Given that the excitement and thrill of Christmas lend themselves well to being channelled into creative activities, here are four festive writing prompts sparked by the season of sparkle.

For more creative ideas and activities, read our guide to creating a six-frame comic strip Christmas card, and check out the rest of our Get Creative series for year-round inspiration.

The Comic Christmas Caper
Write a funny short story using one of these story titles. The more madcap, the better! Our guide to writing funny fiction shares more tips, ideas and activities.

The Christmas Blizzard Wizard
The Night Santa Got Stuck Down the Toilet
Christmas Jumper Chaos
How Tommy Sprout Saved Christmas
The Tinsel Time-travel Machine
The Christmas Eve Alien Invasion

Step into Santa’s boots
Imagine you’re Father Christmas and write his Christmas gift list. Think about what he might ask for, and why. When you’re writing his letter, think about the kind of person he is, and the kind of words he would use.

The Elf on a Shelf Adventure
Write a short story about what a shelf elf does at night. Is it naughty? Does it do something magical while everyone is asleep? Does it have a moonlit adventure with anyone else? For example, could the Christmas fairy on the top of the tree come to life and have an adventure with the elf? Or maybe the adventure happens on Christmas Eve when Father Christmas arrives.

Poems with purpose
Give your Christmas cards and gift tags special sparkle by decorating them with poems personalised to your family and friends.

Perhaps you could write an acrostic poem using the recipients’ name. Or how about writing a riddle with clues about what the present is? For example, if you’re giving someone a book, you could write a riddle like this onto the gift tag:

I have a spine, but no legs or knees.
I have many leaves, but I’m not a tree.

Joanne Owen is a writer and publishing professional with over twenty years’ experience of the book industry, and the author of a how-to children’s guide to creative writing, You Can Write Awesome Stories. Alongside writing and reviewing books, she hosts writing workshops and is an Editorial Expert for LoveReading.