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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

“The Love Bird” by Sunshine (:

Submitted to Contest #73

The bright red and green ornaments echo Christmas throughout the entire house. The smell of fresh baked gingerbread wafts from the kitchen. The presents are the size of boulders. Puppies, toys, clothes. Everyone’s smiling. At least, that’s what you would expect from Christmas. My family and I have never had a “normal” Christmas. In fact, sometimes I forget that Christmas exists at all. When someone says the word Christmas, I just think of a holiday where money is important. Christmas revolves around money. The holidays are full of cheer… and...

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“My Best Friend Gave to Me...” by Chris Buono

Submitted to Contest #73

Oh no. I can feel it settling in. My head starts pounding as millions of negative thoughts flow through my head like trout in a river. My breathing grows increasingly harder as I try to focus on inhaling through the nose, exhaling through the mouth. My hands are shaking with the ferocity of a city-destroying earthquake. A cold sweat breaks out on my forehead. I fall to my bed as my limbs take on too much weight. My bones re...

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“The Clickity Clangingest Pulsator (Dedicated to Richie Johnson)” by Stephanie Jeannot

Submitted to Contest #73

You know how I get when live music is blaring through the room? I am on an emotional level and nothing can compare to it.I know everything is going to be alright when the band starts playing and so I felt as if being invited to share music on Christmas Eve for a party for the symphony orchestra of Harlem, was like a bridge to better days. I knew that I would be feeling magic moments in each and every song; especially with Richie banging out some forceful cries on his drums. He stands out from all the other drummers because he is not wit...

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“HOLY GRAIL” by Tinashe Chipenyu

Submitted to Contest #73

Tatenda looks in the bathroom mirror again. He loves what he's seeing. Since childhood, he had been self-conscious about his smile. His crooked and broken teeth laid siege on his self esteem. This is the first time he has ever felt fully content and satisfied with everything concerning his mouth. Everything about it right now fills him with almost ethereal levels of confidence and satisfaction. The orthodontist did a stellar job. No wonder he’s the best in the whole country. His reputation precedes him and it’s built on solid ground. His web...

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“Five Swollen Things” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #73

Marjory spent most of her life believing in fairy tales and happiness. She dreamed of having a prince save her from some horrible fate and believed that everyone had good in them. After fifteen years as a party planner, she had seen many apparent happy endings. None of them were hers. She had experienced many first dates. It was the second or third dates that eluded her. Some of the issues that lead to lack of a follow-up was the other person’s fault. But most of the issues were Marjory’s. There wasn’t any single thing that caused her to b...

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“Casa Masa - a dancer's tale ” by M. M.

Submitted to Contest #73

The curtain went down after the final act of the night, Jessica sat down wearily, took off her dance shoes and rubbed her aching feet, her hair tied up tightly sweat soaking the bandana she wore as part of her costume. It had been four months now, the tour was going well, city to city as the troupe danced and performed in the musical "Gypsy", which had become an overnight success after its first opening. "We leave first thing tomorrow for Washington." Olga announced, coming in with more flowers, placing them in vases provided by the theat...

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“For One Night Only” by Petina Strohmer

Submitted to Contest #73

The Christmas bells joined the choirs of carol singers and once again, he materialized out of star dust. He watched his small but strong body reform; powerful kicking legs and calloused hands he knew he was seeing again through big brown eyes. Although he understood that he was not actually alive and that this manifestation was only temporary, he loved this one special night of the year. People said that Christmas was a magical time - little did they know how right they were. The wishing, the prayer and above all, the phenomenal power ...

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“Five Gold Rings” by Candela B

Submitted to Contest #73

I find it amusing that, in this moment, I am an American girl in an English-style tea house owned by a Japanese woman listening to a Colombian man explain to me about French hens. For Adán Vargas, liking birds is practically a personality trait, but I can see why people put up with it, because his other personality traits are so pleasant. Right now, though, it’s difficult to pay attention to anything other than the thin band of gold encircling my fourth finger. So while Adán gushes on, my hands are in my pockets, busy twisting and turni...

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“Love is love” by Nikki J

Submitted to Contest #73

“It’s Christmas Eve and this beautiful country is blanketed in snow, and I am absolutely charged up over Williamsport legalizing marriage equality today!” I gush, half-smirking, into my smartphone. I’ve been up since 5 waiting for this news to be confirmed, so I could be the first influencer to post about it. I linger on the warmth that spreads in my chest when I picture my fans sharing my post abundantly. I’ll have hundreds of new followers by noon. When I open the curtains in the kitchen, I see a pristine layer of snow settling meekly on...

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“Lonely Cages” by Iona Cottle

Submitted to Contest #73

When the phone started ringing, Jacob jumped, and there was a moment’s flailing about as he dug out the television remote before he answered. “Hello?” “Hey bro, are you in at the moment?” Jacob blinked at the muted TV screen. Where else was he supposed to be going? There was a lockdown on, in all but name at least. “Yeah. I’m in. Though I can’t have visitors.” On the off-chance his sister Maria had forgotten, though how anyone could have done when it had been going on all year was a wonder. “No contact delivery, it’ll be fine. Simon...

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“My favorite bird” by Molly Freeze

Submitted to Contest #73

It is always fun to go to your grandmother's house on Christmas. My grandmother is a bit mentally challenged and does some crazy things. We celebrated Christmas a few days early with granny, as she had other family members to gather with. As I walked in, the smell of fried chicken and biscuits hit me. I only eat these things on Christmas, so whenever I smelled that, it makes me think of gathering around the Christmas tree and singing with my family. We even did this when I was a kid. The sound of the creaky door opened, bringing me back to t...

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“The Little Drummer Boy” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #73

Before the Christmas PartyI don’t usually go to these all-musician gigs. They’re usually boring, people talking about the same old things. How close they once came to fame. How many famous musicians they have met. That kind of thing. And you usually don’t see many drummers at these kinds of gigs, either. There are far too many drummer jokes, and we kind of feel picked on when we are outnumbered. “What do you call a drummer who breaks up with his girlfriend? Homeless.” “Did you hear about the ...

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“All That's Missing is a Pear Tree” by Daniel Roueche

Submitted to Contest #73

December 22nd The doorbell rings, gnawing on my ears. I just need to remove that thing. It’s not like anyone comes to visit. Nor do I want them to. Ring. Who could that be? Mom and Dad? Doubtful. They’ve never come to visit. Jake? He’s too busy with his new wife to even remember his younger brother. Friends? I’d need some first. Ring. I scramble my way out of the recliner. “Coming!” I yell. Knock. Knock. Knock. Ring. Knock. Knock. Knock. Ring. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.&...

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“Little Drummer Boy ” by Almarie Campbell

Submitted to Contest #73

Little Drummer Boy “It’s about the right time and the right place to expose my talent, yes this is it,” was all you would hear Fish saying over the last two (2) months.(Noel)that’s his real name, had graduated from the school of music almost a year ago but had not been able to get a job. He had been doing gigs at night clubs for the last six months but still did not feel a sense of fulfillment. Although he was grateful for this humble beginning where he could hone his skills he wanted more. He felt he had a lot to offer the world, and each n...

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“Free Like A Bird” by Emili Silvi

Submitted to Contest #73

Christmas. The saddest time of the year for me. But nationally supported as the happiest time. "Here, open this one next!" My sister eagerly shoved a present at me and I caught it, fumbling for it clumsily. I smiled tiredly at her and she beamed back. I tore off the wrapping. A sweater. "Thanks, Hennah. This is so soft." My parents looked at each other, nodding slightly. "We got something for you, too, Eris." "Thanks, guys." Dad left, coming back in with a covered cage. I pressed my lips together. "It's a bird!" he said excitedly, ri...

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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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