These free character writing prompts are behind the scenes of Santa, Rudolph and all of your other favorite holiday figures. We've seen enough portrayals of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny in movies, commercials and stories to make us sick on candy, but we don't always get to see varied presentations of their assistants. I thought I'd have a little fun here and present a few of my ideas of supporting characters in the lives of our favorite holiday symbols. While some are obvious like Santa's elves, a few may be more out of left field like Cupid's archery coach. To get yourself truly in the holiday spirit, give yourself some amusing and tragic side characters to work with.
Free Character Writing Prompts #71: Holiday Figures
1. There was no longer anywhere for him to go but down. He'd been the head toymaker at the North Pole for nearly seven decades, following in the footsteps of his father. Since he had no children of his own, he'd soon retire the position to another family. Even though he did a fantastic job and productivity was higher than ever, he felt he was letting down his father's legacy by abdicating the position to another family. With only one year left until he would move to the south pole like all the other retired elves, he opted to find a son or daughter to adopt who would assume his position, thus keeping his family name going strong. Will he be successful in his quest and what will it be like being a father for the first time?
2. When people looked at Easter they saw the head honcho and the candy, they rarely saw him. He was a low-ranking rabbit at the processing center that handled all of the Easter baskets for the entire holiday. There were some who put together the baskets and there were those who dealt with the tough logistics of getting candy imported from all over the world. He on the other hand, was the custodian. He worked long, tough hours in March and April, cleaning up discarded jellybeans and that fake green grass stuff. It was a thankless job and he was glad to know that at least his family appreciated him, because the Easter bunny and the other high-ranking bunnies certainly didn't seem to. Describe a day in the life for this custodial bunny.
3. For years, she stayed on the sidelines while the main pack of reindeer pulled Santa's sleigh each year. She trained like a deer possessed, trying to gain the attention of the coach to take her off of the junior varsity team and make her first string. It wasn't just a matter of her being a girl, though that was a factor. Santa had fielded the same squad for over 50 years and he wasn't one to change a deer before his or her time was up. She realized she wouldn't just have to try harder, she'd have to try smarter. She set up a race that everybody at the pole would see, in which she would go up against the best and the brightest of the squad. Will she be able to prove herself at the race and will she make it to the squad of top deer?
4. She couldn't believe she had to give an interview during such an intensely packed day. Didn't the media know that tomorrow was the most important day of the year for her and Cupid? While Cupid shot the arrows and brought the couples together, who did they think did all the matchmaking research? She was Cupid's executive assistant and without her, he'd be bringing together couples that would never work out. The divorce rate was high enough that he certainly didn't need to be shooting his love darts all willy-nilly, she liked to say. She felt a sort of pride in bringing love throughout the world, but most people didn't realize what hard work it was. What are some of her greatest success stories as the ultimate matchmaker?
5. He was an impeccable tailor and his skills were employed by some of the tiniest people in the world. He laughed when people thought that the Leprechaun's tiny green suit and pants just magically hemmed itself. He imagined a world in which Santa's elves had to make their final Christmas preparations while wearing normal, baggy human clothes. He was tiny himself, which made it much easier to create the tiny stitching necessary for their intricate outfits. He had great pride in his work and was happy to be employed in such a rough economy for holiday tradesmen. What are some of his favorite outfits he's created and what is an average daily workload like for him?
6. Would Santa's reindeer be able to make it from point A to Z without him feeding them, washing them and cleaning up after them? In his mind it was a resounding, "No!" He came from a long line of reindeer trainers who had been doing this job from the beginning. Only he and his family members knew the secrets that allowed the reindeer to fly and to do so for millions of miles. Magic not withstanding, he still had to keep Rudolph and the others in great shape or they might get injured along the way. The worst part of his job, by far, was cleaning up the reindeer droppings after a long Christmas run. How does he feel about his part in the lore of Christmas?
7. She was a master when it came to dealing with fussy babies. After all, hadn't she been dealing with the fussiest baby of them all for nearly her entire life? She was the nurse and main caretaker of the New Year's Baby. Each year that sash-wearing superstar appears on all sorts of merchandise and even watches the dropping of the ball from afar. The rest of the year, however, this baby is still a baby and can be one major pain in the neck according to his nurse. She took care of this baby who would always be a star but would never becoming more than a baby. What are some of her favorite moments with this superstar of an infant?
8. It turns out that all those years, Linus was right about the existence of the Great Pumpkin. Each year the Great Pumpkin went around to pumpkin patches around the nation to spread toys and cheer out of a moral obligation. The pumpkin was grown by a magical farming family and this farming female had taken over the reigns of the property years ago. She knew exactly how to make these magical pumpkins "great" and was happy that Charles Schultz finally revealed the secret of this mystical creature years ago. See, she had felt like she was keeping this bringer of joy and presents a secret, while most people believed she was just a simple farmer. What other aspects of her job does she enjoy the most?
9. The top athletes in the world need a personal coach to keep them sharp and in shape. Every December or so, Cupid would come to his coach completely out of shape with about half as much aim as he had the previous year. Over the course of a strict three-month training routine, he would turn Cupid into a serene arrow-shooting machine. He'd earned enough money from the position to retire a long time ago, but he loved being a part of such a loving holiday. It was unfortunate that he himself hadn't found love and Cupid offered to shoot a beautiful woman for him a long time ago, he just wanted it to come naturally. He felt it was ironic he had helped secure love for thousands without gaining love himself. Will he ever find the one true love that will make him feel like he'd been shot with Cupid's arrow?
10. Frankly, she believed that as far as mystical creatures go, she'd been given short shrift. She had powers that were just as great as the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus and yet this tooth replacing fairy had no holiday of her own. She felt like it was an issue of gender equality and began campaigning for a holiday dedicated to teeth. She tried to tie it to the childhood obesity issue by making it an anti-sugar campaign, but the major sugar companies refused to let it through. She even considered passing out flyers supporting the holiday when she left the tooth money under kids pillows, but she was vetoed by the mystical character council. What will this tooth fairy have to do to get gender equality in the figures of major holidays?
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