Spirits of Christmas Presented by Troy Taylor

Join author Troy Taylor for an eerie look back at Christmas traditions of the past from monsters like Krampus, the Yule Cat, Belsnickel, and Perchta to stories of murder, tragedy, and death during the holiday season that left spirits lingering behind.

For most people, the holidays are about fun -- family gatherings, parties, Christmas traditions, food, presents, and days and nights of laughter, good tidings, and cheer. Things have changed a lot over the years, though. In the past, the winter nights were long and dark. It was a time of snow, cold, and ice and a series of days and weeks huddled around the fire waiting for warmer weather to return. Oil lamps, candles, and fireplaces were the only sources of light to keep back the encroaching shadows.

But what better days for ghosts? In the Victorian era, this was considered the spookiest time of year, beginning with Halloween and ending with the spring thaw. All of the greatest fictional ghost stories of the time were set in the gloomy winter months and during the holidays, like Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” for instance.

Before that, winter was the season of death and a time filled with malicious spirits, demons, and other threatening entities. They had to be appeased by gifts and precautions to ward them off – like ringing bells, making noises, and burning logs in the fireplace all night. Venturing into the darkness could be a frightening experience with werewolves, trolls and monsters on the prowl.

The church later incorporated the pagan traditions into their own holiday feasts, but even so, the old pagan gods never seemed far away during the winter. This was the time of the winter solstice, a festival of death, designed to celebrate the spirit world and the “death” of the earth, which would be re-born in the spring. During the solstice, the Norse god Odin rose through the skies in a chariot pulled by two goats, distributing gifts to the Viking clans — just like Santa Claus would later do with his sleigh.

Troy Taylor is the author of more than 150 books on history, hauntings, true crime, the unexplained, and the supernatural in America. He is the founder of American Hauntings Ink, which offers books, events, and ghost tours, and is the owner of the American Oddities Museum in Alton, Illinois. He is also the writer and co-host of the American Hauntings Podcast. He has appeared in numerous television shows and documentaries, and his book about the St. Louis Exorcism of 1949 is currently under contract to be turned into a film by a major studio.