It’s out later than I would have preferred, but like the inevitability of New Year’s following Christmas, it is here.

To read the stories, get bio information and links on the authors, and for all other show notes, please check out WeirdChristmas.com.

Results:

• Overall Winner: “The Fight” by Elizabeth Guilt
• “Weird Cards” Category Winner: “If the Suit Fits” by Michelle Christophorou
• “There Was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard” Category Winner: “A Churchyard Carol” by Dan Fields
• “Stocking Stuffer” Category Winner: “The Power of Presents and Spidersilk” by Daniel Ausema

Honorable Mention (in no particular order):

• “The Second Coming” — Michelle Christophorou
• “Married to Christmas” — Dustin Pari
• “The Christmas Room” — J.D. Wilson
• “Saving Cinterland” — JJ Mokrezewski
• “The Messenger” — Jens Hieber
• “A Christmas Burial” — Gary Ballard
• “Spirits of Christmas” — D.P. Blanchard
• “A lock of hair, a baby tooth, a toenail” — Eleanor Luke
• “Red Nose” — Thomas Lawrance
• “The Last Holiday” — John Wolf
• “It’s the Most Dreadful Time of the Year” — Paul Lewthwaite
• “How Santa Got Schooled” — Kate Sherrod
• “O Holey Night” — John Possidente
• “The Yew’s Embrace” — Jen Rowe
• “War’s End” — Adam Gottfried
• “Carton Holiday” — Ibiteye Overcomer
• “Christmas Spirits” — Laurie Peterson
• “Piss Pistol” — Brandon Case
• “Grandpa?” — Jonathan Saint

Please help support the contest, the podcast, and Weird Christmas website by buying a “coffee” (a gift in increments of $3) at Ko-Fi.com (click here). For even more support, please consider joining my Patreon page (click here) where for $2 or $5/month, you’ll have access to extra content and bonuses like physical postcards mailed throughout the year. With more support, I can offer more and bigger prizes for the contest next year.

A big thank you to my volunteer readers this season: my work buddy Lisa and LW Salinas (@sithwitch), both of whom stepped in at the very last second. Otherwise, almost all the authors wanted to read their own work this year, which was fun!

Bumper music:

• 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: “A Little Too Late for Christmas” by The Crux
• Outro: "White Christmas" by the Ventures
• Bumpers: here, here, here, here, here, lots of dark piano Christmas music and Theramin stuff.

Contest results from previous years: 2020, 2019, 2018.