Holiday Prompts and Gift Ideas for the Snowed In
It’s that time of year again: the WD office is gradually falling silent, and any repairmen or squirrels mulling about the roof of F+W Media are commonly mistaken for rabbit…
It’s that time of year again: the WD office is gradually falling silent, and any repairmen or squirrels mulling about the roof of F+W Media are commonly mistaken for rabbit fur–wearing holiday heroes.
Due to an insufficient present stockpile and a few remaining vacation days, I’ll be out for the rest of the week. If you missed it last week, check out my holiday gift roundup for writers—and a few other writers’ lists and sites below, featuring many items that can be purchased from the confines of your home. (Although, as there is only so much lit swag to go around, there always tends to be a little overlap.)
Have an excellent week—here's to hoping it goes well. Enjoy a smattering of (seasonal and claymation-infused) prompts for the snowed in/holidayed in!
WRITING PROMPTS
Feel free to take the following prompts home or post your responses (500 words or fewer, funny, sad or stirring) in the Comments section below. By posting, you’ll be automatically entered in our occasional around-the-office swag drawings.
“This was a holiday tradition.”
He glances around, wipes his boot on a rug. “After what happened this year, it’s not any more.”
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Something comes down your chimney, but it’s not exactly Santa. In your bed, you stir as you hear footsteps.
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Write an unexpected literary fiction vignette about a character from a “classic” holiday film—say, perhaps, a lost moment in the life of Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation? The trials and tribulations of one Yukon Cornelius (as featured in the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer claymation special)? A story titled “Ralphie’s Revenge”?
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Nonfiction: Recall the first time you saw a familiar holiday figure (Santa, et. al). Knowing nothing about this character, and seeing it objectively as a first-timer, what was your reaction? How have your early impressions changed?
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Zachary Petit is a freelance journalist and editor, and a lifelong literary and design nerd. He's also a former senior managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine. Follow him on Twitter @ZacharyPetit.
