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The Gift of Christmas Present: A Young Adult Holiday Short Story (short & sweet
Lauren is happy dating Ian, but she is dreading exchanging Christmas gifts.
Last year, when she was dating Ben, she gave him a funny T-shirt, and he broke up with her, saying she was obviously not serious about their relationship. She is determined not to let that happen again. After consulting with several friends, Lauren believes she has landed on the perfect gift.
It's not until she opens Ian's gift, however, that she begins to suspect she has made another mistake, this time by trying to be someone she isn't.
~*~
"Dear sweet (main character) Lauren, I felt your hopes build and shatter. I wanted to wrap you up in the biggest hug and tell you to be yourself and trust your instincts. A great short story by Katie Fitzgerald." —Desi Stowe, author of the Charleston Harbor series
"There's something so real about the way Fitzgerald writes young love in The Gift of Christmas Present—all the overthinking, the sweet disasters, the moments that make you laugh and yearn at the same time." —Mina Beckett, Pushcart Prize Nominee, Award-Winning Author & Publisher
"Anytime I have the chance to read one of Katie's stories, I know I'm in for a sweet treat. It was no surprise that this story put a smile on my face instantly!" —Elise Gilmore, author of Truffle and Truth
“A heartwarming story that showcases the author’s signature strengths of character development, witty dialogue, and a beautiful message. I loved it!” —Rachel Lawrence, author of Seashells and Other Souvenirs
~*~
This short story originally appeared in The Gift A Young Adult Holiday Anthology, released by And You Press, an imprint of Nicole Frail Books, in November 2025. This ebook includes a holiday playlist as well as the story of the author's real-life inspiration for this cozy YA romance.
Last year, when she was dating Ben, she gave him a funny T-shirt, and he broke up with her, saying she was obviously not serious about their relationship. She is determined not to let that happen again. After consulting with several friends, Lauren believes she has landed on the perfect gift.
It's not until she opens Ian's gift, however, that she begins to suspect she has made another mistake, this time by trying to be someone she isn't.
~*~
"Dear sweet (main character) Lauren, I felt your hopes build and shatter. I wanted to wrap you up in the biggest hug and tell you to be yourself and trust your instincts. A great short story by Katie Fitzgerald." —Desi Stowe, author of the Charleston Harbor series
"There's something so real about the way Fitzgerald writes young love in The Gift of Christmas Present—all the overthinking, the sweet disasters, the moments that make you laugh and yearn at the same time." —Mina Beckett, Pushcart Prize Nominee, Award-Winning Author & Publisher
"Anytime I have the chance to read one of Katie's stories, I know I'm in for a sweet treat. It was no surprise that this story put a smile on my face instantly!" —Elise Gilmore, author of Truffle and Truth
“A heartwarming story that showcases the author’s signature strengths of character development, witty dialogue, and a beautiful message. I loved it!” —Rachel Lawrence, author of Seashells and Other Souvenirs
~*~
This short story originally appeared in The Gift A Young Adult Holiday Anthology, released by And You Press, an imprint of Nicole Frail Books, in November 2025. This ebook includes a holiday playlist as well as the story of the author's real-life inspiration for this cozy YA romance.
25 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 19, 2025
2 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Katie Fitzgerald
33 books255 followersKatie Fitzgerald is the author of two collections, Library Lovebirds and Literary Lovebirds, five stand-alone short stories - All Year with Anthony, Batter Together: A Short Story, Green Gloves: A Short Story Romance, Gnome One But You: A Short Story Romance, and Strangers in the Sand: A Short Story Romance - and a novel in flash, The Bennetts Bloom.
Her short stories and flash fiction appear online at Havok Publishing, Syncopation Literary Journal, Painted Pebble Lit Mag, Spillwords.com, Spark Flash Fiction and Micromance Magazine. Her serial romance, "The Plus One Pact" appears quarterly in Clean Fiction.
She is a 2024 Sparkie Award recipient for Best Romantic Suspense, a 2024 nominee for the Pushcart Prize, and was a finalist in three categories of the 2025 Cupid Prize. A graduate of Vassar College and a trained librarian, Katie resides in Maryland with her husband and five kids.
Katie's work also appears in the following anthologies:
✿ Wither and Bloom
✿ Of Ink & Paper
✿ Crowns: A Heartbooks Anthology
✿ A Winter Promise: A Dragon Soul Press Anthology
✿ Summer Sweethearts: A Contemporary Romance Collection
✿ Tails, Scales, & Tiaras
✿ Another Chance to Get It Right: A New Year's Eve Anthology
✿ Written Tales Chapbook XV: Echoes of Ink
✿ 12 Days of Book-Club-Mas
✿ The Dragon Bone Journal: 2025 Issue
✿ Recipes for Romance: A Sweet Valentine's Day Anthology
✿ KissMet Quarterly : Spring Issue
✿ Unconventional Love: Anthology on the Expanse of Love
✿ A Serendipitous Summer
✿ The Zest of the Lemon Volume 2: Capturing Slices of Life and Beauty
Her short stories and flash fiction appear online at Havok Publishing, Syncopation Literary Journal, Painted Pebble Lit Mag, Spillwords.com, Spark Flash Fiction and Micromance Magazine. Her serial romance, "The Plus One Pact" appears quarterly in Clean Fiction.
She is a 2024 Sparkie Award recipient for Best Romantic Suspense, a 2024 nominee for the Pushcart Prize, and was a finalist in three categories of the 2025 Cupid Prize. A graduate of Vassar College and a trained librarian, Katie resides in Maryland with her husband and five kids.
Katie's work also appears in the following anthologies:
✿ Wither and Bloom
✿ Of Ink & Paper
✿ Crowns: A Heartbooks Anthology
✿ A Winter Promise: A Dragon Soul Press Anthology
✿ Summer Sweethearts: A Contemporary Romance Collection
✿ Tails, Scales, & Tiaras
✿ Another Chance to Get It Right: A New Year's Eve Anthology
✿ Written Tales Chapbook XV: Echoes of Ink
✿ 12 Days of Book-Club-Mas
✿ The Dragon Bone Journal: 2025 Issue
✿ Recipes for Romance: A Sweet Valentine's Day Anthology
✿ KissMet Quarterly : Spring Issue
✿ Unconventional Love: Anthology on the Expanse of Love
✿ A Serendipitous Summer
✿ The Zest of the Lemon Volume 2: Capturing Slices of Life and Beauty
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 19, 2025
My Endorsement:
Anytime I have the chance to read one of Katie's stories, I know I'm in for a sweet treat. It was no surprise that this story put a smile on my face instantly!
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My Review:
This is the perfect YA holiday short story.
It is short and sweet, which makes it ideal for reading between books or holiday events.
The FMC, Lauren, felt very relatable, especially thinking back to my clueless-about-love teenage self. 🤣
If you want a story that feels like singing and dancing to your favorite holiday tunes, look no further than this clean Christmas romance!
Anytime I have the chance to read one of Katie's stories, I know I'm in for a sweet treat. It was no surprise that this story put a smile on my face instantly!
---
My Review:
This is the perfect YA holiday short story.
It is short and sweet, which makes it ideal for reading between books or holiday events.
The FMC, Lauren, felt very relatable, especially thinking back to my clueless-about-love teenage self. 🤣
If you want a story that feels like singing and dancing to your favorite holiday tunes, look no further than this clean Christmas romance!
December 27, 2025
What a great reminder to be yourself! It’s always good to grow, but authenticity is important.
Great story!
Great story!
January 3, 2026
Obviously, no one told Ben it’s the thought that counts.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews