Before we explore how to avoid clichés, let’s clarify what they are. A cliché is an idea, phrase, character, or plot point that’s been used so many times it no longer feels fresh. Instead, it comes across as predictable, shallow, or unoriginal. I’ve heard it compared to reheating leftovers. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s no longer fresh or surprising. If we aren’t careful, these stale tropes can sneak into our storytelling. This post offers ideas for how to recognize clichés and how to write holiday moments that feel fresh.
Focus on Specificity, Not Stereotypes
Holiday writing falls into clichés when it depends on vague, overused phrases like “holiday cheer” or “festive spirit.” The issue is that these phrases tell and don’t show. They could belong to anyone’s story, which makes them forgettable. Instead of leaning on stereotypes, use specific details. Specifics root your scene in your characters’ lives. They make the moment vivid and personal.
- Pine scent filled the tiny room as they worked together to turn the bare side of the sparse tree toward the wall.
- She worried the string of mismatched lights held together with tape could be a fire hazard.
- A cracked childhood ornament hung on the tree, a special treasure.
- Crumbs sprinkled the plate where they had left Santa’s cookies.
These details don’t just tell readers things are festive, and they do more than embellish the setting. They carry history, emotion, and personality.
Once you’ve written your draft, look for clichés. When you spot one, try to swap it out for a sensory memory or detail only your character could notice.
Example swap:
- Cliché: “The house was filled with holiday cheer.”
- Specific: “The kitchen smelled like burnt sugar cookies, and the crooked angel on the tree leaned the same way it had every year since Dad glued it there.”
Embrace Contrast, Not Perfection
The holidays are rarely flawless. Real celebrations are full of contrasts: joy mixed with holiday stress, tradition clashing with change, laughter right next to tension. If everything runs smoothly, there’s no story.
- A character burns the turkey but discovers a new favorite dish from the takeout that saves the meal.
- A young couple with two children of their own let their parents know they will be staying home with their family for Christmas to start their own tradition.
- The perfect holiday photo hides the fact that no one was speaking five minutes earlier.
Conflict breathes life into festivity. It’s the real-life cracks that let the light shine through.
Example swap:
- Cliché: “The family gathered around the table, everything was perfect.”
- Specific: “The turkey was still frozen in the middle, the rolls were burned, and everyone laughed harder than they had in years as they ate pizza from the box.”
Use Holidays as Backdrop, Not Plot
Not every holiday story needs to be about the holiday. Sometimes, the season serves best as a backdrop, a means to shape mood, heighten tension, or reveal characters’ motives, dreams, etc.
- In romance, the looming midnight kiss on New Year’s Eve creates tension.
- In a mystery, the distraction of a holiday party allows a crime to unfold unnoticed.
- In fantasy, a solstice festival can reveal cultural values or deepen worldbuilding.
The holiday should enhance the narrative, not replace it. Think of it like lighting: it sets the mood, but the action still belongs to your characters.
Example swap:
- Cliché: “The story is about saving Christmas.”
- Specific: “The story is about two detectives hunting a jewel thief, while the city’s holiday lights and parades both help and hinder their chase.”
Subvert Expectations
Holiday stories are full of familiar beats, which means readers often think they know what will happen next. One of the easiest ways to make your story stand out is to turn those expectations on their head.
- A gift exchange where someone opens the “wrong” box, revealing an unexpected but perfect present.
- A Christmas dinner where no one shows up, and the protagonist finally enjoys quiet.
- A family reunion where the so-called “grumpy uncle” no one wants to sit next to ends up being the peacemaker.
Twist clichés instead of leaning on them. Surprising outcomes make readers laugh, gasp, or pause, and that’s the joy of storytelling.
Example swap:
- Cliché: “Everyone came together happily for the perfect Christmas dinner.”
- Specific: “Half the family skipped dinner, the turkey was burnt, and yet, sitting alone by the fire, she felt a calm she’d never known amid the chaos.”
Mine the Emotional Core
At its heart, the holidays are about connection, or sometimes the absence of it. What matters most is not the trimmings or traditions, but what the season means to your character.
- For someone grieving, the empty chair at the table is louder than the carols.
- For someone newly in love, even a cracked mug of hot cocoa feels magical.
- For someone isolated, the holiday may be a reminder of what they don’t have.
Focus on the emotion. Specific emotional details make readers feel the scene, instead of just seeing a picture-perfect holiday.
Example swap:
- Cliché: “Everyone was happy and smiling at the Christmas party.”
- Specific: “She hugged the ornament from last year, and for a moment, the sting of loss eased, replaced by a fragile warmth she hadn’t expected to feel.”
The Real Magic of the Holidays
Think about your own holiday memories. What are the things that people still share and laugh about? It’s not about how perfect everything was, but more often how it wasn’t perfect… But the laughter and smiles those memories bring are part of the magic. Holiday scenes shine when they’re rooted in authentic character experience. Skip the “stock holiday imagery” and lean into messy, personal, specific moments. That’s how you’ll capture the real magic of the season without a single cliché snowflake.
