Sunless Solstice: Strange Christmas Tales for the Longest Nights

I’ve been a fan of Christmas ghost stories ever since learning about them a few years ago. This is the third anthology of Christmas hauntings from the British Library Tales of the Weird that I’ve read. Like the previous volumes, while I didn’t care for a couple stories, I enjoyed the majority of them.

Sunless Solstice: Strange Christmas Tales for the Longest Nights edited by Lucy Evans and Tanya Kirk (British Library Publishing, 2021) 

The Ghost at the Cross-Roads by Frederick Manley (4/5)

After a traveler seeks shelter from a snowstorm, he tells a tale of playing a card game with a mysterious black-clad stranger. A nice example of crossroads folklore. 

The Blue Room by Lettice Galbraith (4/5)

The housekeeper of a stately home narrates a story of a room that is said to be haunted. Eventually a feisty university student investigates, and the housekeeper attempts to help her. A suspenseful story with two strong female characters.

On the Northern Ice by Ellia Wilkinson Peattie (5/5)

A man ice skating across a lake at night follows a mysterious figure. As short and simple as the story is, I loved the prose, the atmosphere, and where the story led.

The Black Cat by W. J. Wintle (3/5)

A man afraid of cats becomes haunted by the spectre of a cat. Straightforward. 

Ganthony’s Wife by E. Temple Thurston (4/5)

A man tells an unsettling ghost story to a group of people sitting around a fire on Christmas. I really enjoyed the descriptions of snowbound London. 

Mr. Huffam by Hugh Walpole (2.5/5)

A light-hearted story about the effect a mysterious stranger has on a household that has lost Christmas cheer. While I enjoyed the prose, I felt the story was slow moving and overly sentimental.

The Man Who Came Back by Margery Lawrence (4/5)

Things get creepy when a seance is held at a party. After a quick set up the tension is built up well leading to an exciting finale.

The Third Shadow by H. Russell Wakefield (3/5)

A mountain climber tells the story of a mysterious incident during a climb with a fellow climber who had lost his wife after an accident. Straightforward with some great atmosphere at the end.

The Apple Tree by Daphne Du Maurier (5/5)

A recent widower, who found his wife irritating, tries to enjoy his new freedom but keeps getting reminded of her by a tree in his yard. Is he being haunted or is he experiencing guilt? A chilling story with engaging prose. Outstanding from start to finish. 

The Leaf-sweeper by Muriel Spark (2/2)

A man sent to an asylum for his obsession with abolishing Christmas meets his doppelgänger who is obsessed with Christmas. A little too surreal for me.

The Visiting Star by Robert Aickman (5/5)

A once famous actress with a secret visits a mining town to appear in a play. Atmospheric, haunting, original, and I loved the prose. This was my first Robert Aickman story and I'm still thinking about it.

A Fall of Snow by James Turner (5/5) 

A man tells the story about something frightening he saw during a toboggan ride one Christmas in the countryside during his childhood. The story captures bittersweet memories of childhood well and makes snowfall something dark and mysterious. 

This was a pretty good mix of stories. I’m looking forward to reading more from the British Library Tales of the Weird series.

25 Ghost Stories for Christmas

I first learned about the tradition of telling ghost stories during Christmas a few years ago and I’ve been fascinated ever since. This year I decided to read twenty-five ghost stories throughout the month of December. I tried reading and posting on social media once per day but that went out the window pretty quickly and I was playing catch-up most of the time. Still, it was a fun and interesting experience as I read a nice variety of authors from a variety of anthologies. I also revisited some favorites. Here are all my posts. Since my word count was limited when posting I’ve added to some of the entries. 

Day 1

Schalken the Painter (1839) by J. Sheridan Le Fanu from Classic Horror Stories, Barnes & Noble, 2015. A painter’s true love is promised to a mysterious figure who keeps his face hidden. Atmospheric and incredibly creepy. I can see why M. R. James highly admired Le Fanu. This story was adapted by the BBC in 1979 in the tradition of their earlier A Ghost Story for Christmas television specials. 

Day 2

The Four-Fifteen Express (1867) by Amelia B. Edwards from Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings, The British Library, 2018. A chance encounter on a train ride leads to an unsolved mystery about a missing person. This felt like a Hitchcock film before turning into a well-done Victorian ghost story.

Day 3

The Wind in the Rose-Bush (1902) by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman from Classic Horror Stories, Barnes & Noble, 2015. An aunt arrives in a small town to fetch her niece from her stepmother. As they wait for the niece to show up, strange things start to happen. Tension builds well until the finale.

Day 4

Lucky’s Grove (1940) by H. Russell Wakefield from Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings, The British Library, 2018. Eerie things start happening after a tree is removed from a sacred grove to be used as a Christmas tree. A great build up with a powerful finale. 

Day 5

The Signalman (1866) by Charles Dickens from The Haunted Looking Glass, New York Review of Books, 2001. A railway signalman tells the narrator of the story about an apparition that appears to be haunting him. Chilling with a sense of foreboding throughout. This was adapted into one of my favorite episodes of the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas in 1976. 

Day 6

The Upper Berth (1886) by F. Marion Crawford from Classic Horror Stories, Barnes & Noble, 2015. A man sailing across the Atlantic decides to investigate after discovering that his stateroom may be haunted. A classic ghost story.

Day 7

The Old Nurse’s Story (1852) by Elizabeth Gaskell from Christmas Gothic Short Stories, Flame Tree Publishing, 2022. A nurse tells her charges a spooky story about their mother. An isolated manor, winter storms, organ music at night, ghostly apparitions, and secrets from the past. The ultimate gothic ghost story. Outstanding.

Day 8

“Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad” (1904) by M.R. James from Classic Horror Stories, Barnes & Noble, 2015. Eerie things begin happening after a professor finds an old whistle among some beachside Templar ruins. Atmospheric with an incredibly creepy climax. My favorite M.R. James story. This was adapted by the BBC in 1968 as an episode of Omnibus and is a precursor to their A Ghost Story for Christmas specials.

Day 9

Man-Size in Marble (1887) by Edith Nesbit from The Haunted Looking Glass, New York Review of Books, 2001. After a newlywed couple move into a country cottage, the husband hears tales about marble statues in an old church that supposedly come to life on All Saints’ Eve. Frightening and disturbing. Adapted for this year's A Ghost Story for Christmas special.

Day 10

The Kit-Bag (1908) by Algernon Blackwood from Christmas Gothic Short Stories, Flame Tree Publishing, 2022. Just before Christmas a man borrows a duffel bag from his boss, a lawyer who represented a murderer. Later he hears strange noises and sees movement in his supposedly empty building. Chilling. 

Day 11

The Lady’s Maid’s Bell (1902) by Edith Wharton from The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton, Wordsworth Editions, 2009. After a young woman is hired as a lady’s maid, she begins hearing a bell ringing in the middle of the night. Haunting, suspenseful, and enigmatic. 

Day 12

Wolverden Tower (1896) by Grant Allen from Christmas Gothic Short Stories, Flame Tree Publishing, 2022. Maisie Llewelyn is invited to Wolverden Hall for Christmas and meets two mysterious young girls. A recently rebuilt church tower, secrets of the past, ancient rituals, and an ethereal atmosphere throughout.

Day 13

The Snow (1929) by Hugh Walpole from Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings, The British Library, 2018. As it snows, a woman fighting to control her temper seems to be plagued by the presence of her husband’s vindictive first wife. Suspenseful with beautiful prose. That ending! 

Day 14

The Old Portrait (1896) by Hume Nisbet from Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season. After a painter buys an old painting for the frame, he examines it more closely on Christmas Eve and makes what starts out as an intriguing discovery. Short and sinister. 

Day 15

Smee (1929) by A.M. Burrage from Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings, The British Library, 2018. A game of hide and seek at a Christmas party takes an eerie turn. Chilling atmosphere. 

Day 16

The Real and the Counterfeit (1895) by Louisa Baldwin from Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season, The British Library, 2020. During Christmas a man plays a practical joke on his friend, who hopes to see the ghost of a Cistercian monk. Transitions well from lighthearted to spooky.

Day 17

The Crown Derby Plate (1933) by Marjorie Bowen from Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season, The British Library, 2020. While home for the holidays, an antique collector visits an old house hoping to recover a missing plate from a set of china. Descriptive prose helps to create an eerie atmosphere. 

Day 18

Christmas Re-Union (1947) by Andrew Caldecott from Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season, The British Library, 2020. Secrets from the past and a mysterious Santa make for an eerie story set during a Christmas party.

Day 19

A Christmas Meeting (1952) by Rosemary Timperley from Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season, The British Library, 2020. A woman alone on Christmas Day receives a visit from a young man who enters her room by mistake. After he leaves, she learns the truth about his visit. Short and bittersweet. 

Day 20

Someone in the Lift (1955) by L.P Hartley from Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season, The British Library, 2020. A young boy keeps seeing a shadowy figure in a hotel lift during Christmas. Although the ending is telegraphed it’s still quite chilling. 

Day 21

Told After Super (1891) by Jerome K. Jerome from Christmas Gothic Short Stories, Flame Tree Publishing, 2022. A group of people tell ghost stories while drinking whiskey punch on Christmas Eve. Between some of the character names (Teddy Biffle, Dr. Scrubbles) and the witty humor, it was like reading a ghost story by P. G. Wodehouse. Great fun. 

Day 22

How Fear Departed from the Long Gallery by E.F. Benson from The Collected Ghost Stories of E.F. Benson, Carroll & Graf, 1992. House Church-Peveril has many ghosts, but only the ghosts of the twin toddlers who haunt the long gallery are feared, for a terrible fate awaits anyone who sees them. From humorous to terrifying. 

Day 23

The Shepherd (1975) by Frederick Forsyth from Great Flying Stories, Corgi, 1992. After a pilot’s jet suffers electrical failure mid-flight between Germany to England on Christmas Eve of 1957, he gets lost in the fog. Tension filled, mysterious, and beautifully written. 

Day 24

Christmas Eve on a Haunted Hulk (1889) by Frank Cowper from Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings, The British Library, 2018. A man trapped on a derelict shipwreck at night discovers that he may not be alone. Complete darkness and unsettling sounds help to create an atmosphere of claustrophobia and terror.

Day 25

The Ghost at the Cross-Roads - An Irish Christmas Night Story (1893) by Frederick Manley from Sunless Solstice: Strange Christmas Tales for the Longest Nights, The British Library, 2021. After a traveler seeks shelter from a snowstorm, he tells a tale of playing a card game with a mysterious black-clad stranger. A nice example of crossroads folklore. Of course, I love the fact that one of the characters is named Reddy. 

That wraps up my ghost stories for Christmas reading for this year. Looking forward to reading more in the future. 

Ghost Stories for Christmas 2023

A few years ago, I became fascinated with the tradition of telling ghost stories during the darkest time of the year. What started out as an oral tradition became a popular trend in Victorian England with the development of printing presses. 

I devoured the ghost stories of M. R. James, which he wrote and read to his friends every year at Christmas. Then I watched the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas anthology series, many of which adapted James’ stories. I really enjoyed the stories and their adaptations. Last year I read Christmas Gothic Short Stories from Flame Tree Press. It’s a collection of classic and new tales. I loved it as well. This year I’m jumping between a few different collections. 

First up is The Turn of the Screw and Other Ghost Stories by Henry James from Penguin Classics. I’m a big fan of Mike Flanagon’s films and mini-series, especially Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House. I decided to finally read Henry James because Flanagan's The Haunting of Bly Manor is based on some stories by James. Not all the stories he adapts are in this collection, so I’ll also be reading a collection I have on Kindle that has everything. 

Next is The Haunted Looking Glass - Ghost Stories Chosen by Edward Gorey from New York Review of Books. This includes stories by Charles Dickens, Algernon Blackwood, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker and more. Each story includes an illustration by Gorey. My favorite so far is “The Signalman” by Dickens. 

Finally, I have The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton from Wordsworth Editions. I chose this edition over Ghost Stories from New York Review of Books as the Wordsworth edition has four more stories. This is my first time reading anything by Edith Wharton. The prose is beautiful and the themes are deep. I’m four stories in and now I want to read everything she’s ever written.

I hope to finish all three books by the end of the month, but we’ll see. 

More Christmas Gothic Short Stories

Last year I learned about the history of ghost stories for Christmas and I read the ghost stories of M. R. James. I enjoyed them so much that I read Christmas Gothic Short Stories from Flame Tree Publications this year. The anthology includes over 400 pages of classic and new stories. In my last post I listed my favorites of the classic stories. This time I’ve listed my favorites of the new stories.

“Mr. Anders Meets a Stranger” (2022) by Marina Favila 

A toymaker is asked to make something elaborate for a mysterious pale man. When it’s completed the man brings his son to see it. The toymaker figures out that he hasn’t been dealing with an ordinary father and son. I liked the gothic horror/folklore-like atmosphere. 

“Aunt Hetty” by (2022) John Linwood Grant 

After hearing a story about how a fire broke out in the family house during Christmas of 1857, a man learns a family secret. Moody and well done.

“The Unforgiven” (2022) by K. M. Hazel 

An elderly man tells a story about what happened after a Christmas dinner from his childhood in which a mother’s act of kindness gets unwanted attention from the other side. Has a bit of a Dickens vibe with a punch. 

“Time and Tide” (2019) by Clare Marsh 

Two women are working at an island abbey on Christmas Eve. They keep track of when to return by using a tidal clock which lets them know when it’s safe to use the causeway. I liked the setting and how the history of the island ties into the ending. 

“The Last Christmas Tree” (2022) by Jane Nightshade

Three orphans from England are sent to live in America and arrive at Christmas. Strange things happen when they arrive. This one has a real nice old school ghost story feel to it. 

My top favorites:

“The Shallows” (2022) by Donna Cuttress 

A woman staying at a seaside resort during the Christmas holiday sees a woman fall from a rock into the ocean. When she tells someone, she’s told that she saw a ghost of a woman who died years ago. She is warned not to go into the shallows again, but she keeps thinking about the woman. The writing and the atmosphere gave me a strong M.R. James vibe. 

“Yule Cat” (2009) by JG Faherty 

Two children spend Christmas with their grandparents in the Appalachians. When their grandfather tells stories from Scandinavia of the Yule Cat which searches for lazy humans to eat, the children scoff. Their grandmother warns them that children today have forgotten the old ways. Later that night they discover how right grandmother is. I really liked the folklore in this one and the story was a wild ride.

“Christmas at Trelwany” (2022) by E. E. King 

A woman suffering from depression takes a trip to Trelwany Manor, the oldest estate in Cornwall. She plans on using the time to rest and finish a thesis she has been struggling with. While there she learns something about her mother and the area’s connection with witchcraft. I really liked the writing and the atmosphere in this one. 

“Gray Christmas” (2022) by Templeton Moss 

The people of a village call the disfigured old man that lives on the hill “The Gray One” and hide whenever he comes into town. One Christmas Eve a little girl sees him leaving his cottage and decides to follow him. I loved how this story commented on the passage of time and the forgotten dead. 

“The Dark-Eyed Boy” (2020) by M.C. St. John 

Twin boys are taken in by their uncle after their parents are killed. I liked how it was set up, how we learn the back story, and the introduction of Krampus folklore, and how everything ties together, all done in a few pages. Loved that ending. 

“Snowman” (2022) by Lamont A. Turner 

A family deals with an abusive father during Christmas. This one reminded me of stories from EC Comics. Excellent. 

“And a Piece of Coal Where Her Heart Once Beat” (2021) by Suzanne J. Willis 

Krampus, growing old, makes a decision about his future. Meanwhile a young girl decides she wants to meet Krampus. Short and dark with lyrical writing.

“Ashes at Midnight” (2022) by Cassondra Windwalker 

After a young woman is rescued from a fire by her childhood friend, she’s haunted by a strange figure. She grows up to marry her rescuer and he also becomes haunted but in a different way. A great story based on Irish myths. 

Between the classics and the new stories, Christmas Gothic Short Stories was a real fun read.