50 writing prompts from the North Pole

Here are 50 writing prompts from the North Pole: ‘Twas the night before Christmas and creativity was stirring at the North Pole writing workshop – well actually, it’s only November – but with 50 new writing prompt about Santa, the elves, reindeer and the whole Arctic crew, I’ve got that jolly holiday spirit. As a writer who loves quirky themes, these Christmas tale ideas spinning off beloved Yuletide mythology intrigued my imagination.

In my newest blog series, Merry Promptsmas, I’ll be crafting flash fiction stories based on these playful prompts featuring Saint Nick and company. From a plot about Santa’s reindeer going on strike to Mrs. Claus opening a woodworking shop to amnesiac Kris Kringle struggling through deliveries, there’s definitely no shortage of offbeat novelty to explore. Will an inept rookie elf accidentally ruin Santa’s hat days before the big night?! Can Mrs. Claus nurse a sick St. Nick back to health with Arctic home remedies?! Stay tuned as I lift the creative veil on the zany misadventures and drama that might unfold behind the scenes just out of sight!

And while I imagine what happens If an arctic snow monster attacked the toy workshop or an absent-minded Santa Claus misplaced his Naughty & Nice list, perhaps the elfish antics will inspire some merry promptmas storytelling of your very own too! Slide down the metaphorical chimney and cozy up to your keyboard – let’s see what funny little ditty-ies we can dream up before Santa makes his figurative rounds! Don your gay apparel and ugly sweater – it promises to be quite the writing sleigh ride!

50 writing prompts from the North Pole

1. Santa spots an unusual light in the northern sky one Christmas Eve. He decides to investigate.
2. An elf wakes up one morning to find everything in the workshop has grown three times its normal size overnight.
3. Santa’s reindeer go on strike days before Christmas Eve, demanding better working conditions.
4. Mrs. Claus decides she wants to get out of the kitchen and try a new career. She opens up a woodworking shop.
5. A young, rookie elf desperately wants a different job assignment other than toymaking but doesn’t know how to convince Santa.
6. Santa accidentally loses his magical hat days before Christmas Eve. The elves scramble to knit him a new one before the big night.
7. A snow monster attacks the North Pole workshop saying Santa has forgotten to deliver him any presents for centuries.
8. Santa comes down with a bad cold just a week before his big trip. The elves try to nurse him back to health with Arctic home remedies.
9. One of Santa’s reindeer goes into labor prematurely while training for the sleigh ride.
10. Santa gets amnesia after crashing his sleigh and can’t remember how to get back to the North Pole.
11. Santa realizes someone has stolen his “Naughty & Nice” list and he sets a trap to try and catch the thief.
12. An Arctic wizard curses Santa, turning his beard different colors each day leading up to Christmas.
13. An ambitious young elf runs against Santa Claus to become the new Chief Gift Officer.
14. Mrs. Claus petitions Santa to extend elf vacation and sick leave in the North Pole Employment Eligibility Acts (NPEEA).
15. Santa takes up a new extreme hobby like BASE jumping off ice cliffs or racing polar bears.
16. One of Santa’s reindeer gets lost in an ice storm days before Christmas Eve.
17. Santa orders the elves to build Mrs. Claus a tropical beach getaway in the middle of the Arctic as a Christmas surprise.
18. Jack Frost is fed up with the North Pole crew and freezes everything at Santa’s village days before Christmas out of spite.
19. A UFO crash lands at the North Pole and Santa tries to help the aliens rebuild their spaceship.
20. A broke, down-on-his-luck drifter gets a job as a mall Santa, only to get transported to the actual North Pole.
21. A wax museum unveils a startlingly realistic Santa figure – could the real St. Nick have been replaced?
22. A wildlife conservation group tries convincing a reluctant Santa that reindeer are an endangered species.
23. Santa and the elves get hooked on a South Korean soap opera streaming on Netflix and productivity at workshop grinds to a halt.
24. Mrs. Claus gets an IRS audit notice that Santa has not been paying taxes. She makes him get an accountant immediately.
25. A snowman comes to life after Santa gifts him a magical silk scarf and wanders into the busiest part of the workshop.
26. Santa takes his sleigh to the vet after strange mechanical noises. Turns out 8 tiny chipmunks chewed through essential parts of the engine as a prank.
27. Elves protest microaggressions through a sit-in at Santa’s office after he fails to learn the proper pronouns of several non-binary elves.
28. A wacky, washed up 90s boy band crashes a company Christmas party at the North Pole desperate for any gig they can get.
29. Mrs. Claus starts a popular cooking channel on YouTube featuring nutritious recipes for reindeer and growing vegetables in frigid climates.
30. Santa’s “Elf Resources” department faces accusations of talent poaching gift-makers from impoverished workshops.
31. The North Pole’s best detective must catch a candy cane counterfeiter before he floods the black licorice market and ruins the economy.
32. Santa takes up axe throwing as a hobby but keeps missing the target and accidentally destroys workshop equipment instead.
33. Santa attempts new extreme cost-cutting measures to budget for Christmas gifts by auctioning off naming rights to reindeer.
34. Mrs. Claus enrolls in night business classes, hoping to open a bakery. She keeps using the reindeer as taste testers for holiday cookie recipes.
35. A washed-up, broke Santa starts entering Christmas-themed athletic challenges like speed gift wrapping contests to earn cash prizes.
36. Elves form a union and strike, shutting down the whole North Pole toy factory, after Santa gifts them socks for Secret Santa four years straight.
37. Santa gets injured during sleigh training runs and fills in with a stunt double for meet-and-greets and filming the Park Xmas commercial.
38. Mrs. Claus’s mother comes to stay for the holidays and keeps loudly whispering about her daughter settling and marrying below her station.
39. Santa Claus develops amnesia after a sled crash and struggles through the holiday season as “Regular Joe” with no magic or Christmas cheer.
40. Santa runs an attack ad campaign after a whistleblower reveals the Easter Bunny donated bigly to his main rival in the North Pole mayoral race.
41. Santa starts struggling with his mental health around Christmas Time every year. Mrs. Claus urges him to start taking the holidays off.
42. An arctic cruise ship full of tourists sinks close to the North Pole. Santa and elves launch impromptu heroic rescue efforts from ice floes.
43. Santa’s number one elf runs a covert toy smuggling ring, stealing North Pole secrets to sell to competing holiday figures for profit.
44. Santa starts an extreme caveman workout regime to get buffer for swimsuit season. But skips leg day and can barely walk by Christmas Eve.
45. Santa self-publishes edgy modern retelling of his story where he rides flying sleigh-cycles and delivers gifts via reckless parkour stunts.
46. Jolly St. Nick struggles with onset arthritis from getting old. Mrs Claus gently urges him to retire, but he refuses to give up his Christmas duties.
47. Santa’s Nice List hackers threaten to release names unless North Pole pays them off in Christmas cookies and unlimited hot cocoa.
48. Santa starts a vlog to prove all his unbelieving friends wrong about the existence of North Pole workshop and magic behind Christmas.
49. Mrs. Claus struggles with empty nest syndrome when young elves leave home workshops for college then high-powered jobs in the private sector.
50. Santa gets caught regifting novelty north pole branded ties and socks to reindeer for Christmas. They go on strike until he offers better presents.

We hope these 50 writing prompts from the North Pole inspired you! Maybe Santa will bring you a special gift after reading your masterpiece inspired by our writing prompts. Maybe you’ll share your gift with us? If not you could leave us a comment, that would be nice. If these jolly prompts didn’t do it for you, please check out our writing prompts main page.