock struck twelve that night, Miska clutched her empty wine glass and watched Jack, whom she believed to be the love of her life, ease his battered blue ford truck down the street, until it was swallowed by the gently falling snow. She waited for a moment — held her breath, though for what, she could not say, and finally. finally, drew her blinds against the night. Then she turned to her empty house, which, in Jack’s absence, seemed to swell with silence,...

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“Fifth Time's the Charm/Patience Rewarded.” by Spencer Steeves

Submitted to Contest #73

Join me, the horrific, fractured voice of the demon Regaelyon moaned in the back of her mind. Your body harbors potential beyond anything this world has ever seen. Power and life eternal can be yours! All you must do is renounce your false deities, accept the demonic essence that resides within your blood."Fyndralie, sweet goddess of love, I call upon your succor once more," Sarauthedes Silvreign mumbled. Her head was bowed as she knelt in the ray of glorious white light beaming out from the heart of the statue of the Deific Lover....

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“No thank you ” by Linda Bakewell Bakewell

Submitted to Contest #73

It feels like an extremely privileged thing to complain about but after a certain point being chased after, romantically, is just a hassle. I’m not an especially beautiful person but I do possess a series of traits which some people find appealing. I live in a small town along the coast, one of those tiny towns indistinguishable from dozens of others dotted along the shoreline. Tourist towns, where any newcomers are noticed immediately and after a while, the gene pool becomes more of a puddle. Therefore, anyone who isn’t directly or indire...

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$50

Prize money

498

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 25, 2020 EST

Won by Shawn Forno 🏆

Title: Burt Brain

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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