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The prompts in this collection touch on topics such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and winter or cold weather in general.
Writing Prompt Topics and Scenarios
Writing Prompt Topics and Scenarios
1. Write a conversation between a person and a gingerbread man he or she was about to eat.
2. Write a story about an unwanted visitor who arrives unexpectedly for the holidays. By the end of the story, however, it somehow turns out that that unexpected visit was a good thing.
3. Write a myth about why it snows.
4. Write a myth about why people set off fireworks on New Year’s.
5. Write a story in which you compare two families both eating dinner at the same restaurant during the holidays.
6. Write a story based around a Secret Santa gift exchange where the character has to choose a gift for someone unexpected—for instance, an ex-something, an estranged relative, or an archenemy.
7. Describe Christmas from the point of view of a Christmas tree ornament. (Or, choose a different holiday and an object that is usually part of that holiday)
8. Write a story in which someone receives a strange and mysterious gift.
9. Write a story that takes place over the course of a single tense or awkward family dinner. What caused this uncomfortable atmosphere?
10. Create a promotional flyer for a Christmas tree decorating contest.
11. Write a story about someone trying out a popular, holiday activity for the first time. Who invited them, if anyone? Why did they decide to take the plunge?
12. Write a conversation between a parent and Santa Claus. Where might the conversation take place? How did it start?
13. Write a story about life as a snowman.
14. Create your own origin story for Santa Claus. Who was he? How did he become Santa?
15. The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year, and people sometimes light bonfires and candles to ward off the darkness and encourage the sun to rise. Write a story in which someone struggles to keep a fire lit to ensure the coming of a new day.
16. Write a story in which the custom of two people kissing under a mistletoe sparks a series of unfortunate (or fortunate) events.
17. Many of us memorialize events in our lives through photographs. Write a New Year’s story in which someone reviews a major change in their life through a series of photographs.
18. Every family has its own holiday traditions. Write a story about a holiday tradition in your family (or, perhaps, something that you would like to make a holiday tradition).
19. Write a story about someone who buys a Christmas tree that turns out not to be what it seems.
20. Write a story in which someone makes a wish that comes true in an unexpected way.
21. Write a story about a mysterious phenomenon somewhere that only happens during the winter.
22. Write a poem about what winter means to you.
23. Write a story that begins with someone waking in the middle of the night to a strange sound. They look out the window and see...
24. Each year, when the winter holidays roll around, the radio is flooded with holiday music. Choose a holiday song and write a story based on its lyrics.
25. Write a story in which the world is saved by candy canes.
26. Write a story about a sleigh race. Whether the racers work with dogs, reindeer, or something else is up to you.
27. Share your favorite Christmas memory.
28. Spending a lot of time together with nowhere to go can change people’s relationships for better or worse. Write a story about a group of people who get trapped somewhere during a snowstorm.
29. Write a story about two strangers who meet for the first time at a holiday party. What brought each of them to the party? How does this chance encounter impact their lives?
30. Write a story in which someone stumbles upon a magical Christmas ornaments shop.
31. Write a story about two rivals in a gingerbread man making competition.
32. What is the best gift that anyone has ever given you? Tell us its story and why it is so significant. Remember, gifts are not limited to physical objects.
33. Sometimes, we pass gifts that we receive on to other people for various reasons. Write a story about a gift that passes through many different hands. What motivates each owner to give it away? Where does it finally end up?
34. Write a story about making a snowman.
35. Write a story that takes place in a Christmas Market.
36. Write a story about someone experiencing a snowy day for the first time.
37. The classic story A Christmas Carole tells the story of Scrooge whose life is changed by encounters with three ghosts, that of Christmas past, present, and future. Write your own version of this story.
38. Write a story about a piece of holiday decoration, a Christmas tree ornament for instance, that comes to life.
39. Write a story that ends with someone making a New Year’s resolution.
40. Use the 12 Days of Christmas as the theme in a mystery story.
41. Write a script for a candy cane commercial.
42. Write a story in which someone develops a passion for skiing over the holidays, but for reasons completely unrelated to the sport.
43. Describe snow to someone who has never seen or heard of it before (or write a conversation in which one character describes snow to another).
44. Write a story in which a group of people get together to create Christmas tree ornaments, and the ornaments they make tell a story about who they are, their relationships with one another, etc.
45. Create a set of instructions for someone planning their first Christmas party.
46. Write a letter from a child to its parents, trying to persuade them to throw a Christmas party.
47. Write a story in which someone makes a snow angel and the impression left in the snow causes something strange to happen.
48. Visit a shopping center or coffeeshop during the holidays. Pick two shoppers or patrons. Describe them and speculate about their stories.
49. Draft a message for the inside of a winter holiday greeting card.
50. Write a story in which someone tries to mend a broken relationship by doing something on New Year’s Eve.
51. Write a story about Christmas in a haunted house.
52. Write a story set in a hotel made of ice.
53. Write a story set at a ski resort.
54. Draw a snowman then write a set of instructions for someone that would help them create your snowman (without the benefit of being able to see your drawing).
55. The gifts we choose for someone can say a lot. Describe a gift exchange between two people and what stories those gifts tell about their relationship.
56. Write a story in which someone gets lost in a blizzard and ends up somewhere strange.
57. Describe the qualities someone needs to be a successfully holiday rush shopper.
58. Write a story about someone buying a Christmas gift for someone they do not like. Why are they doing this? How does this gesture shape their relationship?
59. Write a letter to Santa from someone who is applying to become one of Santa’s elves. What makes you a great candidate? Why do you want this job?
60. Santa Claus has decided to retire. Write a message from him to his successor.
61. Choose a classic fairytale and rewrite it with a winter holiday theme.
62. Write a story in which someone finds a very unusual box of Christmas ornaments in an antique store.
63. Write a set of instructions or advice for someone trying to buy gifts for people during the holidays.
64. Create your own winter holiday and write a story about it.
65. Different foods can often take on a symbolic significance for various holidays. Choose a dish (or invent one) and write a story that explains its origin and its significance to a winter holiday, festival, or celebration.
66. Considering Santa’s open sleigh, midnight snacks, and chimney runs, what might a day in the life of his tailor look like?
67. Write a story in which someone stumbles into an otherworldly celebration for the New Year.
68. Write a story about an ice sculptor.
69. Write a story in which a Christmas jingle changes someone’s life.
70. Write a murder mystery set at a holiday potluck.
71. Use a series of gifts given to tell a story.
Continue the Story Writing Prompts
Continue the Story Writing Prompts
72. The last thing I expected to find under the Christmas tree was _______...
73. When our snowman disappeared without a trace overnight, the first thing I did was _______...
74. With the way _______, I was never going to finish my gingerbread house...
75. The reindeer was...
76. There was only one thing I wanted for Christmas that year…
77. When I picked up the plate and the gingerbread man smiled at me…
78. The first thing I noticed was that our neighbor’s Christmas lights…
79. It happened at that Christmas party. You know, the one where…
80. I swore that I would knit a scarf _______ but…
81. I never play Secret Santa anymore…
82. When the clock struck midnight on that New Year’s Eve…
83. Every year, my mother buys a poinsettia because…
84. On the surface, it looked like the perfect Christmas party…
85. It all started to go wrong when it began to snow...
86. I was on my way to ________ when I caught the glint of sunlight on something in the snow…
87. By the time I spotted the mistletoe…
88. There’s a reason we never bake gingerbread men at grandma’s anymore…
89. The first time I met Santa Claus…
90. I never expected that, on New Year’s Eve…
91. It came with one of those dreidel games you can get when Hanukkah comes around…
92. It was snowing the first time I…
93. There were words written in the frost upon the windowpanes…
94. It was the tinkling sound of bells that...
95. The absolute worst thing about winter is…
96. The best thing about winter in ______ has to be…
97. I opened the refrigerator door on New Year’s Eve and leapt back in shock as…
98. The moment I bit into the Christmas cookie...
99. No one knew who had brought the gift or, indeed, when exactly it had appeared beneath the tree…
100. When _______ began to fall from the sky that winter instead of snow…
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