A present contains a monstrous secret. An uninvited guest haunts a Christmas party. A shadow slips across the floor by firelight. A festive entertainment ends in darkness and screams. Who knows what haunts the night at the dark point of the year? This collection of seasonal chillers looks beneath Christmas cheer to a world of ghosts and horrors, mixing terrifying modern fiction with classic stories by masters of the macabre. From Neil Gaiman and M. R. James to Muriel Spark and E. Nesbit, there are stories here to make the hardiest soul quail - so find a comfy chair, lock the door, ignore the cold breath on your neck and get ready to welcome in the real spirits of Christmas.

In plenty of time for the holidays, here is a gathering of thirty tales of ghosts, hauntings, and other paranormal happenings purported to have taken place on or around Christmas, or that are otherwise related to this holiday. By a long-time believer in the paranormal who in the introduction tells the story of her own Christmas ghost, Haunted Christmas includes stories such as: HAUNTED BETHLEHEM—Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is famous for haunted locales such as the Hotel Bethlehem, the first house built in the town, in 1741. There, guests have come to expect visits from several spirits. Predictably, things heat up at Christmas—after all, this is Bethlehem. THE DEATH COACH OF CHRISTMAS—One Christmas Eve in Ireland many years ago, young Nora Mahoney was returning from the bogs when an invisible something suddenly rushed past her with the sound of grinding wheels and thundering horses’ hooves. Had Nora encountered the “death coach” of Irish legend?

The first-ever collection of Victorian Christmas ghost stories, culled from rare 19th-century periodicals During the Victorian era, it became traditional for publishers of newspapers and magazines to print ghost stories during the Christmas season for chilling winter reading by the fireside or candlelight. Now for the first time thirteen of these tales are collected here, including a wide range of stories from a diverse group of authors, some well-known, others anonymous or forgotten. Readers whose only previous experience with Victorian Christmas ghost stories has been Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" will be surprised and delighted at the astonishing variety of ghostly tales in this volume. "In the sickly light I saw it lying on the bed, with its grim head on the pillow. A man? Or a corpse arisen from its unhallowed grave, and awaiting the demon that animated it?" - John Berwick Harwood, "Horror: A True Tale" "Suddenly I aroused with a start and as ghostly a thrill of horror as ever I remember to have felt in my life. Something--what, I knew not--seemed near, something nameless, but unutterably awful." - Ada Buisson, "The Ghost's Summons" "There was no longer any question what she was, or any thought of her being a living being. Upon a face which wore the fixed features of a corpse were imprinted the traces of the vilest and most hideous passions which had animated her while she lived." - Walter Scott, "The Tapestried Chamber"

Sweet Valley Twins.

On Christmas Eve, while Santa Claus and his elves were busy getting ready for their most important night of the year, an Evil Snowman broke into Santa's workshop and stole some of the presents! With no time to lose, Santa sent his most trusted and resourceful elf, Carol Greenleaf, to confront the fiend and return the stolen presents.Meanwhile, the Evil Snowman has hidden the loot deep within the Frozen Ice-Cube Caverns, nestled away in the Himalayan mountains. The caverns are haunted by the legendary Ghost Of Christmas Presents, a mysterious and spooky spirit who will steal any present he can get his hands on.Relying on her wits and resourcefulness (and a little bit of magic), Carol must explore the dark and frozen caverns, defeat her villainous foes, and return the stolen presents before time runs out. Christmas morning is approaching fast, and the children of the world are counting on her.

This Christmas, e-artnow presents to you this unique collection of the darkest tingling Christmas mysteries and horror tales: _x000D_ Who would ever say no to the master story tellers when they have to offer their darkest tingling Christmas mysteries and horror tales as a holiday present:_x000D_ The Silver Hatchet (Arthur Conan Doyle)_x000D_ What the Shepherd Saw: A Tale of Four Moonlight Nights (Thomas Hardy)_x000D_ Markheim (Robert Louis Stevenson)_x000D_ The Wolves of Cernogratz (Saki)_x000D_ Mustapha (Sabine Baring-Gould)_x000D_ The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance (M.R. James)_x000D_ The Christmas Banquet (Nathaniel Hawthorne)_x000D_ The Ghost's Touch (Fergus Hume)_x000D_ Glámr (Sabine Baring-Gould)_x000D_ The Ghosts at Grantley (Leonard Kip)_x000D_ A Terrible Christmas Eve (Lucie E. Jackson)_x000D_ Ghosts and Family Legends (Catherine Crowe)_x000D_ The Ghost: A Christmas Story (William Douglas O'Connor)_x000D_ Thurlow's Christmas Story (John Kendrick Bangs)_x000D_ The Mystery of My Grandmother's Hair Sofa (John Kendrick Bangs)_x000D_ The Abbot's Ghost; or Maurice Treherne's Temptation (Louisa M. Alcott)_x000D_ Old Applejoy's Ghost (Frank R. Stockton)_x000D_ Wolverden Tower (Grant Allen)_x000D_ The Christmas-Eve Vigil (James Bowker)_x000D_ Told After Supper (Jerome K. Jerome)_x000D_ The Box with the Iron Clamps (Florence Marryat)_x000D_ Joseph: A Story (Katherine Rickford)_x000D_ The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton (Charles Dickens)_x000D_ The Ghost of Christmas Eve (J. M. Barrie)_x000D_ The Dead Sexton (Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu)_x000D_ Uncle Cornelius His Story (George MacDonald)_x000D_ The Grave by the Handpost (Thomas Hardy)_x000D_ Number Ninety (Bithia Mary Croker)_x000D_ At Chrighton Abbey (Mary Elizabeth Braddon)_x000D_ The Haunted Man (Charles Dickens)_x000D_ Doctor Marigold's Prescriptions (Charles Dickens)_x000D_ The Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)_x000D_ The Black Bag Left on a Door-Step (Catherine L. Pirkis)_x000D_ Between the Lights (E. F. Benson)_x000D_ Transition (Algernon Blackwood)_x000D_ The Kit-Bag (Algernon Blackwood)

Who would ever say no to the master story tellers when they have to offer their darkest tingling Christmas mysteries and horror tales as a holiday present: The Silver Hatchet (Arthur Conan Doyle) What the Shepherd Saw: A Tale of Four Moonlight Nights (Thomas Hardy) Markheim (Robert Louis Stevenson) The Wolves of Cernogratz (Saki) Mustapha (Sabine Baring-Gould) The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance (M.R. James) The Christmas Banquet (Nathaniel Hawthorne) The Ghost's Touch (Fergus Hume) Glámr (Sabine Baring-Gould) The Ghosts at Grantley (Leonard Kip) A Terrible Christmas Eve (Lucie E. Jackson) Ghosts and Family Legends (Catherine Crowe) The Ghost: A Christmas Story (William Douglas O'Connor) Thurlow's Christmas Story (John Kendrick Bangs) The Mystery of My Grandmother's Hair Sofa (John Kendrick Bangs) The Abbot's Ghost; or Maurice Treherne's Temptation (Louisa M. Alcott) Old Applejoy's Ghost (Frank R. Stockton) Wolverden Tower (Grant Allen) The Christmas-Eve Vigil (James Bowker) Told After Supper (Jerome K. Jerome) The Box with the Iron Clamps (Florence Marryat) Joseph: A Story (Katherine Rickford) The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton (Charles Dickens) The Ghost of Christmas Eve (J. M. Barrie) The Dead Sexton (Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu) Uncle Cornelius His Story (George MacDonald) The Grave by the Handpost (Thomas Hardy) Number Ninety (Bithia Mary Croker) At Chrighton Abbey (Mary Elizabeth Braddon) The Haunted Man (Charles Dickens) Doctor Marigold's Prescriptions (Charles Dickens) The Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) The Black Bag Left on a Door-Step (Catherine L. Pirkis) Between the Lights (E. F. Benson) Transition (Algernon Blackwood) The Kit-Bag (Algernon Blackwood)

e-artnow presents to you this unique collection of the darkest tingling Christmas mysteries and horror tales: Who would ever say no to the master story tellers when they have to offer their darkest tingling Christmas mysteries and horror tales as a holiday present: The Silver Hatchet (Arthur Conan Doyle) What the Shepherd Saw: A Tale of Four Moonlight Nights (Thomas Hardy) Markheim (Robert Louis Stevenson) The Wolves of Cernogratz (Saki) Mustapha (Sabine Baring-Gould) The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance (M.R. James) The Christmas Banquet (Nathaniel Hawthorne) The Ghost's Touch (Fergus Hume) Glámr (Sabine Baring-Gould) The Ghosts at Grantley (Leonard Kip) A Terrible Christmas Eve (Lucie E. Jackson) Ghosts and Family Legends (Catherine Crowe) The Ghost: A Christmas Story (William Douglas O'Connor) Thurlow's Christmas Story (John Kendrick Bangs) The Mystery of My Grandmother's Hair Sofa (John Kendrick Bangs) The Abbot's Ghost; or Maurice Treherne's Temptation (Louisa M. Alcott) Old Applejoy's Ghost (Frank R. Stockton) Wolverden Tower (Grant Allen) The Christmas-Eve Vigil (James Bowker) Told After Supper (Jerome K. Jerome) The Box with the Iron Clamps (Florence Marryat) Joseph: A Story (Katherine Rickford) The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton (Charles Dickens) The Ghost of Christmas Eve (J. M. Barrie) The Dead Sexton (Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu) Uncle Cornelius His Story (George MacDonald) The Grave by the Handpost (Thomas Hardy) Number Ninety (Bithia Mary Croker) At Chrighton Abbey (Mary Elizabeth Braddon) The Haunted Man (Charles Dickens) Doctor Marigold's Prescriptions (Charles Dickens) The Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) The Black Bag Left on a Door-Step (Catherine L. Pirkis) Between the Lights (E. F. Benson) Transition (Algernon Blackwood) The Kit-Bag (Algernon Blackwood)

In the evocative collection 'Christmas After Dark - 36 Holiday Ghost Stories & Supernatural Thrillers,' the reader is treated to a remarkable tapestry of the macabre and the mysterious, set against the backdrop of the holiday season. This anthology stands out for its eclectic mix of narratives that weave together the chilling with the festive, showcasing a stunning diversity in literary stylesfrom the gothic to the surreal. The collection reimagines the traditional sentiments of Christmas through a darker lens, highlighting the contrast between the joyous festivities and the eerie quiet of winter nights. The anthology thoughtfully curates stories from a range of time periods, thereby painting a comprehensive picture of the literary evolution of the ghost story genre, with particular attention to its intersection with Christmas traditions. The ensemble of authors featured in the collectionranging from the celebrated minds of Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle to the lesser-known but equally compelling figures like Florence Marryat and Catherine Crowebrings together a rich array of backgrounds, each contributing a unique voice to the chorus of holiday hauntings. These authors, many of whom were pivotal figures in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, collectively embody the diverse cultural and historical contexts from which these stories spring. Their works not only reflect the societal attitudes and anxieties of their times but also contribute to the overarching theme of the anthology by exploring the universal fascination with the supernatural. This anthology is a treasure trove for those keen on exploring the confluence of holiday cheer and the spectral, offering readers a chance to immerse themselves in a world where the spirit of Christmas meets the spirit world. 'Christmas After Dark' is an indispensable addition to the library of anyone fascinated by the history and evolution of ghost stories and their unique ability to bridge themes of joy, nostalgia, and terror. It beckons the reader to cozy up by the fire on a cold winter's night and delve into tales that promise to chill the heart and warm the soul in equal measure.