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Discover weekly, the best short stories

Looking for a steady supply of christmas short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

1550+ Christmas Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Grab your stocking and set out the milk and cookies! These Christmas short stories will warm your heart and have you whistling Christmas carols before you know it.

Christmas Short Stories – Page 3 of 104

Joy to the World

Submitted to Contest #284

"You could do with some cheering up babe. Where's that festive spirit?"Max glowered from behind a giant heap of gifts. Bradley could be fun, yes. If only he knew when to stop. Right now, with frayed nerves and a backpack digging into his delts, Max had no patience for his boyfriend's "festive spirit".The elevator doors opened to a mom and toddler duo. Max forced a smile and a nod as they stepped in. Do they talk at that age? Would it be rude to ask?The Jenga tower of gifts wobbled in Max's arms as Bradley pulled a box out. He unpacked, caref...

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Christmas of '89

Submitted to Contest #284

The roast was bubbling under the skin, melting into a lovely glaze. The scoring remained light tan and the surface deepened to a beautiful chestnut color, so evocative of Christmas. Amos smiled happily and closed the oven again to allow the slab of beef to cook uninterrupted.  He shuffled to the family room, grunting with each step as old men often do. Seating himself comfortably in the armchair closest to the sparkling tree, he looked upon his family while the corners of his eyes crinkled with mirth. The little ones were squealing whil...

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12-13 naps

Submitted to Contest #284

Dec 26th, 2024 — Day 7 Since She’s Gone Away Finally getting out of the house today. I meet Toby at our usual corner place. He seems strung out, his scraggly ginger hair more scraggly than usual. “God, do I hate the holidays. I got chased by fucking Barbara’s psycho kid the entire day yesterday.” Trance-like, his eyes are intensely fixed on a tiny bird that just landed on the tree across the street. I am thoroughly bored by the vision. “I feel empty, devoid of any masculine energy,” he continues. I roll my eyes. He shakes his head and seems ...

10 likes 6 comments 6
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Three Bits of Symmetry

Submitted to Contest #284

*Adult content*It was 3 AM and snowing outside. The police officer gave Frank his details and left the Cotton residence having not, in Kelly's opinion, been much of a help at all. 'Thank you, officer,' said Frank, and shut the door.'Is that all?' said Kelly.'What did you expect? A forensics team? Dusting for fingerprints?''Well, why not? We pay our taxes, don't we?'The officer had traipsed snow over the laminate oak flooring in the hall. Frank pointed to Kelly's feet. 'Careful you don't slip.''Don't slip? Don't slip, he says! I sli...

11 likes 2 comments 2
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Mother's Stories

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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Cracked

Submitted to Contest #284

The stage is set and for the ballet, that’s relatively easy. The large windows and doors of the living room backdrop are set against the far wall. A huge, and brightly lit, Christmas tree with a mountain or presents it tucked into a corner of the stage. There is a small table with a couple of chairs and a chaise lounge also pushed to the side of the stage. Claire runs through her checklist again. Everything is where it should be, except for the ballerinas. Loud boisterous laughter sounds backstage.  The director comes through from the o...

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The Old Lady on the Hill

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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Just Try

Submitted to Contest #284

The blue glow of her phone lit the dim, undecorated room as she lay in bed, scrolling aimlessly through TikTok. It was still early, barely 8 a.m., but the endless stream of videos had already set the tone for the day. Families in matching pjs danced in front of their Christmas trees. Couples in snowy cabins exchanging heartfelt gifts. Her thumb paused on a video of a couple laughing as their dog played with the mangled paper and bows from the gifts they had given each other. She didn't even realize she'd sighed until the sound escaped her li...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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Dinner for Two

Submitted to Contest #284

The woman stood in her kitchen peeling potatoes with hands that always seem to shake, the years of use bearing down on their precision. She hums as she works, the same tunes that charm the living room radio having been left on a low volume all day to keep the house from getting too quiet. A tree sat in the corner by the aged brown couch, wrapped in adornments of cranberries and popcorn, lights and tinsel reflecting on the surrounding surfaces. The cabinets in the kitchen are all a light yellow to match the dining room, whose walls are faded ...

5 likes 3 comments 3
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Alone

Submitted to Contest #284

Meg wiped a tear from her eye, as she watched the snow fall outside . Last year this would have been a perfect picture, she thought. Now it seems so cruel. A reminder of how sad and lonely her world had become Meg and her husband, Tim hadst enjoyed the holidays in their remodeled farmhouse. The smell of cinnamon and oranges throughout the house the crisp smell of pines and firs greenery..Tim would cut down their Christmas tree and always would bring insects branches for Meg to make her infamous Christmas wreaths and porch pots. Meg’s daughte...

8 likes 1 comment 1
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Rebuilding What's No Longer Mine

Shortlisted for Contest #284 ⭐️

My entire world collapsed and I don’t know how to build it back up correctly. I’ve been in a daze. Even on the drive home from school, the town looks different. Another sprawling field torn up, littered with cranes and huge piles of dirt and signs advertising the Coming Soon $500 thousand dollar homes. Another Sheetz has sprouted up, plus a new Sprouts. Or were they there before? Maybe my memory’s shot—my brain does feel like Swiss cheese. Or maybe being away changes how you view things, and my lens has already changed after one semester. It...

19 likes 5 comments 5
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Christmas Passed

Submitted to Contest #284

Christmas Passed She arranges herself at her private table in the acclaimed brasserie that she owns, contemplating her daily indulgence, a gin martini in advance of lunch. Some tables down, intimate laughter and breathy whispers fill the air and her mind drifts to her husband, dead these past five months. She muses while sipping the drink Alfonso always mixes moments after she walks in and delivers once she makes eye contact. Some days the martini disappears before Alfonso returns to the bar. Today, more slowly. Alfonso lets her linger. The...

6 likes 3 comments 3
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The Good Thief

Submitted to Contest #284

Rowland Parker arrives, uninvited, at the Ainstock Christmas dinner. Lord Wilchester’s second son isn’t exactly adored by Lord and Lady Ainstock, but it doesn’t have the whiff of a Shakespearean tragedy about it. True, Lord Wilchester still felt aggrieved by losing his coveted EID MAR Roman coin to Lord Ainstock in a card game fifteen years ago, but that’s as far as it went. They were made of better stuff than Italian nobility and declined to try to kill each other for sport or vengeance.“Freddy couldn’t make it. Did his ankle on a morning r...

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How to grow a pineapple plant

Submitted to Contest #284

The faucet finishes filling the soapless bathtub. She closes it and looks at her trembling hands. The doorbell rings again. She exits the bathroom and wipes her eyes with her purple fleece sleeve, but tears have long stopped running. Slowly she unlocks the two locks and takes a deep breath before she opens the door as far as the door chain allows. Two grayish blue eyes in an old unshaven gray face stare at her for a silent second.“You are home,” the man states while trying to straighten his back a little.“Who are you?”“Nobody else is home. I...

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Alone - but Not Truely Alone

Submitted to Contest #284

Trigger Warning: Grief, Loss of a loved one, Illness/Cancer Clara sat on the floor of the lounge room in her small apartment, staring at the large container that held the Christmas tree. The container had been sitting in the middle of the lounge room for twenty days—since the 1st of December. For twenty days, she had walked past it, unable to summon the will to pull the lid off and tackle the task within. Finally, she had found the courage to remove the lid, but now, an hour later, she still hadn’t made any progress. Her eyes stared blankly ...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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