I'm a bit of a grinch when it comes to holiday-themed reads. I don't particularly like feeling as though it's only appropriate to read something at one specific time of year. Plus, they tend to be (in my experience) kind of writes offs. Little cutesy extras that are fine if you're into that kind of thing. But hey, me = grinch, remember?But this doesn't apply to horror and when one of my favorite authors announced she was taking part in a holiday horror collection, I couldn't resist.
First off, it's seriously awesome that telling ghost stories used to be a Victorian Christmas tradition. Why did this go away?! This should totally still be a thing! And that's exactly the spirit authors Carolyn Haines (aka R.B. Chesterton), Laura Benedict, and Lisa Morton have adopted in putting together this little collection.
Haines kicks things off with "The Christmas Ornament," a chilling piece wherein a handful of grad students gather 'round the fire as one of their peers regales them with his own family ghost story. A story centered around an ornament that's said to curse anyone who looks at it.
Then Benedict gifts us with a tale of a Christmas Nisse in "The Christmas Gnome." Here Venus Hansen receives the latest in a string of odd Christmas gifts from her mother-in-law. This one - a dirty little gnome statue - should have come with a warning!
Finally, in "The Christmas Spirit" Lisa Morton spins a truly disturbing tale about a couple with a rocky marriage, a creepy family cottage, and an old ghost story that may be more than just a story.
Not only was this the perfect little collection to suit my current mood, it was a fabulous set of creepy stories! As a little bonus, because I was definitely left wanting more, the collection does include excerpts from each of the authors' latest releases.
Rating: 5/5
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