2024 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest Winners: Weird Card Winner: “The Study of Owls and the Christmas Contronyms” by Daniel Roop Unreal Holiday Celebration Winner: “The Mycelial Muffinheads’ Annual Pilgrimage to the Cave of Forget-Me-Nothings” by C.L. Sidell Stocking Stuffer Winner: “All Eves for the Yule” by A.S. Hahrwort All the stories: (in no special order other than appearance on the show): “Nativity” by John Nicol “The Sadly Beautiful Life Cycle of the Mrs. Claus” by Nicoletta Giuseffi “Rudolpha” by Nicholas De Marino “Countdown to Christmas” by John Wolf “Keepers of the Fruitcake” by Carla Rudy “Liturgy for the Feast Among the Gastroliths” by Cardigan Broadmoor “O Unholy Night” by Matthew Reyes “Northern Romance” by Reva Sherrard “St. O’Clause” by Lancelot Schaubert “Advent” by Ben Daggers “There Was Only Ever One Delivery” by Brian B. Humby “Santa Hooks Up a Sabbatical” by Paul Lewthwaite “Canary” by Stephanie Kelly “Growing Season of the Giver” by J. Rohr “Lightsgiving” by Greg Clumpner “Niklaus” by Rosa Meronek “The Study of Owls and the Christmas Contranyms” by Daniel Roop “The Mythical Muffinheads’ Annual Pilgrimage to the Cave of Forget-Me-Nothings” by C.L. Sidell “All Eves for the Yule” by A.S. Hahrwort Please help support the contest, the podcast, and Weird Christmas website by donating/gifting any and all amounts at Ko-Fi.com (click here). The money from the prizes is all from donations. And the more donations I get, the more I can give to the contestants. My long term goal is to make every story count as a professional sale by most writing organization’s standards. You can also donate any amount through PayPal by giving to weirdxmas@gmail.com. A big thank you to both volunteer readers this season: Dustin Pari (@dustinpari, who is always so wonderfully generous and optimistic and inspiring), and my friend Joel who wants nothing more to do with this whole thing. Usual opening: “O Holy Night” by Tiny Tim, “Christmas Doesn’t Last” by Make Like Monkeys, “Santa Claus Boogie” by Hasil Adkins, “Space Age Santa” by Ross Christman Special opening: “Christmas-Procrastination Blues” by Tom DeMasters. Bumper music (ripped straight from YouTube): by Myuu (for the dark piano) and a host of wonderful theramin artists. Contest results from previous years: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018.