We’re heading “over the river and through the woods” for this year’s Holiday Hijinks anthology!
For HOLIDAY HIJINKS: SUITCASES AND SLEIGHBELLS, I’m looking for lighthearted stories about the whimsical and sometimes unexpected journeys we take to spend the holidays with our biological or found family members. These should be real world-ish stories – though magical elements are always welcome (and even encouraged). And yes, some sort of actual physical travel is required.
To capture the spirit of the season, I’m looking for stories where the journey is just as chaotic, heartwarming, and central to the plot as the destination. Imagine fast-paced narratives driven by the unpredictable nature of holiday travel – missed connections, quirky roadside detours, or a breakdown-prone van packed with a found-family friend group. The physical act of travel is a non-negotiable requirement here; your characters must be actively trying to get from Point A to Point B to spend the season with the people they love (whether related by blood or by choice). And we should feel the mounting tension of holiday deadlines mixed with the inevitable, laugh-out-loud mishaps that happen when we try to force our way through winter weather and crowded transit.
I’m looking for present-day stories set between American Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, and hope to see some stories incorporating international holiday celebrations within this joyful timeframe. And while your settings should feel grounded in a recognizable, contemporary world, we highly encourage you to lace your realism with a healthy dose of whimsy or even literal magic. Think of a GPS system possessed by a cheeky holiday spirit, a snowstorm that temporarily warps time, or a train car that seems to run on pure festive cheer. But the magic should serve to heighten the emotional stakes or the comedic timing of the journey, rather than completely overshadow the real-world relatability of holiday travel. Ultimately, every story should deliver that cozy, triumphant feeling of finally walking through the front door, letting our readers enjoy both the high-energy hijinks with the unmistakable warmth of coming home.
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Holiday Hijinks stories should all be lighthearted and family-friendly, suitable for gifting as stocking-stuffers.
- No pets or children in jeopardy. Ever.
- No one gets hurt (in any meaningful way). So throwing snowballs is fine, car wrecks probably not.
- No pandemic or politics of any sort. Period.
- No swearing, sex, etc. Obviously (we hope)
And please don’t limit yourself to Christmas! There are numerous holidays during the last six weeks of the year. With a whole world of holiday traditions and gift-giving opportunities to draw on, settings outside the U.S. are always welcome.
Have fun with these – I’m looking forward to ‘virtually’ traveling through your stories to a world full of Holiday Hijinks!
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To Submit:
- Anthology Title: HOLIDAY HIJINKS: SUITCASES AND SLEIGHBELLS
- Length: 5000 – 7000 words
NOTE: YES, we WILL consider reprints of stories previously published prior to Jan 1, 2022, for which you have reprint rights. If your story is still in another collection, that’s okay. If it’s available for free somewhere, we will ask that you pull it down once it’s been accepted. Please include the original publication information with your submission. - Submission Deadline: August 31, 2026
- Anticipated release: Late November, 2026
(we’re targeting a Black Friday / Cyber Monday timeframe) - Exclusivity/Reversion of rights: We distribute our anthologies in both paper and ebook formats across multiple retailers. We ask for 6 months exclusivity post-publication, after which we continue to market the anthology in both print and ebook formats, but you have the right to submit the story elsewhere, publish it yourself, etc., as you wish.
- Pay: Royalty-Share, via PayPal
NOTE: A royalty-share anthology is only successful if all of the participants help with the promotion. We will provide art and marketing copy, and assist with promotion as we are able; but if you submit, you should also be prepared to promote the anthology to your readers – and share ideas/successes with the group, if you can! - Send your stories to: editor at camdenparkpress dot com
- Submission Subject line: Please help out the office elves by using the subject line to pre-sort your story into the right inbox:
HIJINKS-SUITCASES_Story Title - Attachment types accepted: DOC, DOCX, or RTF file
- File Name: Please name your manuscript like this:
HIJINKS- SUITCASES_Author Name_Story Title
VERY IMPORTANT: We are often working on multiple projects at the same time, so following the Subject line and File Name guidelines will help make sure your message ends up in the correct folder.
Other: These things should go without saying, but we’ve seen them ignored too many times:
- Please keep your cover letter brief
- Use standard manuscript format (if you don’t know what that means, Google it. The Shunn “modern manuscript format” is a good guide.)
- Include your name, contact information (mailing address, and email), and the story title on the manuscript
- Please review and follow the submission guidelines (above)
Social Media stuff: We use a combination of email, Google Docs, and a private Facebook group to coordinate with authors and keep everyone aware of the project status. Just letting everyone know this ahead of time.