Christmas Hauntings

[Kasper Hviid]

Surfing around for vintage books, I have noticed what seems to have been a tradition for telling ghost stories at christmas. One obvious example is of course A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens. But did that story draw upon an existing christmas/ghost trope of henceday?

Another example - Ghosts and Family Legends - A Volume for Christmas (1859) is an aledgedly true collection of ghost stories:

It happened that I spent the last winter in a large country mansion, in the north of England, where we had a succession of visitors, and all manner of amusements—dancing, music, cards, billiards, and other games.

Towards the end of December, 1857, however, the gaiety of the house was temporarily interrupted by a serious misfortune that occurred to one of the party, which, in the evening, occasioned us to assemble with grave faces round the drawing-room fire, where we fell to discussing the slight tenure by which we hold whatever blessings we enjoy, and the sad uncertainty of human life, as it affects us in its most mournful aspect—the lives of those we love.

From this theme, the conversation branched out into various speculations regarding the great mysteries of the here and hereafter; the reunion of friends, and the possible interests of them that have past away in the well-being of those they have left behind; till it fell, naturally, into the relation of certain experiences which almost everybody has had, more or less; and which were adduced to fortify the arguments of those who regard the future as less disjoined from the present than it is considered to be by Theologians generally.

In short, we began to tell ghost stories; and although some of the party professed an utter disbelief in apparitions, they proved to be as fertile as the believers in their contributions—relating something that had happened to themselves or their friends, as having undoubtedly occurred, or to all appearance, occurred—only, with the reservation, that it must certainly have been a dream.

The novel The Turn of the Screw (1898) starts out with a group of people telling each other ghost stories at christmas:

The story had held us, round the fire, sufficiently breathless, but except the obvious remark that it was gruesome, as, on Christmas Eve in an old house, a strange tale should essentially be, I remember no comment uttered till somebody happened to say that it was the only case he had met in which such a visitation had fallen on a child.

Over the Plum Pudding (1901 by John Kendrick Bangs) also looks like it is mixing christmas and ghosts.

That's my examples - is this enough for me to claim that there was a mainstream tradition combining Christmas and the supernatural - or am I just seeing ghosts?

[Phogg]

Telling ghost stories was an entertainment staple of the period, not tied to a specific part of the calendar.

[HarryT]

Ghost stories date back to the earliest recorded human history; they certainly aren't a recent phenomenon. There's a ghost story in the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh, for example, the earliest extant versions of which date from the 7th century BCE, although the actual story is certainly a lot older.

[mr ploppy]

In England, Christmas has always been the traditional time for ghost stories. Probably because we didn't have anything like that at Halloween until the mid-90s.

[Kasper Hviid]

Yet again, I forgot that if I want to know something, I can do a Google search. I just found this:


Telling ghost stories is a lost tradition on Christmas Eve

Why ghosts haunt England at Christmas but steer clear of America


Ghosts in the Nog

[crich70]

And some of the traditions of ghostly phenomenon go way back to places like Egypt. Vampire legends go at least that far back. Grave markers were invented to hold ghosts in the grave so they couldn't bother the living. They also kept animals from disturbing the grave as well, but it was thought that stones could weigh the spirit down. So telling stories about ghosts is probably as old as mankind itself is. And sometimes the tales included valuable life lessons. For example the old Fairy Tales had a bit of truth at their heart. Red Riding Hood pointed out the danger of speaking to strangers. So tales told round the fire could wile away the long hours and teach something as well. At least in an age when people had beliefs in Ghosts, Vampires, Werewolves etc.