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Discover weekly, the best short stories

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

2760+ 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.

Holiday Short Stories – Page 178 of 184

Last Christmas

Submitted to Contest #21

"Hello! Welcome to the Sutter Home Bed and Breakfast."That's my mom for you. Mary Sutter kept a small four room bed and breakfast open in our town for nearly forty years. Pictures of couples on a honeymoon, starving artists who just broke into their authorial fame and others covered cork boards in frames on the wall. This summer, I received a notice from the city of Milwaukee. "Miss Sutter, the property which is Sutter Family Bed and Breakfast is hereby declared Eminent Domain. It will be seized as of 12/31/19...My heart sank. My family's li...

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O Holy Night

Submitted to Contest #21

“Breaking News: yet another death has occurred this week, marking this the seventh of the month. Twenty-year-old Margaret Bell was found poisoned inside her own house last Saturday night. Police were called into the scene when neighbors reported the—” “Oh turn that off, will you?” Mia said, appearing at the door. “Shhh.” Brian, her bespectacled coworker who was a known conspiracist in the workplace, shushed her quickly. Mia frowned, entering the room with a plate of cookies in hand, her contribution to the event. Her scarlet pumps click...

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Aunt Gertrude

Submitted to Contest #21

Aunt GertrudeI come from a small family without a lot of Old World tradition except a Presbyterian religious background that is not binding to church attendance.  The God I knew was a distant one and when I opened my travel agency, I was convinced that God would not interfere with my daily life or so I thought. My sister and only other sibling, Mandy paid a bit more attention to bringing her three sons up in a more traditional religious atmosphere, but I continued to resist any sort of affiliation that would bind me to something I did ...

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That Which Connects Us.

Submitted to Contest #21

 She heard the clanging before she saw the girl ringing the bell beside the fake black cauldron next to the donation sign. The red Santa hat on her head bounced along with her singing of jingle bells.That particular sound awakened something sad in Betsy. She always quickly walked by, never making eye contact, and never making any contributions. It was silly, but a little shiver ran down her spine this cold December day.  Betsy knew this melancholy would pass, but the beginning of December always started this way for ...

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My Dearest Jovie

Submitted to Contest #21

Christmas is a lonely time of year for many - I've always thought so. In the way that the push of "family" reminds you of exactly what you don't have. The bitter cold seeps like acrid honey into my old joints, this time of year. Most mornings the pain makes it hard to even get out of bed. Christmas has always reminded me that I have never had someone to take me by the elbow and guide me in those painful early hours. I have done my best to not let my own experience with Christmas turn me bitter, like those other old ladies you see in the supe...

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The Seven Swans Resort

Submitted to Contest #21

"It's not enough. Not nearly enough to get us through the summer, let alone next Christmas." I glance over at Margaret. Her eyes shine with tears that she tries to hide behind a sad smile. "Well... I guess we'll make this Christmas the most memorable one yet. There's not much we can do. Unless some privileged billionaire donated some money to the resort, we'll be closed by the end of next Fall." Margaret's words are full of sadness and... acceptance. She knows the truth, and isn't afraid to face it. Smart girl. I'm glad I married her all tho...

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Love On West 4th Street by Patric Quinn (Word Count: 1900)

Submitted to Contest #21

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A Surprise Visitor

Submitted to Contest #21

A Surprise Visitor It was four days before Christmas.  There was a knock at our front door. I knew that because our Amazon parrot started to say “Hello”, repeating her message several times.  She only did this when there was someone knocking at the door or when the phone was ringing, which it was not. We don’t usually get drop-in visitors around Christmas, so I figured that it must be someone selling something: air duct cleaning, a tankless water heater or meat for a freezer that we don’t have. But it wasn’t that. It...

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Detective Deplorable's Greatest Case

Submitted to Contest #21

“Twelve thirty-two, you say?”“Roughly”“You can’t be rough about this we need specific times. Don’t tell me roughly, tell me smoothly”“I don’t think that’s a thing”“If I say it’s a thing then it’s a thing”. The detective smashed his hand down on the table and stared right into my eyes. He spent about two minutes doing it. I’m not sure if he thought we were having a staring contest or whether he’d just zoned out. I couldn’t tell.“So six of them came into your bar?”“Yes, I’ve already told you all this. I’m not sure exactly why you’re persisting...

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Margaritaville

Submitted to Contest #21

I stacked the beer mugs into the freezer then hung the wineglasses above the bar.Christmas Eve, and I'm working the night shift at the Ocean Spray Restaurant. Not a bad place. Live music most weekends and a pub menu. Ouside there was a 10 slip marina and ocean as far as I can see.I didn't really mind working tonight because I had no family, no boyfriend, no big holiday plans.I heard the familiar screech of brakes as my boss Jimmy swung into the parking lot. He thought it was fun to drive his red corvette fast towards the front window, then s...

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The Last Christmas

Submitted to Contest #21

Evie pushed the bolt close on the pub door as the last of the merrymakers made their drunken way home and gave a deep sigh.’ Nick came over from behind the bar pulling her into a hug,  ‘Come here you. You deserve a bloody medal for all the hours you’ve put in during the run up to Christmas.’ ‘So do you…’ ‘Hey, what’s the matter?’ he asked noticing that she was about to tear up. ‘It’s nothing,’ ‘It’s Christmas Eve. I have a rule that nobody should be sad on Christmas Eve, especially not my beautiful girlfriend, okay? So, grab a drink and...

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I Don't Need a Dad

Submitted to Contest #21

"Sweetie? Can you come down here for a minute?" "Yea Mom!" I put my notebook down and went downstairs. A dark haired, dark eyed, tan guy stood by the fireplace, on the opposite side as Mom. "Wow....You....you look just like your Mom." He breathed with a smile. I looked at Mom. "Who is this?" "Kacey...Let's sit down." They sat on the couches, but I stayed standing behind the loveseat. "I'm good." I said, eyeballing the man. She just nodded. "Okay....Kacey, when you were 7, you asked why you didn't have a dad. I told you he wasn't a good pers...

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A Special Message

Submitted to Contest #21

It was going to be a difficult Christmas, what with mum no longer with us and my recent separation from my husband. My children were angry and wouldn't talk to me and my ex husband was making life hell. What I really needed was a distraction or something to help keep my mind off my problems. I really needed to have a better Christmas than last year. Last Christmas was a disaster. I didn’t see my children and my ex husband was alienating them from me. They refused to talk to me or even see me. You see I had left the family home 8 months ...

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A Family Tradition

Submitted to Contest #20

“Mom, are you sure you want to do this?” Fourteen-year-old Faulkner asked.     “Of course.” Nerina ruffled his hair. “It’s December. You know what’s right around the corner!”    “I thought we could keep it a bit... mellow this year.” Faulker took the last bite of his cereal.    “No, that would be silly.” Nerina turned to her twelve-year-old daughter. “What do you think, Darlah?”    “Faulkner’s right.” Darlah agreed with her brother. “Maybe we could take it down a notch or two t...

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The Christmas Lights

Submitted to Contest #21

I do love the lights. The blinking lights you see during the holidays. They fill my heart with glee. I may sound childish, and maybe I am, but there is not a happier feeling than waking up on Christmas morning and tearing open the presents under the tree.But today, the glee was different. My pulse screamed in my ears. What was this? This want. No, this need.The clinking of a utensil against a glass pulled me away from my thoughts. "I thank all of you for coming tonight." Mr. Christopher said. The CEO of the company, I have always felt out of...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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