Write Christmas Stories in July?

 Christmas in July? Yes, you'd better write and submit your Christmas stories now if you hope to have one published in the Christmas issue of any magazine or ezine. These publications work on issues long ahead of time, and you, the writer, need to prepare for that.

Halloween stories submitted in September aren't going to make it. Valentine stories sent in January haven't got a chance. Nor do patriotic Independence Day tales shipped off to a publisher in June.

The plan here is to think ahead. Far ahead. How do you get into the right mood to write a Christmas story during a summer heat wave? You might try playing some Christmas music or look through family photos of your gathering last year. Read a few Christmas stories which might inspire you to write one of your own. You can also write the story during the holiday, then save to submit a few months later. 

Publications receive many, many stories about Christmas and Halloween. If you want to make the odds more in your favor, write stories about the other holidays and commemorative days. A few of them are:

Memorial Day

Independence Day (4th of July)

Labor Day

Armistice Day (now Veteran's Day)

Lincoln's Birthday

Washington's Birthday

D-Day

Pearl Harbor Day

Martin Luther King Day

Easter

Passover

Kwanza

Hanukkah

Thanksgiving

You can probably think of a few more. Children's magazines especially like stories revolving around a patriotic day or holiday. 

There's no doubt that it's easier to write a Christmas story when decorations are everywhere, snowflakes are swirling, and the scent of Christmas baking drifts through your house. But it can be done. I've had a children's Christmas story jumping around in my mind for a very long time. I know that I'd better get that first draft written very soon, despite the weather forecast of 90's this week. 

I mentioned holiday stories for children, but adult publications use them, too. I had one in The War Cry, the Salvation Army magazine, a few years ago. It was a story I'd written long before it was published. I submitted it in high summer. There are publications that like to receive memoir stories, practical advice for a particular holiday, stories that revolve around holiday foods and more. Once again, it's up to you to find a market for your holiday stories. Just remember to plan ahead.