2660+ Holiday Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Whether you’re looking for a wintery cup of cheer or a ray of sunshine during a summertime festival, our holiday short stories will have you feeling the spirit in no time.

🏆 Winning stories

“Forthright Thursday” by Chris Campbell

🏆 Winner of Contest #226

8:45PM Thanksgiving Day – GLOVES OFF: My mother, Mary, and her sister Alice were engaged in a wrestling match on the dining room table. Aloysius – my father - and Alice’s plus one; Jack, attempted to pry them apart, but both women had locked themselves into each other’s hair with vice-like grips, despite both their hands being splattered with custard trifle remnants. All I could do as an observing teenager was sit with mouth agape while holding my new Super 8mm silent movie camera, recording the whole scene. It was typical behaviour at famil...

104 likes 83 comments 83

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“The Craving” by A.Dot Ram

🏆 Winner of Contest #71

cw: miscarriage  This could not wait till morning. The craving came on so sudden and intense that resisting never even crossed her mind. For some reason Claudia needed fudge. Maybe it was hormones. Maybe it was the fact that she finally had an appetite. But she needed fudge. Not the kind she usually made this time of year, melting chocolate chips in the microwave. Claudia needed the heavy, silky fudge her grandma used to make—the kind you made in a saucepan with a candy thermometer. Did you need a double broiler? Claudia wasn’t sure any...

354 likes 134 comments 134

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“10 Things To Do Instead of Writing New Year's Resolutions” by Emily Sperber

🏆 Winner of Contest #25

1. Hang out with friends Your friends are the kind of people that make New Year’s resolutions. The five of you, too broke to go anywhere, sit around your studio apartment. One has her legs hanging off the arm of the one chair you have. One is sitting next to you on the futon. The others are splayed, their bodies like starfish, on the ground. They use their fingers and each other to remember the resolutions they think of on the spot. Maybe they could actually eat breakfast instead of skipping it or replacing it with coffee. Maybe they could g...

98 likes 50 comments 50

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⭐️ Recommended stories

“Everpresent Radiance” by Andrew Darrah

Submitted to Contest #281

“Who’s that fella over there?” asked one of the rabbits.“Not sure. I’ve never seen him before,” replied a deer.“Well, he kind of looks like you… except for, well, you know,” a squirrel chimed in.“Yeah… what’s the deal with that?” asked another deer.“And what’s he doing here? Was he invited?” inquired a chipmunk.“Hey, it’s Molly’s party,” said the first deer. “She may know him.”The woodland animals had no idea what to make of this mysterious guest. He just wandered into the clearing, where they were holding a birthday party for their friend M...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“But ...” by Geertje H

Submitted to Contest #281

She pulls the collar of her coat a little closer to keep the cold air off her neck as she crosses the crowded parking lot to the store. The strains of “White Christmas” drift toward her. She grits her teeth, her thoughts as grey as the weeks' old snow mounts. She knows to be careful what to wish for or dream of.Go sit and play on the floor, little girl. Make room for people.But …The toddler learns quickly that when she protests people think she is cranky and probably needs a nap.'Oma’ndopa' are coming. It’s said with such enthusiasm she can’...

21 likes 13 comments 13

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“The Counter and the Coal” by Karissa W

Submitted to Contest #281

Not even magical reindeer who fly are immortal, and Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen were tales of Christmas mornings that had long since come to pass. Rudolph himself lived seventeen years: a respectable lifespan for the average captive reindeer. By no means a miracle. Unless such a reindeer was among the lucky few to be housed in the stalls of a certain, southern toy shop. These reindeer tended to be shorter-lived than most. Every Christmas, you see, a few of Santa’s reindeer would fall s...

8 likes 4 comments 4

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✍️ All stories

“A Sniff on Christmas Night” by Elijshiah Becton

Submitted to Contest #281

We were known to like cold weather. Our coats were made for it. The snow falls right off of us. I could be a statue in this weather, unmoving as it falls, for hours, days even, and I would be alright. I'm built for this. I know this. She knows this. But regardless, she wants me to come inside. She's stopped yelling my name and only watches me from the door. But I'm not budging. If I fight my impulses a little longer, I might get away with it this time. I stare up at her from the spot I made on the ground. My frigid blue eyes almost blending ...

0 likes 0 comments 0

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“Embers of Discontent ” by Kaitlyn Stadler

Submitted to Contest #281

Joshua was a contradiction; his ailment being the constant failure to unconditionally love his wife during her recovery from pregnancy. The 32 weeks leading up to the preterm birth of his surprisingly healthy baby, Ethan, were a long, faithless journey. Although it had been difficult to watch his wife convert into a stranger, he still hoped that this newfound uneasiness would settle like the wind lost in a valley and that the life of a loving family would truly begin.Bethany, his wife, sat in the passenger seat of the 2002 rusted Jeep Libert...

10 likes 7 comments 7

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“Inebria” by Gary Grissom

Submitted to Contest #281

InebriaBy Gary E. Grissom Thomas Collins, a young alcoholic, was driving home from what he believed was the best New Year’s Eve party he had ever attended. Unfortunately, Thomas was inebriated from drinking too many Margaritas. He had received a DUI a few years ago and he’d had his license revoked. He had even gone through the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous; but now he had gone off the wagon because he felt he could certainly handle the effects of only one Margarita. Of course, the one Margarita led to two others before a friend reminded h...

4 likes 3 comments 3

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“The Uninvited Guest” by Jennifer Burrell

Submitted to Contest #281

The city was buzzing with an extra festive flare. The freshly fallen snow on all the holiday decorations created a filter of soft, holiday cheer. People were rushing about doing their last-minute shopping as the calendar ticked down the days until Christmas. Parties full of merriment and cheer were spilling out onto stoops and balconies. It was a magical time to be in the city. Which is why no one realized when she walked into one of those parties. The days that followed that party, the guests will wrack their b...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“Holiday Time” by Ellen Talboom

Submitted to Contest #281

That time of year. The decorations start covering almost every part of open blank space on the ground floor of the office building. Humans climb up on ladders, attach green looking leaves along the walls. Odd, no one waters them, yet they stay the same color, bright and shiny. Then the leaves are taken down. Every year, same thing. Humans talk a different language from during the year. Interesting concept. "How ya doing Laura", a guest said, walking past the information desk? "Doing well, you, Mr. Jenkins"? "Great. I love the holi...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Dark Yuletide” by Christy Morgan

Submitted to Contest #281

The north wind blew the snowfall into a slanted fury. It was intermittent and strong. The grand houses along Chestnut Avenue were cloaked in white, a warmth seeping from the windows adorned with fluttering candles. Amaryllis focused on the stream of Christmas lights finely hung in empty maples, burgeoning magnolias, and along the eaves of stately homes, a careful display of cheer. To be invited to the Abernathey holiday party was a rite of passage, an entry to high society, a culmination that you were received and respected. Amaryllis h...

32 likes 13 comments 13

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“The Shadow of the Yule Beast” by Makayla Bunchek

Submitted to Contest #281

CW: Graphic descriptions In the shadows of the night, there isn’t a single eye open, a single person wandering, or a single peep within each home. The only sound is the soft snoring of the families in bed, yet, deep within the shadows of the home is the one thing children fear.“He knows when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake. He knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake”, a song we always associate with Kris Kringle. Yet, there is another that hides in the shadows. Deep in the night, when all are whisked...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Coldest Day of the Year” by Lara Sgouridis

Submitted to Contest #281

  “I’ve never wished to be sweating more than today.” I mumbled to my darling child, Bartholomew, my tabby cat. I trudged my way into my kitchen, checking the thermometer on the wall. -10°C. I don’t think I’d ever seen it so cold. I made my way over to the coffee maker, turning it on. If I was going to make it through the coldest day of the year, I knew I would need some coffee to keep me warm. While the coffee brewed, I leaned on the counter, flinching away once I feel how cold the marble is. I stood in the kitchen, half asle...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“A Party of Surprises!” by Pete Gautchier

Submitted to Contest #281

Prompt: Write about a mysterious guest who arrives at a party-but no one knows who they are. A Party of Surprises! Wow! The Christmas party was in full swing! It was only 7:00 pm and I did not think our house could fit so many people. My task, since I was still under drinking age, was to act as watchman of the front door entry way. I also collected any car keys to avoid impaired driving and serious liability issues. I felt assured there would be no problems because everyone seemed totally absorbed in festive egg nog drinking, bois...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“White Elephant” by Levi Michael

Submitted to Contest #281

white elephant/,(h)wīd ‘elaf(ə)nt/ nounA possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of. They both stared down at the box, the snow scrolling uncannily to the ground as if in a vacuum, falling on the shallow drifts that glowed iridescently under a cloudless sky and full moon beyond the rails of the porch.  The box, a nearly perfect cube about the size of a big basketball, was neatly wrapped in red and gold and white paper, an ornate Damascus pattern. The lid independen...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“Have You Been Bad Or Good?” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #281

“I don’t understand why we’re going to visit her,” Izzy says. “She’s your grandmother, and she invited you to share Christmas with her,” Joel replies. “She didn’t even come to our wedding, and she’s never met Izzy,” Cherie notes. “Maybe she feels guilty.” “Maybe she’s about to croak,” Isabella adds. “Show some respect, Isabella,” Cherie scolds. “Your grandmother Jolie was a world-famous model.” Izzy dismissively rolls her eyes. Dressed in black, her dark hair streaked blonde and pink, their sixteen-year-old Goth daughter sports a ring in h...

7 likes 2 comments 2

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“Soul Gardian” by Ana M

Submitted to Contest #281

The neon “Paradise” sign on the motel flickered. The evening was cold, and the snowstorm showed no hint of letting up. “What an irony,” he muttered, glancing at the sign as he trudged through the untouched snow. The forecast predicted it would be the coldest day of the year. He pulled up the collar of his coat to shield himself from the snow blowing directly into his face. Somehow, he reached the motel’s entrance, stomping the snow off his boots before stepping inside. In the lobby, an older man with completely white hair was peacefully slee...

9 likes 6 comments 6

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“Shades of a cold winter day.” by Fahmida Rahman

Submitted to Contest #281

A cold, frosty day carries a unique meaning for each person, touching lives in myriad ways. To some, it is the epitome of beauty and coziness, a season of stillness and introspection. To others, it is a dreary, monotonous trial, an oppressive reminder of harsh realities and enduring struggles. This variance in perception intrigued Nafa as she sat by her frosted window, sipping on a steaming mug of tea. As she gazed out at the quiet, snow-covered world, she pondered the different shades of a cold winter day, realizing how deeply it resonated ...

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“Strangely Unforgettable ” by Chris Baum

Submitted to Contest #281

Strangely UnforgettableIt was a family Christmas Eve party that I would never forget, and not just because it was the coldest day of the year.My family always got together during Christmas Eve. We would each take turns on whose house we would visit. It was an annual tradition that never got missed, save for the first year Covid hit.It was my mom’s turn to host–G.G.’s place. My mom was one of the best cooks out of the bunch, in my opinion, which always made the holidays delightfully tasty. If you left G.G.’s place still hungry, it was your ow...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“Everpresent Radiance” by Andrew Darrah

Submitted to Contest #281

“Who’s that fella over there?” asked one of the rabbits.“Not sure. I’ve never seen him before,” replied a deer.“Well, he kind of looks like you… except for, well, you know,” a squirrel chimed in.“Yeah… what’s the deal with that?” asked another deer.“And what’s he doing here? Was he invited?” inquired a chipmunk.“Hey, it’s Molly’s party,” said the first deer. “She may know him.”The woodland animals had no idea what to make of this mysterious guest. He just wandered into the clearing, where they were holding a birthday party for their friend M...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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