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ChristmasTales

Christmas is a time for excitement, stories and sharing. So, all throughout December, Nadia is going to be sharing the meanings of Christmas through short stories. From gingerbread, to snow, to love, we'll travel through time and lives, learning what Christmas means to everyone.

The places we're travelling to are cold, so wrap up warm, blast those Christmas tunes, get your cozy socks on and bring some hot chocolate: we have some memories to make.

Merry Christmas 12/12

TeenageTales

What are we? We're a home for teen writers. We're a place for book recs. We're a place for writing and publishing tips. We're a place for updates on Nadia Partyka's books.

Most importantly, we're a place for all writers and readers to find a space that is available to all (no costs for 'bonus stuff') and its own type of strange uniqueness. We welcome everyone to our family.

Welcome! I'm thrilled to have you exploring my website. My name is Nadia Partyka and I am a teenage reader, writer and poet.

In September 2024, I published my debut novella Amethyst- Time And Time Again, a story of adventure, magic and hope. In April 2025, I received high commendation for my poem about Home and books.

Through publishing, I learned that this is what I want to do: live in a world of books and help others find and share their beautiful stories. I dream of expanding TeenageTales meanwhile being an editor and publishing helper for other teens who love writing (and don't have those beautifully massive budgets).

Please support me by buying my book, telling others about me or reading my posts. Everything makes a difference and helps me keep writing :)

Amethyst- Time And Time Again

𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜?

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙺𝚎𝚢 𝙸𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝙸𝚗 𝙰 𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕-𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙰𝚛𝚎:
𝙰 𝙶𝚘𝚊𝚕 (𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚆𝚊𝚗𝚝), 𝙵𝚎𝚊𝚛 (𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸𝚜 𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚖), 𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚏 (𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚆𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢 𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝙰𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝙾𝚛 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍), 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝙰 𝙷𝚘𝚋𝚋𝚢 𝙾𝚛 𝙿𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗.
𝚆𝚎 𝙻𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝙰𝚝 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝙸𝚗 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚉𝚘𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚌 𝚃𝚊𝚋.

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13/12- Gingerbread- Baking Up Happiness

Freshly baked cookies. Mmmm. You can just imagine it. Sitting on the table, greeting all those who live in the house. The smell of sugar wafting in the air, kissing you sweetly on the cheek. Chocolate chip, sugar cookies, take your pick. But I'm making gingerbread. I'll first buy a gingerbread house-making kit, but whip up an extra batch of icing, because the kits never give you enough. I would make the flat gingerbread pieces myself, but every time I try, the house looks mor

5 hours ago4 min read

12/12- Colours- The Spread Of Christmas

Non-fiction The colours of Christmas date even back to Pagan and Celtic traditions. Here, we meet The Holly King and The Oak King. The Holly King ruled the winter, his power strongest at the solstice, before being taken over by the Oak King, who would proceed to rule over the warming months. They would, in myths, fight for control, and would rise and fall during the solstices, not in a battle of good and evil, but of light and dark, life, death and rebirth. The Winter Solstic

1 day ago3 min read

11/12- Snow- I'll Be Dreaming Of A White Christmas

Contemporary There'll be a young couple; their names are irrelevant. Sat down at the kitchen counter, they'll read their books, distantly listening to the news. She will be reading a contemporary romance, of course, set at Christmas. He'll be reading something smart, maybe about economics or business, because he'll promise his future wife that they'll be rich one day. That'll spark a debate. No, a 'debate' won't be the right word. More like a... consultation? Of their dreams.

2 days ago4 min read

10/12- Magic- Daisy's Dilemma

Contemporary “What are you going to ask for this year?” Mum leaned over Daisy, whispering in her ear softly, a gentle smile on her warm face. She could recognise the Christmas smile; it meant that she and Fred were being good this year, and that she was relieved that no one, including their old cat Cookie, had tried to eat the Christmas decorations. Daisy also recognised the question. It's the same question every year, without fail. And every year she knew the answer. She wo

3 days ago5 min read

9/12- Mistletoe- A Kiss Goodnight

Contemporary Within a snowy plain, where no creature dare stir, lay an abandoned hotel. It sat, sad and melancholic amongst piles of white goodness that wouldn’t clear until Spring. The brick walls held firm, despite the paint slowly chipping off, making the sign hardly visible. It was just as well, because no one had visited the hotel for over a decade, because a rumour had spread that it was overgrown with poisonous weeds. Well, never mind the rumours. Even if they had eve

4 days ago6 min read

8/12- Winter- Sun Or Son?

Non-fiction Oh! History! I love this one! So... diverse and magnificent! But this his-story (see what I did there?) won't be your cut-and-dry textbook. For today only, I have hired Sir Chrystamasasaurus (don't laugh at his name! He's sensitive!) to show you how Christmas came to be. And remember! Don't laugh at his name... "Sir Chrystamasasaurus. Good to meet you. I'm not here to dilly-dally, so I'll do your introduction for you." He takes your hand, shaking it quickly and fi

5 days ago5 min read

7/12- Angels- Goodness Undercover

Contemporary The Orphanage. 1990. Mikaela, Andrew and Alexandra sat on the couch. "At least someone is getting a Merry Christmas." Andrew huffed. Yeah: Zelana. She got chosen, but none of them were surprised; she kept good care of herself, was smart, and clearly had big things to do in life. It was impossible to show these things to the people who came in and eyed them like vultures, trying to determine if you were the 'best' fit. But Zelana managed to break that curse. Alex

6 days ago5 min read

6/12- Presents- My Gifts To You

Contemporary "A... rock?" I grimace at Charlie, who is smiling his foolish grin, looking at me expectantly. The rock is the size of my palm, painted with a few strokes of gentle blue, and definitely not a disappointment. I clear my throat, readjusting the Christmas lights of the tree. "Thank you." I'm unable to make my voice above a whisper. Why did I expect something to change this year? He was an incredible gift-giver that first Christmas we spent together. I got a beautifu

Dec 66 min read

5/12- Star- The Super Symbol

Non-fiction. A 'story' about stars (this is more of a tale/description). Hmmm.... what could this be about? I hear you asking. This is my non-official application for stars to be considered the #1 symbol. Not that some symbols are superior to others, but... hearts are definitely not numb er #1 in my book. Yes, I love a good heart, but it's curved and weird to draw. A star is super easy. You have that little trick you learn when you're little, and feel so proud of yourself

Dec 54 min read

4/12- Hope- Our Friend The Dove

Contemporary "Mum?" Kieran shivered as he was wrapped in his mother's scarf, and Tom was wrapped into his Dad's. Tears glistened Mum's eyes, but her smile stayed strong, even as her voice faltered through the gentle, "Yes, my boy?" The twins huddled between their parents, hiding their faces into their thin clothes. Kieran continued, blocking Tom's ears with his gloved hands, "We're not going home are we?" They were waiting for their car to be inspected, to see if they'd be on

Dec 45 min read

3/12- Giving- Mark My Words

Contemporary The family never had much. That has to be stated, before you can understand this story. This is a story of how to give, when you don't even have enough for yourself. For the last few years, it had been just Stanley and Dad. Even before Mum left three years ago, their wealth hadn't been plenty. Now, at his school, a Secret Santa was being hosted. It's a great concept, in theory, but in Stanley's opinion it just adds stress to everyone's lives. He tried his best to

Dec 34 min read

2/12- Christmas Tree- A Little Birdie Told Me

Contemporary Now, I need to let you know we rarely buy many new Christmas decorations. We love to keep our old ones, and build our collection through our memories. But this year is different. It's our cousin's first Christmas, and we want to make it extra special, so while we're out Christmas tree shopping, we're also looking for the perfect bauble or decoration to gift her, so she can also make life-long memories. I had such a decoration, and so did my sister. Mine was — no,

Dec 26 min read

1/12- Advent- Vorfruede

Fantasy There is a word in German which I want to tell you about: Vorfruede. It’s one of those ‘untranslatable’ words, which encapsulates the “joy on anticipation”. It literally means before (vor) joy (fruede). I think you can tell where this is going. Throughout the month of December, I hope we’ll bring about Vorfruede, by exploring the meanings of Christmas one at a time, from the 1st to the 25th of December. Now, I have to go through some of the maintenance before we can c

Dec 16 min read