Center your story around a character spending their first holiday alone.

Posted in Short Story on Jan 3, 2025

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✍️ 66 stories

“The Old Lady on the Hill” by Tara Tyler Robinson

Submitted to Contest #284

The Old Lady on the Hill The sky was painted in swirly pinks and oranges. Stella shivered in the cool November breeze. The independent little girl knew it must be close to dinner time, but she couldn’t stop staring at the pretty white house with the blue shutters and covered front porch sitting atop the hill at the end of her street. Ever since she moved into the neighborhood, she wanted to sit in the swing. It creaked, swaying in the wind as if inviting her to try it out. The house stood proud on the hill and looked like the backdrop for an...

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“Mother's Stories” by Casey Plazola

Submitted to Contest #284

I sat at the base of the tree with my legs crossed. The flashing lights flooded the room with reds and greens. Tinsel wrapped around the branches. I studied every ornament and relived the memory slowly in my head. Popsicle sticks glued into a triangle with a small pom pom on the top. Sloppy green paint coated the entire thing. I was seven when I made it. A framed photo of me and my older sister, Wendy, with Santa. 1990. A glittery pine cone from kindergarten. A hand print from my first Christmas. I haven’t made an ornament ...

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“A Christmas Miracle” by Savannah Hoover

Submitted to Contest #284

Snow fell softly over the quiet park, blanketing the earth in a layer of white. The world felt still, as if holding its breath. In the middle of this silent scene sat a basket, nestled between the roots of an old oak tree. Inside the basket lay a newborn baby, swaddled in a thin, faded blanket. The baby’s cheeks were flushed pink from the cold, their tiny fists trembling as they peeked out from the blanket's frayed edges.The baby’s eyes, wide and unblinking, stared up at the sky. Above, the gray clouds shifted and swirled, allowing faint bea...

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“Thanks to his Dog” by Dwain Bucco

Submitted to Contest #284

After a month in the hospital, it was odd to wake inside his own bed. Waking up in his house made the fact of his family being gone that more painful. Even with all the injuries crawling over his body, it was his soul and heart that caused him the most pain. As he lay in the bed, filled by the void left by his late Wife, he found himself dreading walking out into the rest of his house. But with his dog laying down staring at him, he knew it was time to get up and let him out. The man laid there a few more heart beats before he managed to get...

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“PURGATORY” by HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

Submitted to Contest #284

When I come to the first thing I think of is, “Where's my car?” Rather—where's my Dad's car? I can get away with 'borrowing' it for two days—tops. And if it ever got so much of a scratch on it—that's 40K. That happens, I'd better take a looooong vacation. I was speeding, I admit it. I had to be really careful about that. Get pulled over, cop goes, “Where's the fire, son?” “Our family celebrates Ground Hog's Day, Officer. It's really important I'm home in time.” Yeah. That sounds real believable. But it's also the absolute truth! We're a pre...

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“Let There Be Peace” by Ida M. Jones

Submitted to Contest #284

Red, green and white visible all over the house. Elf (doesn’t he have an evil eye?) on its last shelf. Bright lights: some blinking, some steady. A burned out light here and there (but the remaining lights keep on burning, so they say). Their light is superficial. The lights don’t truly illuminate anything.Christmas tree filled with ornaments. Several handmade and from years past. The white Santa (indoctrination had already started?) the oldest son made from paper when he was a toddler. The black Santa with tight curly hair on his head and b...

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Center your story around a character spending their first holiday alone.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 66 stories

“The Old Lady on the Hill” by Tara Tyler Robinson

“Mother's Stories” by Casey Plazola

“A Christmas Miracle” by Savannah Hoover

“Thanks to his Dog” by Dwain Bucco

“PURGATORY” by HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

“Let There Be Peace” by Ida M. Jones

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who receives a gift or message that changes their life forever.

Write a story that includes the line “I should’ve known better.”

Center your story around an unexpected guest who changes a traditional get-together.

Set your story in a place where everything should be familiar to your character(s), but isn’t.

Contest #284

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

347

Contest entries

145

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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