Write a story about two characters who surprisingly end up spending a holiday or event together.

Posted in Short Story on Dec 27, 2024

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✍️ 53 stories

“alive, living.” by Ella Ressa

Submitted to Contest #283

**TW**Death, Grief and Mental Health Rain pours down, sagging my brother’s coat with water. As everyone knows, rain is the cloud’s tears, it only storms when someone is experiencing something so dreadful the sky has no remedy for the grief of a human. No rainbows, no sun, just drops of water falling from the sky, an unfortunate imitation of the immense sadness a human soul can contain. The clouds turn dark, mourning the heavy feelings one is carrying. Whilst it might be annoying to others, the wet weather reminds me that s...

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“Phyllis Greer Hates Christmas ” by Lisa Zeltzer

Submitted to Contest #283

Phyllis Greer hates Christmas. From her armchair, the flashing lights of her neighbors’ ostentatious Christmas display are causing the milk from her tea to curdle inside her stomach. She reaches for an antacid and notes the ache in her rheumy fingers as she makes slow work of opening the container.“It’s just you and me again, Tabatha, how we prefer it.” Her voice hints at sadness. She does not appreciate the the betrayal. Tabatha purrs and presses against her pant leg leaving a streak of orange fur. She reaches down to pat the old girl. She ...

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“Snowbound on Christmas Eve” by Ronald John MacLennan Jr

Submitted to Contest #283

I’d rented the cabin to escape the chaos of the holidays, not to entertain strangers. The storm hit hard, turning the surrounding forest into an impenetrable wall of white. I’d barely settled into the place, and my only company was the low hum of a fire and the occasional creak of the old wooden beams. That’s when I heard the pounding at the door—relentless, desperate.I opened it to find a young woman bundled in a too-thin coat, her cheeks flushed red from the cold. Snowflakes clung to her eyelashes, giving her the appearance of some misplac...

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“Falling Stars” by Seyed Mosayeb Alam

Submitted to Contest #283

The train was late. Snow gathered at the edges of the platform like spilled sugar, and the cold gnawed at Claire’s fingers through her gloves. She checked her phone again—no messages. The screen’s glow felt like mockery. No missed calls. No apologies. No change.Across the platform, a man sat hunched inside a worn coat, his suitcase leaning against his leg, sagging and scuffed. His hands were raw from the cold, cracked at the knuckles, and he kept glancing down the empty tracks, as though he could summon the train by force of will.Claire shou...

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“It's Not Always a Happy Ending” by Shannon Slamka

Submitted to Contest #283

Sam fought back the tears for so long her body ached. The pain came from somewhere deep inside of her, a place she couldn’t identify, her soul maybe, if such a thing actually existed. She stood beside her car and stared at the cabin. It looked like a post card, weathered logs, the pitched roof snow covered with a crisp, smooth layer of ice. The background was picturesque, the cabin surrounded by evergreen trees dripping with icicles glistening in the sunshine. This place was her sanctuary where she always found peace...

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“The Man and The Boy” by Sl1m J1m

Submitted to Contest #283

The bike glided to a stop, the slush underneath squelching under the tires. He turned the key, and the rev of the engine was replaced with the hush of the wind. The man slowly exhaled, breathing out and gazing at his own breath frosted by the night air. He stayed seated just a moment longer, then swung a leg over and stood up. Reaching across the seat, he unbuckled a small bag and hoisted it onto his shoulders. The man brushed a single snowflake from his mustache, then sloshed over to the entrance. The door was shoved, and the man was ...

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“The Fag That Saved You. ” by Veronica Hues

Submitted to Contest #283

“Hey Sis, it’s Christmas. You can cross me off of your wish list. Call Santa Claus and the Missus. We gon’ have the best Christmas that ever existed.” RuPaul’s Christmas Party album -the censored version- blasts through the speakers as drag queens dance around the stage. It’s the first annual family friendly Christmas Extravaganza sponsored by the LGBTQIA+ alliance. A few dollar bills float down like snowflakes through spins, kicks, hip pops, and death drops. The queens took extra care to tone it down for this show, fake boobs and padded ass...

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“Zinfandel 2019” by Ashlen Wilder

Submitted to Contest #283

Mateo de Luca1960-2022Father, Brother, Son, and Vintner38.530176, -122.843896 A young woman was using a rag to wipe out dust and grime from the “V”. She worked her way along the remaining letters, using her breath to blow waves of silky chocolate brown hair out of her eyes. She didn’t have to do this often in winter – normally the rain would wash the headstone clean every few days, but it had been dry for nearly two weeks now. She finished cleaning the engraved coordinates, which led to a vineyard not far from here. There, the rows of ...

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“Arabella and the Lilypad” by Jane Jennings

Submitted to Contest #283

Arabella and the Lilypad Sydney, Australia24th December 2024 “ Hi Mate, what’s happening?” Shaun said as he hit the incoming call button on his oversized RAM ute. “ It’s Christmas Eve, I have just finished my last job, there is a cold one in the fridge waiting for me and I’m feeling gooood”! “Ah, about that. You couldn’t squeeze one last job in for me could you? It will only be a quickie, and the owner will pay cash, money no object. Likely to cover the cost of those expensive bikes you got the kids for Christmas, just to one-up your ex”....

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“DELAYED ” by Candy Burrowbridge

Submitted to Contest #283

The coldest of December mornings, they dreaded trudging through it all just to get to the airport, yet it was the family thoughts and traditions that warmed the heart and memories tickled the soul. Tomorrow was going to be Christmas! Tracy and Lenny were waiting to board flight number 222. Flight 222 to Los Angeles was delayed due to weather issues...oh what they meant was the blizzard that had came in this morning. DELAYED, DELAYED, DELAYED...who thought one word could be so soul crushing. Temperatures in New Hampshire, in December, were r...

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“Stranded at Gate 32” by Adrian Wolfpack

Submitted to Contest #283

What shall this event be called? “Miami International: The Great Christmas Blackout?” No, no, that’s too newsy of a title. Maybe, “Stuck Stranded on Christmas?” no, there’s no pizzazz in that line. Oh wait! I know “The White Christmas That Went Bla-" “Excuse me, sir,” Ace's eyes motion down to see the face of the person who interrupted my thought proce- “Can you please sit properly? We do not sit with our back on the seat and our legs hanging over the top back” It was an airport service worker due to the blackout that left every ...

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“Unconventional Christmas” by Justin Diaz

Submitted to Contest #283

The ground was dusted with freshly fallen snow as the crunching sound of footsteps filled the air as Connor, a teenager in high school made along the path up the large house. Stopping to look around he noticed the walkways were all coated in a thin layer of snow since it started up again a short time ago. Ahead of him was a house decorated with Christmas lights and decorations ranging from reindeer to Christmas trees. Music could be heard from inside the house as others all around his age were celebrating the holidays. Lifting his phone and ...

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“What Really Happened” by Tempest Phoenix Smith

Submitted to Contest #283

I woke to the most delicious warmth so I kept my eyes closed at first. And the smell of, what was it? Oh, cinnamon, the best spice of all.I almost fell asleep again, but the cheery jangle of a bell woke me up. I opened my eyes as a draught of air came across me and the warmth ebbed away in a blur of movement and brightness.Then I was lifted up and put down again on a cool surface, as a woman said, “I’ll have that one, he looks jolly.”Fingers reached for me and the face of a young lass loomed over me, smiling and saying, “Yes, ...

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“And there she was...” by Noel Guru

Submitted to Contest #283

He pulled his car into an empty alleyway hoping in this heavy snow laden street parking was permitted on this busy Christmas eve. Before getting out of the car he pondered whether he would need his laptop or should just go in with a novel. He had about an hour to kill and didn’t know whether he wanted to get some work done or just spend some time catching up on his reading, which he knew was lacking a lot. At the end he decided on neither and just got out of the car with his airpods in his ears and played his favourite Christmas tunes. ...

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“Christmas in Ruins” by Michael Palmieri

Submitted to Contest #283

On December 25, Franco Danowitz woke up to the news that didn’t quite feel real. The announcement crackled through his beat-up radio, clear despite the static: the war was over. A treaty had been signed late last night, putting an end to a war that had gone on far too long. Franco sat up slowly, still clutching the rifle he’d slept with. He wasn’t in a bed, of course—just a corner of what used to be a hotel, half its walls blown apart by artillery. The other half was rubble, offering little protection from the cold but just enough cover to h...

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Write a story about two characters who surprisingly end up spending a holiday or event together.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 53 stories

“alive, living.” by Ella Ressa

“Phyllis Greer Hates Christmas ” by Lisa Zeltzer

“Snowbound on Christmas Eve” by Ronald John MacLennan Jr

“Falling Stars” by Seyed Mosayeb Alam

“It's Not Always a Happy Ending” by Shannon Slamka

“The Man and The Boy” by Sl1m J1m

“The Fag That Saved You. ” by Veronica Hues

“Zinfandel 2019” by Ashlen Wilder

“Arabella and the Lilypad” by Jane Jennings

“DELAYED ” by Candy Burrowbridge

“Stranded at Gate 32” by Adrian Wolfpack

“Unconventional Christmas” by Justin Diaz

“What Really Happened” by Tempest Phoenix Smith

“And there she was...” by Noel Guru

“Christmas in Ruins” by Michael Palmieri

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that ends with a huge twist.

Write a story about someone’s first Christmas after a major life change.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — except your character can’t shake the feeling that something’s off.

Write a story with the line “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Contest #283

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

293

Contest entries

123

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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