Check out these if you write essays or short stories
Chicken Soup For the Soul is looking for submissions for a couple of books that will have a Christmas theme including Christmas in Canada
http://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/submit-your-story
The Short Story is seeking stories between 1,000-5,000 words. There is an entry fee of 5 pounds which is payable through PayPal. On the site you can check out previous winning stories. This year’s winner gets 300 pounds.
http://www.theshortstory.net/