When we set out to publish this special holiday edition of The Napkin Project, we knew that we didn’t want to tell typical holiday stories. No treacle-y tales of family, forgiveness, and full hearts—that’s not our style.
And so, when we asked five tremendously talented writers to submit works of short fiction contained on cocktail napkins, we gave them this prompt: “Write a story set at an office holiday party.” Corporate parties aren’t the stuff of Hallmark movies or holiday literary lore, but they do make fertile ground for fiction. The proof is right here, scribbled in their own handwriting.
In one story, an employee awaits a fatal beatdown from his colleagues; in another, the holiday party’s hired bartender reflects on Christmases past and present. Elsewhere, soldiers roast lizards over a celebratory barrel fire, while in another story, typewriters stage a revolt. One of our five napkins, a tender meditation on aging in the workplace, is even penned by a Hollywood A-lister.
Happy Holidays from all of us here at Esquire. We’re wishing you a festive season full of roasted lizards and plentiful reading time. —Adrienne Westenfeld, Books and Fiction Editor
