Menu

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Directory
Contests
Magazine
FAQ

Write a story where someone shares a cup of hot chocolate with a friend.

Posted in Holiday on Dec 1, 2023

Submissions are closed

Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy account.

Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook

Or use an email address:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 54 stories

The Arborist

Submitted to Contest #227

Oaks shed many an acorn when heavy rains are on the horizon. Edward knew this and should have seen the signs with this particular oak late last fall. Torrential rains indeed came in the early spring, ending a decade-long drought. The storms created havoc with fallen branches and mudslides across the valley. He thought his oak would weather the storm, with its deep roots and strong trunk. His late wife Susan had even helped him take great care of maintaining its canopy. Once it got a taste of bountiful water though, it did not care to stop dr...

37 likes 36 comments 36
Read story

This Don’t Happen in Apalachicola

Shortlisted for Contest #227 ⭐️

It was darker than anywhere he’d ever been. Colder too. Colder than darker if that was possible. The dim light from the tent he just left in the camp now distant behind him was the only thing that made it possible to see. But he knew where he was going. He’d gone there dozens of times. He measured out the steps, counted them. The sound of the snow crunching under his boots served as a cadence as he walked.  “Stone? Is that you?” a voice came from somewhere in the void before him.  “Who else would be stupid enough to be out here?” S...

26 likes 19 comments 19
Read story

Champurrado

Submitted to Contest #227

The house had never been this quiet before. You could almost smell the hazy dust as it drifted through the air, illuminated by sunbeams shining through the curtains. It was a misplaced silence, but a peaceful one. If you closed your eyes and focused, you could hear the distant laughter of cousins gathered at Christmastime, of babies crying and mothers shushing, of clattering pots and muffled conversation in the kitchen. These sounds weren’t ghosts, though, just— echoes. The last resonance of the full and joyful lives that were lived within t...

24 likes 12 comments 12
Read story

The Fire In Her Heart (E)

Submitted to Contest #227

Linnie Longleybeloved daughter of Martin and Mira Longley (buried between them by wish) age. ~ 270 days StarWynter laid the chrysanthemums gently down in front of the grave. The snow was soft but crumbled under them, like cold, crisp silk. She sighed, wishing Linnie had lived to see the fête. None of the Stars ever saw the winter.I'll change it. Someday I'll change it. Someday... She tried to turn her thoughts away. If she couldn't convince herself that it was possible, how could she convince anyone else? A single tear fell, making a small h...

19 likes 18 comments 18
Read story

Pitfall

Submitted to Contest #227

PitfallThe abominable snowman stomped in the front door of the cozy resort cabin, rolled the bundle of firewood off his arms and dusted the flakes from his shoulders before removing his wet layers to hang next to the fireplace. Then he unlaced and toed off his insulated boots to exchange for floppy slippers, grabbed a log and fed it to the blaze before sinking into the deep, button-tufted arm chair next to the hearth.“Here ya go, Bro.” I handed my best friend the steaming cup of hot chocolate with the marshmallows beginning to melt down into...

18 likes 16 comments 16
Read story

Cooler Heads Prevail

Shortlisted for Contest #227 ⭐️

tw: animal gore, gun violence“When’s the last time it snowed here?” Christine asks as she’s filling the food trough. I hold off on answering so I don’t have to compete with the pour of alfalfa pellets and the frantic scramble of the pronghorn to get to their meal.“In July? Never.” I hate discussing the past; it’s littered with landmines. “It’s supposed to be monsoon season. But even in the winter, it hasn’t snowed like this since…I don’t know…2024 or ‘25? Over a decade ago. I remember I uploaded a video of a golden eagle perched on the back ...

17 likes 6 comments 6
Read story

The Snowy Friend

Submitted to Contest #227

Snow falls like a mad dance, unlike ever before. People retreat into their cozy homes, warming themselves by their fireplaces. Some sip tea, others rum, and the bold ones indulge in both, in no particular order. Of course, there are those who dislike this weather, grumbling in the warmth of their rooms, waiting for the snow to cease. Yet, deep down, even they love the snow but have grown up and forgotten its warmth. Now, what warmth am I talking about, you might wonder? Think again, isn't it coziest when snow is falling? Where are you usuall...

17 likes 7 comments 7
Read story

Christmas Mayhem

Submitted to Contest #227

It’s Christmas, the snow is falling, and the fire is crackling - such a peaceful atmosphere - for the two friends, it was the perfect atmosphere for some hot-coco and a little chit-chat. Katelynn, the short redhead, turned on the record player and began playing their favourite Christmas songs. “So, has anything interesting happen lately?” the girl asked with a soft chuckle Her friend, a young man that goes by the name Nikolai, nodded quietly as he sipped tentatively on his hot-chocolate. “My siblings and I, we made plans to go visit family...

16 likes 9 comments 9
Read story

Little Ones

Submitted to Contest #227

The little children exchanged the mug each holding it with both hands to the count of two, just long enough to get their hands warm. They so wanted to taste its contents, rich chocolate, sweet, forbiddingly sweet, but they needed the heat as much as the chocolate. But in this cold, the dark cold of the alley, the mug would cool quickly and then they would drink, sharing the cup, taking one sip at a time. It was only fair that way.They thought the man who’d given them the hot cocoa must be an angel. He called himself Uncle Szymon, but he wasn...

16 likes 5 comments 5
Read story

Xocōlātl

Submitted to Contest #227

Pender’s face crumpled almost as the cocoa hit his palate. A heavy “WTF?” almost escaped his lips – along with a slug of thick, acrid sludge – but he caught the self-satisfied grin pushing through Valindez’ dense beard and swallowed defiantly.“Is this some kind of childish prank?” he demanded quietly, depositing the insulated tumbler on the camp table between them with as much dignity as he could muster.Valindez arched his brows in mock innocence. “Indeed not. You had mentioned two weeks ago that a cup of hot chocolate was what you desired a...

15 likes 15 comments 15
Read story

There for You

Submitted to Contest #227

Melodic sounds of Christmas danced through the icy air. The small town of Winona, Minnesota where Sara Stanley lived was aglow with lights, decorated cheerfully for Christmas with abundant trees, and punctuated with a huge blow-up Santa stationed right beside the tiny brick library. The sidewalks were full of laughing people walking briskly around the city square in their colorful hats and gloves and coats. Radio speakers along the path played classic heartfelt Sinatra, with a little Nat King Cole thrown in. The swishing of ice skates could ...

14 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

Hot Cocoa With Brendan

Submitted to Contest #227

Once upon a time, there lived a woman named Sadie. Sadie worked as a Direct Support Professional. She had this one client. His name was Brendan. Brendan had Down Syndrome. Brendan did not use verbal language to speak, but Sadie learned early on, the Brendan still speaks. As a matter of fact, looking back at the past 5 years she spent as his community companion, Sadie came to realize that it was with her sweet client and dear friend Brendan, that Sadie experienced the best conversations. Sadie learned through working with Brendan, that ...

13 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

Yesterday

Submitted to Contest #227

“I was in love with you, you know?”  He shifts in his seat, he’s not looking at me. The air is heavy and hot around us, the warmth of a heater maxed out, full power on the one the most frigid days we’ve seen this winter. “Yeah, I know.” I answer, calmly, desperate for my voice not to shake. “Good.” He’s lost weight since highschool, his face is hollow and thin. Still handsome, but in a sharper way now, he’s all edges and points, bone jutting out under taut milky skin. He’s got a tattoo now too, probably a few, but the one I can ...

12 likes 6 comments 6
Read story

Franny and Alice

Submitted to Contest #227

Franny loved Forest School with every bit of her three and a half year-old heart. It’s the place where she first learned that she’s strong, kind, brave, special, and can do hard things. The morning affirmations that her teacher, Ms. Violet, recited with the class, daily, reinforced Franny‘s belief in herself. At Forest School there were no buildings. Franny got to be outside the whole time, no matter the weather. If it was hot, she and her classmates played by the beach. When it was windy, they got to fly kites on the hill. Rainy days mean...

12 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Seeker of Stories

Submitted to Contest #227

The whipped cream towered over the rim of Rachel’s mug. It had a gentle dusting of cocoa powder and a layer of marshmallow melt cushioned below the swirl of cream. It smelled as inviting as it looked: like carefully collated Christmas memories in a cup. Eve had arrived just in time for them to both make it to the head of the café’s queue. A minute later, the whole town seemed to spill in. There was a blizzard after all. The coffee shop was the engine at the centre of everything; like a heart that kept pulsing no matter what transpired around...

12 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with someone looking out the window and seeing the first snowfall of the season.

Winter – 84 stories

Start your story with a description of the cold, using lots of sensory detail.

Winter – 65 stories

Your character hates the holidays, and jets out of town every year — but a historic snow storm means that this time, they can’t make their escape.

Winter – 32 stories

Write about a character emerging from hibernation, whether literally or metaphorically.

Winter – 60 stories

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

How to Write a Novel