Movie Christmas Story Novels & Stories

Scarlet Two months later "Santa Claus is on the roof. He mentioned you were a very naughty girl this year. You're getting switches and paddles." "That's great." I vaguely heard Emily's words. When they finally sank in, I gave her a nasty glare, fighting to keep from shooting my middle finger in her direction. There were far too many customers in the store. "Christmas is two months away, thank you very much. Still time to slide onto that good girl list." I clicked off the television, shuddering as usual at seeing the news. The reports were infrequent now that the initial bloodshed had been reduced to a minimum. I almost laughed at my own thought. I had no sensitivity to the stories, the gory

KIMANI Ava and I were halfway through a Christmas movie neither of us was truly paying attention to. The lights in the living room were dimmed, the tree glowing softly in the corner. A bowl of caramel popcorn sat between us, already half empty because Ava had absolutely no self-control. “She is not ending up with him,” Ava muttered at the screen. “He lied in the first ten minutes.” “It’s a Christmas movie,” I replied. “He’ll apologize in the snow.”

Her eyes flashed with a grief I didn’t understand. “It’s time,” she said softly, “you learned the truth about our family… and about Him.” The voices outside grew louder. A chorus of whispers. Merry Christmas.Merry Christmas. Merry Christmaaaaas… My skin crawled. Ruby lifted the lantern. And the flames inside turned black.

Of course, Orison has something romantic playing on the screen because it’s freaking Christmas. “Dad, I can’t today,” I tell him, and just then, I come face to face with the television screen, and I freeze, my jaw going slack right as my heart comes to halt and drops to the bottom of my stomach. I can’t be seeing right. “Honey,” Dad calls, but my ears have started ringing with the amount of blood that rushes to the organs. I don’t believe in the holidays, but please Santa, please! Tell me that Orison has started a career in pornography, because I can see him on a live field, having sex with someone who isn’t me.

My cheeks burn as I sit up, shoving my hair back. “Just packing, and packing’s a nightmare for me,” I say, dodging Jess’s suspicious grin who have been my best friend since forever. She knows me too well. “You sure you’re up for this weird family Christmas marathon, or should we just ditch them?” I ask, definitely not feeling the vibe of this so called holiday. Jess flops onto the couch, kicking off her boots. “Free food, snow, and your mom’s wine stash? I’m in. Plus, I gotta see these stepbrothers.”

“We’re going to do something fun.” “Like what?” Autumn asks, looking up at me. She still looks worn down, but there’s a ghost of a smile on her lips. That’s a start. “Christmas movie marathon. We’ll watch some of the classics and some of those awful ones where the girl gives up the job of her dreams to move in with a guy who sells Christmas trees for a living or something.” Autumn’s smile grows. “They’re kind of romantic, in a way.” “What would be romantic is if the Christmas tree seller guy moved to the big city with the girl and got a real job,” Benedict says. “Let him make a sacrifice for once.”

Ava chatted about school with Darla Hale, Uncle Cole's daughter, and Jamie fought over the largest piece of roast venison with Declan Hale, Uncle Cole's son. The Christmas feast covered the entire table. Everything from the roast venison to the mulled wine and the gingerbread house was a reminder of the festive occasion, which celebrated the warmth of being with one's family. They raised their glasses, wishing each other a Merry Christmas. The smiles had already returned to every face. It was as if my disappearance had been nothing more than a small footnote of the night. I hovered by the table, watching them with a hollow feeling in my heart. I was already dead—frozen solid out in the sub-z

The Christmas Eve I decided to move to Chicago for Nico Ricci, my father cut off all my credit cards. "He's just a street thug! Betray the family for him, and you'll never take over the business!" I left anyway. Didn't look back. In six years, Nico climbed from the bottom of the mob to a Capo. He built a home for us with those hands—hands that had held guns and spilled blood. Christmas Eve. I stared at the buttercream cake I'd made, waiting for Nico to find the engagement ring I'd hidden inside. Then my phone rang. His guy was stammering—Nico got into a massive bar fight, head covered in blood, might need a hospital. I rushed over through the freezing snow. But at the end of the hospital hal