Set your story at a work holiday party,

Posted in Holiday on Dec 23, 2022

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✍️ 35 stories

“The art studio during Christmas. ” by Kelsey Zimmerman

Submitted to Contest #178

I finished sewing my latest suit to be sent to my friends in Italy. We've been working on this together for a while so I hope it’s a hit. I brought it over to my work desk where I had the bag for it layed out. Zipping it all the way up to the hanger, I picked it up from the table and went to drop it off at our mailing services. On the way there my boss, Jennine stopped me, “Hey you’re coming to the meeting after work in the conference room right?” She asked as she seemed ecstatic. “For what?” I asked, I didn’t remember hearing about a meeti...

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“Razzle dazzle: party time!” by Robert Radcliff

Submitted to Contest #178

I'm standing outside a gloomy, unsettling structure and I find hard to believe that anyone can live or even work at this place.It is situated in a quiet but filthy lane and the building is tall and crumbling. The poorest of a long line of slum edifices used as trading quarters, as is this one.Possibly there are also squatters living in this area or something worse. The locale appears unclean and dead.So, I'm not sure if I'm at the right spot.My company's client recently called and invited me to a work party that they are hosting in this buil...

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“Christmas Bonus” by Josh T

Submitted to Contest #178

Howard loathed the buildup that the end of the year brought with it. The jolly “Merry Christmas” greetings from strangers, the decorations and smells that took over all the stores, he even despised the Christmas tree sellers who seemed to invade every empty lot in the small town where he lived. For him, every peppermint latte and brightly colored bulb flooded his mind with memories of his wife, Anna. Memories that stung so much he wanted nothing to do with the holidays.He could usually avoid most of the holiday cheer. He would stock up on fo...

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“Rejection” by Hope Linter

Submitted to Contest #178

Jessica tugged at the green taffeta dress, she’d gotten from the consignmet shop on East Broadway. Last week she’d fallen in love with how it fit and looked on her. Her coworkers had tranformed the bland hotel meeting room in a Christmas party zone. She scanned the room for Thom. If it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t have bothered to get a newish dress, or even come. There he was over by the planter, his back to her. With his height, his suit looked perfect on his broad shoulders. Why was he talking to Lydia, who only ever worked night s...

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“The Janitors’ Holiday Party ” by Cindy Strube

Submitted to Contest #178

CW: Gore and mentions of death in the context of natureThe Janitors’ Holiday Party “Party time!” Cousin Ludwig grunts, landing with an awkward hop. “We have secured the venue!”Work holiday parties are just that, in our profession: work, right along with the holiday partying. The time and the venue are always a last-minute surprise. It keeps life interesting.For us, the party—and the work—starts when it’s over for someone else. We’re the cleanup crew. The janitors, if you will. “Ready, everyone?” Ludwig is eager to get us there whil...

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“Tum” by Ksenija Rubež

Submitted to Contest #178

Tom yet again came in a costume. Tom wore a suit printed with images of his cats, and this time it had one more cat than the previous year. Nothing about his behavior throughout the year would give away that he had any whiff of personality, but once that end-of-the-year party would arrive, he would roll up in some sort of cat-themed costume, or in this case, suit. At least cats are ritually clean, if anything, Majid pondered, while staring at that costume. He remembers when he attended the first party here, he was utterly sh...

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“Secret Santa: A Change of Plans” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #178

Being invisible means nobody will notice when I’m gone. My absence will not pose a difference in anyone’s vision, because they didn’t see me in the first place. And since my dad passed away last summer, I have been invisible to everyone. I wasn’t planning on departing this mortal coil with any fanfare. Just a couple bottles of wine and a bottle of sleeping pills on Christmas day. I’ve worked at Tepple & Wein...

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“The Annual Christmas Party” by Bella Drye

Submitted to Contest #178

A stranger comes up to me on the subway. “Hey, your watch is pretty sick, do you mind if I ask you a quick question? “ Yeah, sure I don’t mind.”, I said. “ Should I go to my office Christmas party? Well, for years I’ve worked at M&M publishers. My coworkers are nice and I get along with them, but it’s never been like how it was at my old office. I used to work at a different publishing company, Ross Publishers, but they didn’t make enough to pay bills and work efficiently, so I got laid off. It was the best ther...

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“Perfect” by Gema Imperial

Submitted to Contest #178

“A little bit to the left. No, to the left. Left, left.” One of the guys holding on to the Christmas tree stifles a not-so-subtle eye roll. They adjust the massive tree to the left, in front of the glass window in the middle of the office. The stand creaks as they go. “Mmm. No. A little bit to the right? Like just a millimeter. Okay…now stop.” I crane my neck to the side. No, this is not it. “It’s still not right in the middle." “C’mon, Lil. Stop harassing the tree people," says Allie, her voice piping up from behind me. She's ...

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“Kindred Spirits ” by LE' FROG

Submitted to Contest #178

The music swam through the warm bodies of people swaying and moving to it's gentle rhythm in the center of the large, lavish family home. The man, dancing his fingers across the piano keys entranced everyone, and those who weren't very enthused kept to themselves, lurking in the farthest corners of the house, or outside on the deck. Chattering amongst each other. The melodies, and the voices, all mixing and splashing into one another like an approaching sea storm. Ever, steadily overwhelm...

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“Partners in Crime” by R S

Submitted to Contest #178

Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack. My typing was annoyingly loud. I remember as a child I used to wake up at the brink of dawn and log into my computer to use this online typing test that I was obsessed with. The typing test showed how fast you could type with WPM. The only problem is that now my typing speed has increased but I can’t seem to type quieter. My siblings used to hate this so they threw pillows at me until I was banished to the living room. Little runts. Even if we didn’t get along much as kids, I still really miss the...

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“Secured Love” by Tamara Page

Submitted to Contest #178

"Christmas time is here everyone! I hope you all are as excited as I am about our secret Santa gift swap! I've got some refreshments set up on the back table as well as a goodie bag for each of you to grab when you leave. DJ Xtreme is here tonight to set the mood right. So, let's get this party started!", Shelly announced to everyone at the Lions Guard Inc. Christmas party. As the owner of the world's most successful security company, Shelly took pride in hosting her company's annual Christmas parties. She really enjoys spe...

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“Christmas in a Minor Key” by N. Rushing

Submitted to Contest #178

Dolores did not like the holidays. She did not appreciate the forced feeling of communal celebration, nor the saccharine cheeriness that they pumped through supermarket speakers and home television sets. She hated the upbeat jangle of jingle bells, both the sickening song and the so-called instrument that evoked the indentured servitude of horses. She did not understand why a compulsory holiday fell during the coldest time of the year, when the air hurt her face when she dared to step outside. But there was one festivity she could not avoid...

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“Home for Christmas” by Amelia Fortunato

Submitted to Contest #178

I smile to myself softly as Quentin loudly sings into the karaoke machine. This party has become something I look forward to every year. There’s something about celebrating the holidays with coworkers that makes me feel closer to them. I think about what will be there when I get home tonight. An apartment without a tree, with no presents. I’ve never been a huge fan of Christmas, but this party makes me want to be. I zone out, thinking about the Christmases of my childhood. My dad was always really into Christmas, setting up the...

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“Boss Cindy's First Office Party ” by J. Nicholas

Submitted to Contest #178

Cindy sat up at the screaming alarm, set two hours earlier than usual. On top of her morning routine, she still had more preparations for the afternoon’s Christmas party. Mr. Cuthbert, the manager, had taken a week off starting yesterday, so today, as the firm’s assistant manager, she would organize the festivities. In the kitchen, she poured herself a cup of coffee--percolated and waiting for her--and told Alexa to play iHeart’s hair band ...

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Set your story at a work holiday party,

Submissions are closed

✍️ 35 stories

“The art studio during Christmas. ” by Kelsey Zimmerman

“Razzle dazzle: party time!” by Robert Radcliff

“Christmas Bonus” by Josh T

“Rejection” by Hope Linter

“The Janitors’ Holiday Party ” by Cindy Strube

“Tum” by Ksenija Rubež

“Secret Santa: A Change of Plans” by Dan Coglianese

“The Annual Christmas Party” by Bella Drye

“Perfect” by Gema Imperial

“Kindred Spirits ” by LE' FROG

“Partners in Crime” by R S

“Secured Love” by Tamara Page

“Christmas in a Minor Key” by N. Rushing

“Home for Christmas” by Amelia Fortunato

“Boss Cindy's First Office Party ” by J. Nicholas

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a family (biological or found) coming together for Christmas.

Write a story that takes place over the eight nights of Hannukah.

Write about a cynical character realizing they do have something to celebrate after all.

Write a story about an unconventional holiday tradition.

Contest #178

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

183

Contest entries

62

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: