Happy Holidays! Here are 10 writing prompts for the holiday season.

1. Your character goes home for Christmas or another holiday that they celebrate. When they’re there, they reunite with old friends and try to spend as much time with their family as possible. But when they see their childhood bully, they have to decide if they want revenge or to mend the past.
2. Your character has always wanted to go to Scandinavia for the holidays. This year, they do. They stay at a castle-turned-hotel, and discover an ancient secret tucked away in the castle.
3. Your character is an author, and desperately wants to finish their latest novel. For the holidays, they travel to a small town in Kentucky—in the middle of nowhere—and draw inspiration from the townsfolk. Your character begins to develop a deeper relationship with the town and the people in it.
4. This story centers around a White Elephant gift exchange. Each of the presents has a unique and interesting story or meaning to the person giving them. Write about the significance of each gift as they’re being gifted.
5. Making cookies and decorating the house are some people’s favorite parts of the holidays. Your character’s family is decorating when they find an old journal of a deceased family member. Inside holds memories, little trinkets, and secrets.
6. Your character goes out on a walk in the woods near their house, and stumbles upon a cozy cabin in the forest.
7. A group of friends decides to put on a holiday pageant for their family or town.
8. Your character works at a Christmas tree lot during the holidays, but doesn’t celebrate Christmas themselves. They meet all different kinds of families and learn about their different experiences with the holidays.
9. Your character goes to their grandparent’s house for the holidays. They learn more about their parent’s pasts there, while having their own special holiday experience with their grandparents.
10. Your character spends most of their holidays knitting scarves and blankets for patients at hospitals.