William lived alone; everyone he loved was gone. That’s what happens when you make it to ninety-seven.
As snow fell on Christmas Eve, he woke with a start. The love of his life, Eleanor, stood before him. So did the rest of his family.
William smiled, the world turning white.
A Gift to His Daughter
Eva’s Christmas Eve company would soon arrive, yet she couldn’t find the glass bells anywhere. Her favorite centerpiece—a family heirloom—had seemingly vanished into thin air.
Eva heard a twinkle. She returned to the kitchen.
The bells rested on the table.
Warmth filled the room. “Thanks, Dad,” she whispered.
The Greatest Gift of All
Paula and Martin couldn’t afford presents this year, so they wrote each other stories and poems. The newlyweds rolled up their creations and placed them carefully in the tree.
Christmas day was spent laughing and crying as they reflected, reminisced—dreamed.
In the end, their greatest gift was each other.
Thank you for reading my fifty-word stories today. I hope you enjoyed them.
“William” and “The Greatest Gift of All” are two fifty-word stories I selected to include in my first book, 50 Fifties. If you are still shopping for books this holiday season, I hope you’ll consider mine! Please message me if you have any questions.
Keep an eye out for our next Fifties by the Fire prompt. I had a busy family weekend, so I’ll have to send out a Note at some point this week with an update. The post/prompt itself will still be sent out at 3:00 PM EST.
Have a wonderful week, and thank you for being here!
- Justin
I love your image of the afterlife. I truly hope 🙏 that is what heaven is like. Keep up all your good works, Justin. Maybe we will see each other there someday!
I especially like The Greatest Gift of All. It certainly has an O. Henry feel. And, no question, what we give of ourselves is the greatest gift of all.