Have you ever listened closely to the song, IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR? Specifically, the verse about, “There’ll be scary ghost stories” is the part I’m talking about. As a kid, I never questioned that line. However, as an adult, I had to ask, what the heck? Isn’t that for Halloween?
Oh no, my children.
I won’t take you all the way back to the pagan roots of ghost stories in the dead of winter. Let’s just realize that the long, dark nights led people to believe it was a time when the veil between the world of the living and the dead was at its most thin. Add to this the fact that everyone had to huddle together to stay warm and relieve the boredom of long nights, no wonder some of the more creative members of the gathering started spinning tales to quicken the pulse of those around the meager fire.
Jump ahead to the Victorian Age. It was thanks to Queen Victoria, or rather her husband, Albert, that Christmas enjoyed a revival. Being German, Albert loved the Christmas season and popularized the tradition of bringing in a tree into the house and decorating it. The newsworthy couple threw elaborate Christmas parties and got England, and the rest of the world, interested in the Yule Season again.
Wasn't it always popular? Nope. The industrial revolution was such a success that companies soon thought giving a day off from work just so the common folk could get to make merry and still get paid seemed like a bad business idea. As such, Christmas faded into the foggy recesses of memory.
And along came Charles Dickens.
Along with Victoria’s trendy holiday revival, Dickens put forth a herculean task of creating a Christmas story in just six weeks. To make it even more challenging, since his publishers were not too happy with the lackluster sales of his previous book, Martin Chuzzlewit, Dickens paid from his own money for the publication. The first print run of 6,000 copies ran out by Christmas Eve. Overnight, Christmas was a hit again as well as the wonderful tradition of the Christmas Ghost story.
To set you on your own Christmas Ghost Story path, I have listed some great reads to start with below. Let me know if you have a favorite to add.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL BY CHARLES DICKENS
OH WHISTLE AND I’LL COME TO YOU MY LAD BY M.R. JAMES
THE TURN OF THE SCREW BY HENRY JAMES
SMEE BY A.M. BURRAGE
BETWEEN THE LIGHTS BY E.F.BENSON
THE SEARCHER AT THE END OF THE HOUSE BY WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON
THE KIT BAG BY ALGERNON BLACKWOOD
CHRISTMAS PRESENT BY RAMSEY CAMPBELL
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT BY GRADY HENDRIX
Thanks for reading. If you need me, I’ll be by my fire with a glass of port and a trusty, dusty old book. Happy Holidays.